Dayton bounces back, blows out Salem Academy

Dayton rebounded from its first loss with an emphatic 58-14 win over Salem Academy on Friday.

The Pirates jumped out to a 21-0 lead within minutes of the opening kick, capitalizing on excellent field position after forcing two turnovers, scoring on each of their first three drives.

“We didn’t play our best football (last week),” head coach Jacob Peterson said. “We had very good, focused practices and played Dayton football from the start.”

The Pirates took the term “running back by committee” literally, with 10 different players recording a carry in the win. As a team, the Pirates averaged 9.4 yards per carry for 357 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Senior Lucas Ashley led the way with 101 yards, and did it on just two carries, both touchdowns, for a whopping average of 50.5 yards per carry. Sophomore Pedro Cisneros tallied 64 yards and a touchdown on nine carries and sophomore Tristan McGann scored twice, recording 56 yards on six carries.

Junior Boston Hodges scored the other TD. Hodges also went 2-2 through the air with a passing touchdown, a 27-yard pass to Ashley.

“Ashley did the most but had the fewest touches,” Peterson noted while laughing.

The Dayton defense even got in on the scoring action, as junior Bowen Johnson returned a fumble recovery 38 yards for a scoop-and-score.

The Pirates will look to improve to 5-1 when they travel to Scio to face the Loggers on Friday at 7 p.m.