Tigers blank Tribe

FORT RECOVERY — On a night when the bitter temperatures and blowing snow seemed more like it was Christmas than Halloween, the Indians had to contend just as much with the weather as it did the Versailles defense.
They didn’t have much success against either.
An historic regular season for the Fort Recovery High School football team ended with a shutout defeat Friday, 20-0 to the Tigers.
The Indians (6-4, 4-4 Midwest Athletic Conference), who are expected to earn their first playoff berth in school history despite the loss, managed less than 100 total yards of offense in the defeat. Their seven drives ended with five punts and two turnovers, and their deepest penetration of the night was to the Tigers’ 35-yard line.
Versailles (6-4, 4-4 MAC) grabbed the lead in the first quarter despite taking possession at its own 7-yard line. After two plays it faced third-and-7 from the 10 and Jared Niekamp lofted a pass down the left sideline.
Jace Barga made the catch and outran several FRHS defenders for a 90-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
The Tigers’ lead stayed at seven points until Collin Peters churned out 30 yards on the fourth quarter’s first three plays, the last of which went 13 yards for a touchdown.
Kyle Subler added a 10-yard TD run with less than two minutes to play for the final margin.
Fort Recovery, which won six games for just the second time in school history, will learn its playoff fate when the brackets are announced Sunday.
It was fourth in Division VII Region 26 in computer points prior to Friday’s game, and the top eight teams in each region advance to the tournament.
Versailles was 12th in points in Division VI Region 22, but is expected to vault into the playoff picture with Friday’s win.