Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PEDRO — The Rock Hill Redmen know how to race their car. Now, if they can just cross the finish line.
As usual, the Redmen moved the ball against an opponent’s defense but turnovers and mistakes near the goal line haunted them again as they lost 44-28 to the Meigs Marauders on Friday.
Rock Hill (0-2) had 236 yards rushing, another 50 passing and 18 first downs but we unable to overcome their mistakes and the loss of Zak Adkins and T.J. McGinnis, two of their top players for the season.
The Redmen took an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by Hayden Harper and a conversion pass from Brayden Friend to Logan Hankins.
But used a 15-yard run by Landon Acree and a 27-yard scramble by quarterback Coulter Cleland to get to the Redmen 7-yard line.
Rock Hill held the Marauders to one yard before Cleland scramble and hit Wyatt Hoover with a 6-yard scoring pass and it was 8-6.
After getting a first down, Rock Hill’s drive stalled and they got off a 28-yard punt that Acree returned 63 yards for a touchdown. Caleb Burnem kicked the conversion to lead 13-8.
Rock Hill punted again and this time Cleland and Cam Burnem clicked on a 67-yard pass to the 3-yard line. Two plays later, Coulter hit Cam Burnem with a 1-yard scoring strike and it was 19-8.
The Redmen got to the Meigs’ 28-yard line on their next possession before time ran out in the half.
Hunter Massie returned the second half kickoff 56 yards to the 16-yard line and two plays later Friend scored from a yard out and it was 19-14 at the 10:25 mark.
Meigs answered with a 75-yard, seven-play drive that ended on a 27-yard Cleland to Abe Lundy screen pass and it was 25-14.
The Redmen got to the Meigs’ 38 before the drive bogged down and a 32-yard run by Jake McElroy got the ball to the 4-yard line where Lundy scored and it was 31-14.
Rock Hill came right back with a 60-yard, seven-play drive keyed by Friend’s 23-yard run and capped by Harper’s 1-yard plunge with 10:56 to play and it was 31-20.
But a 35-yard pass to Acree set up a 2-yard scoring run by Cleland and it was 38-20 at the 8:47 mark.
Refusing to quit, the Redmen answered with a 53-yard scoring drive in eight plays capped by Massie’s 1-yard sneak with 4:26 to go.
A 38-yard run by McElroy set up a 2-yard TD run by Cleland with 4:04 left to complete the scoring.
Friend had 80 yards on 12 carries, Hankins 75 yards on 15 attempts and Harper 60 yards on 14 tries in the balance Rock Hill backfield.
McElroy ran for 129 yards on 10 carries and Lundy 58 yards on nine attempts for Meigs.
Meigs 0 19 12 13 = 44
Rock Hill 0 8 6 14 = 28
Second Quarter
RH — Hayden Harper 3 run (Logan Hankins pass from Brayden Friend) 8:40
Mg — Wyatt Hoover 6 pass from Coulter Cleland (pass failed) 7:17
Mg — Landon Acree 63 punt return (Caleb Burnem kick) 3:30
Mg — Cam Burnem 1 pass from Coulter Cleland (kick failed) 0:39
Third Quarter
RH — Brayden Friend 1 run (run failed) 10:25
Mg — Abe Lundy 27 pass from Coulter Cleland (kick failed) 7:39
Mg — Abe Lundy 4 run (kick failed) 1:30
Fourth Quarter
RH — Hayden Harper 1 run (run failed) 10:56
Mg — Coulter Cleland 2 run (Caleb Burnem kick) 8:47
RH — Hunter Massie 1 run (Logan Hankins pass from Brayden Friend) 4:26
Mg — Coulter Cleland 4 run (kick failed) 4:04
——
Mgs RH
First downs 17 18
Rushes-yards 29-242 48-236
Passing yards 164 50
Total yards 406 286
Cmp-Att-Int 9-18-1 3-6-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yards 3-15 3-25
Punts-average 1-39.0 4-28.6
——
Individual Leaders
RUSHING —Meigs: Jake McElroy 10-129, Abe Lundy 9-58, Coulter Cleland 7-42, Landon Acree 1-15, team 2-minus 2; Rock Hill: Brayden Friend 12-80, Logan Hankins 15-75, Hayden Harper 14-60, Skyler Kidd 5-21, Hunter Massie 2-0.
PASSING — Meigs: Coulter Cleland 9-18-1 164; Rock Hill: Brayden Friend 2-5-0 31, Hunter Massie 1-1-0 19.
RECEIVING — Meigs: Cam Burnem 2-68, Landon Acree 2-41, Abe Lundy 1-27, Wyatt Hoover 2-15, Wes Metzger 1-11, Jake McElroy 1-8; Rock Hill: Logan Hankins 2-31, Brayden Friend 1-19.