Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

COAL GROVE — Aaron Music is known for making big plays on offense, but he made himself known on the defensive side on Friday.
Music broke up a conversion pass with 1:15 to play that prevented Portsmouth from tying the game as the Coal Grove Hornets held on to edge the Trojans 36-34 in an Ohio Valley Conference game.
Coal Grove (4-2, 2-1) used a balanced attack to keep the Trojans’ defense off-balance. The Hornets rushed for 246 yards and quarterback Nate Harmon was 10-of-18 passing for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Austin Stapleton ran 19 times for 94 yards to lead the Hornets ground game. Harmon had 66 yards on 13 tries, Kyle Sites 41 yards on seven attempts and Music 33 yards on four rushes.
Music also caught four passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Portsmouth (3-3, 1-2) relied on the running of junior Talyn Parker who carried 19 times for 261 yards and scored three touchdowns.
After holding Portsmouth on a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line, the Hornets drove for a touchdown as Sites ran 2 yards. Harmon’s conversion run made it 8-0 at the 3:17 mark.
Portsmouth answered quickly behind the running of Parker who scored on a 4-yard run. Danny Lattimore ran for the conversion and it was tied at the 2:06 mark.
Coal Grove came back to take a 16-8 lead on a 2-yard pass from Harmon to Music on the first play of the second quarter. Harmon ran for the conversion.
Parker tied the game with a 14-yard touchdown run and Lattimore’s conversion rush with 8:47 to go in the half.
Sites then got loose and turned the corner on a 16-yard touchdown run. Harmon ran for the extra points and it was 24-16 at the 3:12 mark.
But Lattimore scored from 3 yards out with 52 seconds left in the half and it was 24-22. The conversion run failed.
The Hornets extended their lead to 30-22 on a 9-yard TD run by Harmon midway through the third quarter. The conversion run failed.
The Trojans got within 30-28 on an 86-yard scoring burst by Parker with 11:44 to go. The conversion failed.
Coal Grove extended its lead to 36-28 on a 5-yard pass from Harmon to Sites with 4:29 left. The pass on the extra points failed.
Portsmouth drove into scoring position and Tyler McCoy ran one-yard with 1:15 to play and it was 36-34.
But Music came up with his clutch defensive play to help secure the win.
Next Friday, Coal Grove hosts Gallipolis and Portsmouth goes to Chesapeake in OVC games.
Portsmouth 8 14 0 12 = 34
Coal Grove 8 16 6 6 = 36
First Quarter
CG — Kyle Sites 2 run (Nate Harmon run) 3:17
Prt — Talyn Parker 4 run (Danny Lattimore run) 2:06
Second Quarter
CG — Aaron Music 2 pass from Nate Harmon (Harmon run) 11:56
Prt — Talyn Parker 14 run (Danny Lattimore run) 8:47
CG — Kyle Sites 16 run (Nate Harmon run) 3:12
Prt — Danny Lattimore 3 run (run failed) 0:52
Third Quarter
CG — Nate Harmon 9 run (run failed) 7:14
Fourth Quarter
Prt — Talyn Parker 86 run (run failed) 11:44
CG — Kyle Sites 5 pass from Nate Harmon (pass failed) 4:29
Prt — Tyler McCoy 1 run (pass failed) 1:15
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Prt CG
First downs 16 25
Rushes-yards 33-323 46-246
Passing yards 30 129
Total yards 353 375
Cmp-Att-Int 1-3-0 10-18-0
Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 6-65 8-45
Punts-average 1-34.0 1-30.0
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Individual Leaders
RUSHING — Portsmouth: Talyn Parker 19-261, Tyler McCoy 8-17, Danny Lattimore 4-38, Hayden Yerardi 1-5, Eric Purdy 1-2; Coal Grove: Nate Harmon 13-66, Austin Stapleton 19-94, Kyle Sites 7-41, Aaron Music 4-33, Jalen McKenzie 3-12.
PASSING — Portsmouth: Danny Lattimore1-3-1 30; Coal Grove: Nate Harmon 10-18-0 129.
RECEIVING — Portsmouth: Eric Purdy 1-40; Coal Grove: Jalen McKenzie 3-39, Greg Keeney 1-5, Kyle Sites 2-14, Aaron Music 4-71.