Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

SOUTH POINT — Running Redmen was something the Rock Hill basketball team likes to call themselves.
But when it comes to the football team, the Redmen don’t care what they are called but instead prefer what they do.
And the Redmen were running Friday night as they amassed 370 yards rushing in a 34-26 win over the South Point Pointers in an Ohio Valley Conference game.
Rock Hill (2-3, 2-3) was led by Owen Hankins who ran 12 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns while Hayden Harper had eight carries for 92 yards and a score.
South Point (0-5, 0-5) struggled with its run game against the Rock Hill defense but did managed to get 202 yards through the air as quarterback Malik Pegram was 11-of-21 including a touchdown.
Brayden Friend — who ran four times for 51 yards — scored the first touchdown of the game with a 7-yard run as Rock Hill went 54 yards in five plays. Friend had a 38-yard run to start the drive.
The Redmen held the 6-0 lead until early in the second quarter.
After stopping the Pointers at the 9-yard line, the Redmen got a first down but fumbled the ball and Nakyan Turner picked up the pigskin and went 25 yards for the touchdown.
Justin Collins’ conversion put the Pointers up 7-6 with 6:49 left in the half.
Rock Hill came right back with a 64-yard, 9-play drive capped by Hankins’ 2-yard run with 3:03 left in the half. Hankins added the conversion run for a 14-7 lead.
A 32-yard pass to Darryl Taylor and a late hit penalty on Rock Hill moved the ball to the 10-yard line. With time running out, Collins kicked a 23-yard field goal with just four seconds on the clock and it was 14-10 at the half.
Rock Hill began the second half with a 52-yard, 6-play drive that ended on a 1-yard run by Hankins and it was 20-10 at the 8:51 mark.
Following an exchange of punts, Rock Hill went 63 yards in just four plays highlighted by Harper’s 44-yard run.
Harper finished the drive on the next play with a 4-yard scoring run and it was 26-10 with 10:59 to play.
The defense forced the Pointers to turn the ball over on downs with 7:44 to play and the Rock Hill second unit got their final touchdowns when lineman/fullback Chase Delong went 27 yards for the score with just 1:57 left.
Hunter Blagg added the conversion run and it was 34-10.
The Pointers got a 58-yard touchdown pass play when Pegram hit Taylor with 1:36 to play. Pegram threw to Brendan Dillow for the conversion.
South Point recovered the onside kickoff and Pegram threw to Taylor who won a jump ball pass for 22 yards that set up Pegram’s 1-yard scoring run.
Alex Lambert caught the conversion pass with 1:03 to go.
Rock Hill recovered the second onside kickoff and ran out the clock.
Next Friday, Rock Hill host Fairland and South Point goes to Ironton.
Rock Hill 6 8 6 14 = 34
South Point 0 10 0 16 = 26
First Quarter
RH – Brayden Friend 7 run (run failed) 8:00
Second Quarter
SP – Nakyan Turner 25 fumble return (Justin Collins kick) 6:49
RH – Owen Hankins 2 run (Hankins run) 3:03
SP – Justin Collins 23 field goal 0:04
Third Quarter
RH – Owen Hankins 1 run (run failed) 8:51
Fourth Quarter
RH – Hayden Harper 4 run (pass failed) 10:59
RH – Chase Delong 27 run (Hunter Blagg run) 1:57
SP – Darryl Taylor 58 pass from Malik Pegram (Brendan Dillow pass from Malik Pegram) 1:36
SP – Malik Pegram 1 run (Alex Lambert pass from Malik Pegram) 1:03
——
RH SP
First downs 17 11
Rushes-yards 37-370 25-32
Passing yards 3 202
Total yards 373 234
Cmp-Att-Int 1-3-0 11-21-0
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-0
Penalties-yards 6-70 5-45
Punts-average 1-33.0 4-38.0
——
Individual Leaders
RUSHING —Rock Hill: Owen Hankins 12-118, Hayden Harper 8-92, Brayden Friend 4-51, Skyler Kidd 7-33, Hunter Blagg 6-37, Chase Delong 1-27; South Point: Maddox McCallister 8-23, Alex Lambert 2-2, Nakyan Turner 7-19, Malik Pegram 4-minus 6.
PASSING — Rock Hill: Hunter Massie 1-3-0 3; South Point: Malik Pegram 11-21-0 202.
RECEIVING — Rock Hill: Owen Hankins 1-3; South Point: Nakyan Turner 4-123, Cody Brandt 5-77, Maddox McCallister 2-2.