Isaiah Wilson of Lima Senior fights for the ball against Start on Friday night.
Chris Howell | The Lima News
TOLEDO — Two Spartans entered Friday night’s game between Start and Lima Senior, and one emerged as the Toledo City Athletic League champion.
Unfortunately for Lima Senior (9-1, 5-1 TCAL), Start scored 24 points in the first eight minutes and never trailed in a 48-20 win to clinch the title.
“You have to give them (Start) credit,” Lima Senior coach Bill Lawrence said. “They came out and had a great game plan. They played hard and got some turnovers early. That gave them the momentum and we kind of got it back but could never get it fully away from them.”
Start (7-3, 6-0 TCAL) forced a turnover on downs after Lima Senior received the opening kick and scored four plays later on a 1-yard run from Jonah Tall, who scored four times on the night.
On the next two possessions, Lima Senior quarterback Ja’Naius Hall turned the ball over, once on a 20-yard fumble return touchdown from J’Siah Jefferson and the other on an interception to J’Khai Jefferson.
Hall, who frequently had to scramble away from Start’s aggressive pass rush, ended the game 20 of 37 for 288 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Three plays after Hall’s first interception, Tall scored on a 93-yard run to put Start in front 24-0 with 4:25 left in the first quarter.
Tall finished the night with a game-high 153 rushing yards and collectively, his team compiled 319 yards on the ground.
“I think we got a little undisciplined in some areas,” Lawrence said about his team’s struggles against the run. “We’re going to have to take a look at the film to see where we made some mistakes. After that, we’ll regroup and see where we land next week.”
Tall scored his third touchdown of the half after Isaiah Wilson found the endzone to get Lima Senior on the board. At the break, it was a two-score game at 30-14
Wilson, who finished the night with 198 receiving yards, cut the lead to 10 on a 90-yard touchdown with 5:41 left in the third quarter, but Start responded with 18 fourth-quarter points to put the game away.
Start out-gained Lima Senior 372-304.
Although Lima Senior wasn’t able to claim its league championship, Lawrence praised the leaders on his team and lauded its accomplishments during the regular season.
“Our seniors have done a phenomenal job,” he said. “To be the first team in school history to start off 9-0 is a big thing and we wanted to make history. Sometimes these challenges and adversity is what’s going to help us come back and be better.”
Projections have Lima Senior traveling to Vandalia Butler for the first round of the playoff. The official matchups are released this weekend.
Score by quarters
LS 6 8 6 0 — 20
TS 24 6 0 18 — 48
Scoring Summary
TS — Jonah Tall 3-yard run (Marvon Thompson run) — 9:17, 1st
TS — J’Siah Jefferson 20-yard fumble return (Tai-Rese Highsmith run) — 7:47, 1st
TS — Jonah Tall 93-yard run (Preston Edwards run) — 4:25, 1st
LS — Isaiah Wilson 1-yard run (2PT conversion failed) — 1:40, 1st
TS — Jonah Tall 3-yard run (2PT conversion failed) — 11:55, 2nd
LS — Keyon Smith 40-yard reception from Ja’Niaus Hall (Ja’Niaus Hall to Kahliq Wash 2PT) — 9:43, 2nd
LS —Isaiah Wilson 90-yard reception from Ja’Naius Hall (2PT conversion failed) — 5:41, 3rd
TS — Jonah Tall 14-yard reception from Preston Edwards (2PT conversion failed) — 8:11, 4th
TS — Marvon Thompson 18-yard reception from Preston Edwards (2PT conversion failed) — 4:36, 4th
TS — Dru Acher 25-yard interception return (2PT conversion failed) — 4:11, 4th
Passing
LS — Ja’Niaus Hall 20/37 288 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
TS — Preston Edwards 4/8 53 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
LS — Isaiah Wilson 3 carries, 19 yards, TD
TS — Jonah Tall 16 carries, 153 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving
LS — Isaiah Wilson 7 catches, 198 yards, TD
TS — Marvon Thompson 3 catches, 39 yards, TD
Total yards
LS — 304
TS — 372
Reach Chris Howell at 567-242-0468 or on Twitter/X at @Lima_Howell
