Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PEDRO — Forget the football game, let’s play some keep away.
The Rock Hill Redmen seemed to be playing keep away on Friday as they controlled the clock in beating the South Point Pointers 26-21 in an Ohio Valley Conference game.
Rock Hill ran the ball 73 times for 289 yards while the Pointers rushed just nine times and ran only 21 total plays.
Logan Hankins carried the ball 20 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Redmen. Owen Hankins rushed 25 times for 73 yards, T.J. McGinnis — out since the first game with a crack tibia — returned to carry the ball nine times for 55 yards while Hayden Harper had 10 attempts for 45 yards.
Rock Hill (1-5, 1-2) fumbled the ball away on its first play from scrimmage and the Pointers recovered at the Redmen 26. But the defense held with giving up only 3 yards and then went on a long drive that stalled at the 10-yard line.
An interception by Logan Hankins gave the ball to the Redmen at the Pointers’ 33 and they scored nine plays later on a one-yard run by Brayden Friend.
Tristan Delong kicked the conversion and it was 7-0 with 5:15 on the block.
Kordell French came up with an interception on the ensuing play and the Redmen drove to the 12-yard line only to run out of time as the half ended.
Rock Hill took the second half kickoff and went 56 yards in eight plays as Logan Hankins broke free on a 26-yard TD run and Delong’s kick made it 14-0 with 7:40 on the clock.
South Point (1-5, 0-3) was held without a first down in the first half due to Rock Hill’s ball control and two big interceptions. But the Pointers answered with a scoring drive on their own.
Malik Pegram threw a screen to Chance Gunther who reversed his field for a 20-yard gain. Four plays later, McCallister ran for 14 yards and then Pegram scrambled for the final 5 yards.
Justin Collins kicked the extra point and the Pointers were within 14-7 with 3:41 left in the quarter.
Rock Hill went right back to work with a 59-yard, nine-play march capped by McGinnis one-yard run and it was 20-7 with 11:03 left.
Pegram threw a high pass down the field that Gunther came up with for a 41-yard gain to the Rock Hill 22. Gunther then made a nice leaping catch in the end zone and it was 20-14 with 9:11 to play.
Rock Hill shrugged off the touchdown and marched 71 yards in nine plays capped by Logan Hankins 7-yard scoring run with 4:15 to play.
South Point reached into its playbook for a double pass play as Pegram threw to Gunther in the flats and he threw deep down the field to McCallister for a 58-yard catch and run and it was 26-21 with 3:55 left.
But Rock Hill erased any South Point comeback hopes by rushing the ball seven straight plays to reach the 3-yard line where the Redmen took a knee on the final two plays of the game.
Next Friday, Rock Hill visits Ironton and South Point host Fairland.
South Point       0    0    7    14    =    21
Rock Hill    0    7    7    12    =    26
Second Quarter
RH — Brayden Friend 1 run (Tristan Delong kick) 5:15
Third Quarter
RH — Logan Hankins 26 run (Tristan Delong kick) 7:40
SP — Malik Pegram 5 run (Justin Collins kick) 3:41
Fourth Quarter
RH — T.J. McGinnis 1 run (kick failed) 11:03
SP — Chance Gunther 13 pass from Malik Pegram (Justin Collins kick) 9:11
RH — Logan Hankins 7 run (run failed) 4:15
SP — Maddox McCallister 58 pass from Chance Gunther (Justin Collins kick) 3:55
——
SP    RH
First downs    6    21
Rushes-yards    9-40    73-289
Passing yards    137    30
Total yards    177    319
Cmp-Att-Int    7-12-2    3-5-0
Fumbles-lost    0-0    1-1
Penalties-yards    8-56    3-15
Punts-average    1-39.0    0-00.0
——
Individual Leaders
RUSHING —South Point: Maddox McCallister 4-24, Jeremy McMillian 2-7, Malik Pegram 3-9; Rock Hill: Logan Hankins 20-105, Owen Hankins 25-73, T.J. McGinnis 9-55, Brayden Friend 6-8, Hayden Harper 10-45, Skyler Kidd 1-5, team 2-minus 2.
PASSING — South Point Alex Lambert 3-7-2 6, Malik Pegram 3-4-0 73, Chance Gunther 1-1-0 58; Rock Hill: Brayden Friend 3-5-0 30.
RECEIVING — South Point: Chance Gunther 3-73, Jeremy McMillian 1-minus 6, Maddox McCallister 2-70; Rock Hill: Logan Hankins 2-21, Owen Hankins 1-9.