London running back Antwaun Burns rushed for four TDs as the Red Raiders improved to 4-0 and 3-0 in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division.
Quarterback Drew Mitch threw a 20-yard TD pass to Jamon Miller in the third quarter for the Braves' lone score. Shawnee fell to 3-1 and 2-1 in the division.
The Braves opened the game with five straight 3-and-out possessions and finished the first half without earning a first down.
“Physically, we were getting beat up,” Meeks said. “Obviously, that’s something I didn’t get them ready for. I don’t want any blame going on those kids. Maybe I didn’t scheme it up well enough and we were too predictable, I don’t know. I’m going to have to analyze that and look in the mirror myself.”
Burns scored on a 2-yard run with about seven minutes remaining in the first half to make it 7-0.
The Braves defense held on the Red Raiders next possession, but after a Shawnee three-and-out, they drove the ball right back down the field. London scored on a 9-yard run by Burns to take a 14-0 advantage.
On the next possession, Mitch fumbled on Shawnee’s 1-yard line and London’s Jonathan Schooley recovered in the end zone to give the Red Raiders a 21-0 lead.
With 16 seconds remaining in the first half, Burns scored on a 3-yard run to make it 28-0 at the half.
At halftime, Meeks challenged his players to not give up.
“I told the kids at half that when the ship’s sinking, you see who the rats are around here,” Meeks said. “It really shows who people are. We had a few issues with the character stuff. But you see the character of some of the other kids fighting. I’m really pleased. It’s easy when things are going well to be positive and rah-rah. It’s hard when things aren’t going the way you want. I’m really proud of the way they played in the second half.”
The Braves defense held on fourth down on London’s opening drive of the second half. Shawnee countered with a seven-play, 81-yard drive that resulted in Mitch’s TD pass to Miller.
In the fourth quarter, London capped a 10-minute, 96-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run by Burns to make it 34-7.
The Braves host rival Jonathan Alder (4-0, 3-0) next Friday. The Pioneers beat the Braves 54-36 last fall, while Shawnee won 17-14 on a last-second field goal in 2018.
“Right now, we need to look at ourselves,” Meeks said. “I need to look in the mirror, our kids need to look in the mirror. We need to worry about us.”
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