Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

BIDWELL — And the beat goes on.
The Coal Grove Hornets went 11-2 last year and they began this season with a 47-0 rout of the River Valley Raiders on Friday.
The Hornets’ ground game was the key as they racked up 228 yards on 37 attempts led by Kyle Sites with 113 yards on 13 carries and he scored twice.
Quarterback Nate Harmon added 70 yards on six tries and was 5-of-7 passing for 96 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for two scores.
Aaron Music caught three passes for 58 yards while Evan Holmes had two catches for 41 yards and a TD.
Austin Stapleton put the Hornets on the scoreboard with 4:18 left in the first quarter when he went 4 yards for a touchdown and it was 6-0.
Sites had a 4-yard scoring run in the second quarter and Holmes’ conversion kick pushed the lead to 13-0 at the 9:01 mark.
Harmon then raced 17 yards on a keeper with 5:31 to play in the half and the Hornets had built a 19-0 halftime cushion.
Coal Grove put the game away by exploding for 22 points in the third quarter to make it 41-0.
First, Holmes caught a 10-yard scoring strike from Harmon at the 13-minute mark.
Ben Compliment then tackled a River Valley runner in the backfield for a safety at the 9:09 mark to set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Sites less than two minutes later.
Holmes kicked the conversion.
Harmon bolted 27 yards for a touchdown and Holmes ran for the conversion with 3:35 left in the quarter.
The Coal Grove reserves finished up and Christian Workman ran 9 yards for a touchdown with 4:28 to play
Coal Grove visits Lucasville Valley next Friday.
Coal Grove 6 13 22 7 = 47
River Valley 0 0 0 0 = 0
First Quarter
CG — Austin Stapleton 4 run (kick failed) 4:18
Second Quarter
CG — Kyle Sites 4 run (Evan Holmes kick) 9:01
CG — Nate Harmon 17 run (run failed) 5:31
Third Quarter
CG — Evan Holmes 10 pass from Nate Harmon (kick failed) 13:00
CG — Safety (Ben Compliment tackle runner in end zone) 9:09
CG — Kyle Sites 6 run (Evan Holmes kick) 7:29
CG — Nate Harmon 27 run (Evan Holmes run) 3:35
Fourth Quarter
CG — Christian Workman 9 run (run failed) 4:28
——
CG RV
First downs 11 7
Rushes-yards 37-228 29-113
Passing yards 96 56
Total yards 324 169
Cmp-Att-Int 5-7-1 3-8-2
Fumbles-lost 0-0 5-1
Penalties-yards 5-50 1-5
Punts-average 1-35.0 4-26.3
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Individual Leaders
RUSHING —Coal Grove: Kyle Sites 13-113, Austin Stapleton 3-15, Nate Harmon 6-70, Austin Stormes 1-5, Evan Holmes 2-13, Jalen McKenzie 1-6, Christian Workman 2-22, Trey Hunt 7-41, Brady Doyle 2-3; River Valley: Layne Fitch Braden Kemper 13-29, Jeff Fitzwater 109, Jared Reese 1-8, Trevor Simpson 5-7, Jordan Burns 2-5, Ty VanSickle 1-3, Braden Kemper 6-1.
PASSING — Coal Grove: Nate Harmon 5-7-1 96; River Valley: Braden Kemper 3-7-2 56, Jordan Burns 0-1-0.
RECEIVING — Coal Grove: Aaron Music 3-58, Evan Holmes 2-41; River Valley: Jared Reese 2-42, Layne Fitch 1-14.