Ground and pound: How Grady Kinsey's legs drove Indian Valley against John Glenn.
GNADENHUTTEN — A rare bout of fierce storms forced a postponement of Indian Valley's showdown with visiting John Glenn on Friday night.
When it got underway on Saturday, Grady Kinsey announced his presence with authority.
Kinsey powered a big-play running game with 238 yards on 19 carries — good for a 12.5-yard average — and the defense forced three turnovers in a 41-26 win that kept the Braves unbeaten at 3-0.
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The Braves won convincingly despite completing only four passes, as they piled up 462 yards on 38 carries. Kinsey, a stout, fast running back, scored five of the team's six touchdowns, as he and quarterback Ryker Williams combined for 400 yards on 36 carries.
Williams also contributed to an opportunistic defense with two interceptions, as the Braves won despite allowing 368 yards and losing three turnovers.
A high-scoring first half saw the teams combined for 46 points. Kinsey had touchdowns of 56, 66 and 39 yards before halftime, while Owen Fockler added a 60-yard score, as Indian Valley turned a 13-12 deficit in the second quarter to a 27-19 edge at the half.
John Glenn (2-1) never got closer as Kinsey scored from 2 and 11 yards out in the second half to lead 41-19 before Owen Edwards found Jake Johnson with a 1-yard score late in the fourth.
John Glenn ran 33 times for 203 yards behind 114 yards on 11 carries from Reese Metzger and 62 on 12 trips from Lincoln Gilcher, while Johnson caught a team-high eight passes for 56 yards and Ryder Pennington snagged seven for 50.
Edwards was 26 of 35 passing for 151 yards with a pair of touchdowns, which included a 14-yard scoring toss to Metzger to give John Glenn a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. Andrew Glaub found Cannon Fox with a 14-yard score in the second to give John Glenn a one-point lead. Glaub also intercepted a pass.
Both teams figure to continue to weigh heavily in their respective playoff races.
Veteran Indian Valley is among the class of Division IV, Region 15 and is expected to battle Garaway and Ridgewood for Inter-Valley Conference-South Division supremacy. It has a showdown with unbeaten Dover awaiting in Week 4 at Crater Stadium.
John Glenn, after cruising to wins against Maysville and Cambridge the first two weeks, travels to winless Coshocton in Week 4 before a critical home game against Sheridan looms. The perennial power Generals, like John Glenn in the middle of a gauntlet in Division III, Region 11, are 1-2 for the first time since 2017 after a 27-7 loss to Pataskala Licking Heights on Friday.
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This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Grady Kinsey's legs fuel Indian Valley offense in win vs. John Glenn