Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

WILLOW WOOD — The Symmes Valley Vikings think that just because they are playing at home that the football belongs to only them.
The Vikings played ball control as they had the ball for almost 37 minutes of Friday’s Southern Ohio Conference game as they beat the Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans 51-20.
Symmes Valley ran the ball 41 times for 401 yards led by Layken Gothard with 12 carries for 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Derik Brace added 80 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns while Keifer Wilson ran seven times for 57 yards and Austin Waugh seven attempts for 55 yards and a score.
“We controlled the line of scrimmage and we had very few breakdowns on defense,” said Vikings’ coach Rusty Webb.
“We made some aggressive mistakes, but the kids played extremely hard. That’s one thing that has been constant all year. Our kids play hard all the time.”
Ben Mader ran 16 times for 125 yards and Logan Emnett had 50 yards on four attempts as the Titans finished with 197 yards rushing and 220 total yards.
The Vikings (5-2, 3-1) scored on their first possession of the game as Derik Brace ran 14 yards for the touchdown and it was 6-0.
Gothard had a 75-yard punt return called back but the Vikings recovered to score on Brace’s run
Notre Dame answered with a 58-yard run by Mader on the second play after the kickoff. The Titans fumbled the ball on the conversion and Xavier Shepherd recovered it to put Notre Dame ahead 8-6.
But the Vikings came right back to take the lead in the second quarter on a 25-yard run by Gothard. Wilson ran for the conversion and it was 14-8.
The Vikings’ defense forced a punt and Gothard returned the kick 46 yards for a touchdown. Brace added the conversion run and it was 22-8.
Notre Dame erased that score as Mader ran back the ensuing kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown and cut the Vikings’ lead to 22-14.
But not to be outdone, Gothard broke free on a 75-yard run on the next series and Waugh’s conversion run put the Vikings up 30-14 at the half.
Symmes Valley used a 2-yard scoring run by Waugh and a 4-yard TD scamper by Gothard to go up 45-14 in the third quarter. Gothard had a conversion run and Wilson a PAT kick.
The Titans scored on a 41-yard run by Logan Emnett, but the Vikings answered as Brace went 6 yards for a touchdown and the running clock took care of the fourth quarter.
Next Friday the Vikings visit Manchester.
Notre Dame    8    6    6    0    =    20
Sym. Valley    6    24    21    0    =    51
First Quarter
SV – Derik Brace 14 run (kick failed)
ND – Ben Mader 58 run (Xavier Shepherd recover fumble in end zone)
Second Quarter
SV – Layken Gothard 25 run (Keifer Wilson run)
SV – Layken Gothard 46 punt return (Derik Brace run)
ND –  Ben Mader 70 kickoff return (pass failed)
SV – Layken Gothard 75 run (Austin Waugh run)
Third Quarter
SV – Austin Waugh 2 run (Layken Gothard run)
SV – Layken Gothard 4 run (Keifer Wilson kick)
ND – Logan Emnett 41 run (run failed)
SV – Derik Brace 6 run (kick failed)
——
PND    SV
First downs    11    23
Rushes-yards    32-197    41-401
Passing yards    23    0
Total yards    220    401
Cmp-Att-Int    2-2-0    0-2-0
Fumbles-lost    1-0    1-0
Penalties-yards    5-71    9-91
Punts-average    5-37.4    2-22.0
——
Individual Leaders
RUSHING —Notre Dame: Ben Mader 16-125, Logan Emnett 4-50; Symmes Valley: Austin Waugh 7-55, Derik Brace 11-80, Derek Crum 4-27, Keifer Wilson 7-57, Layken Gothard 12-182.
PASSING — Notre Dame: Caleb Nichols 2-2-0 23; Symmes Valley: Keifer Wilson 0-2-0.
RECEIVING — Notre Dame: Caleb Tindall 1-12, Ethan Kammer 1-11; Symmes Valley: None.