ZANESVILLE — The Miami Trace Panthers made the long trip over on I-70 East to take on the Zanesville Blue Devils in their final non-conference game of the 2017 season.
Zanesville got out to a 27-0 halftime lead en route to a 41-7 victory.
The Blue Devils are now 2-3 on the season, while Miami Trace slips to 0-5.
Zanesville’s first possession ended when Miami Trace’s Brady Wallace had an interception and 27-yard return.
After that drive stalled, Zanesville scored on the first of several touchdown passes on the night.
The first was 24-yards and came with 3:17 to play in the first quarter.
A bad snap caused the extra-point attempt to be no good.
Zanesville had an interception of their own near the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, with 10:17 to play, the Blue Devils connected on a 36-yard touchdown pass play.
With the extra-point kick, it was 13-0, Zanesville.
The Panthers moved the ball out to near midfield on their next series, but could not sustain the drive.
Zanesville scored again on a 22-yard pass with 5:58 to play in the first half.
The PAT kick made it 20-0, Blue Devils.
Zanesville scored again, this time on a 29-yard run by Caine Martin. The kick was good, giving the Blue Devils a 27-0 lead, which they took with them into the locker room.
With 6:09 to play in the third quarter, Zanesville scored on a 7-yard run by Martin. The kick made it 34-0, Blue Devils.
This scored caused the running clock to come into play.
Miami Trace got on the board with a 10-yard run by sophomore Caden Sweitzer.
Justin Shoemaker’s kick made it 34-7, Blue Devils.
As time expired in the third quarter, Zanesville’s Ben Everson scored on a 10-yard run. The kick made it 41-7 which was the final score.
“There’s no continuity in this offense right now,” Miami Trace head coach Jerry Williams said. “Defensively, we’re not making plays. We have got to get better.
“We started our third different quarterback tonight,” Williams said, referring to junior Tyler Taylor. “It takes time. I would like to get this done right away, but, I need some familiar faces each and every week.”
Miami Trace will be at McClain High School next week to play their first Frontier Athletic Conference game of the season.
McClain is 0-5 after a 28-7 loss to Troy Christian Friday night.
