Lima Senior’s Tierre Scales Jr. looks to avoid Dayton Dunbar’s Omarion Harris during Friday night’s game at Spartan Stadium.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
Lima Senior quarterback Zaveon Garner delivered for the Spartans.
Making his first start under center this season, the junior Spartan signal caller rushed for 110 yards and passed for 85 to help the Spartans defeat Dayton Dunbar 25-12 in a non league affair Friday night.
Lima Senior remains unbeaten on the season at 3-0 as they enter Three Rivers Athletic Conference play next week. Dunbar falls to 1-2 for the year. The last time Lima Senior opened the season 3-0 was in 2015 when the Spartans went 8-0 to begin the year.
Garner made his first start of the season and while inconsistent at times became more comfortable as the game progressed and displayed his dual threat capabilities as he picked up 112 yards on 20 carries and was 10-for-17 for 95 yards.
Not that Garner had plenty of support from both sides of the ball that helped the Spartans overcome several miscues and penalties.
Spartan receiver Aaryion Manley was Garner’s top target as hauled in five catches for 64 yards.
On the ground, Spartan running back Tierre Scales rushed for 75 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Scales, who scored two of Lima Senior’s first three touchdowns, had runs of 3 and 19 yards for score. The Spartan tailback’s accounted for the team’s first touchdown and third touchdown.
Sandwich in-between Scales’ scores, Kaden Hampton scored a touchdown on a three-yard run.
Webster tacked on 44 yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter run to give Lima Senior some breathing room in a game that saw Dunbar mount a comeback. Webster finished the night with 124 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown.
Lima Senior’s defense also had a lot to do with the Spartans’ picking up the win as they held the Wolverines to 223 and recorded a fumble recovery, two interceptions and three sacks with two from Anthony Mosely.
Hampton, who had a touchdown run, also contributed on defense as he made a big interception in the fourth quarter to stop the Wolverines who looked to tie the game. Garner also had an interception late in the game.
Dunbar’s touchdown in the third quarter ended a 10 quarter scoreless streak by the Spartan defense. The Wolverines added a second score in the same stanza. .
Lima Senior led Dayton Dunbar 19-0 at halftime Friday night.
Scales got the Spartans on the scoreboard first when he danced in from three yards out to cap off a modest three play drive. Special teams put the Spartans in position for the score after Zion Jackson returned a punt 22 yards down to the 19 yard lines. After the successful extra point, Lima Senior led 7-0 with 57 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Spartans opened up a 14-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first half after Kaden Hampton slipped into the end zone from 3-yards out. It capped six-play, 49 yard drive. The drive was set up after Spartan Sumarion Doughtery recovered a fumble.
Scales scored second touchdown of the game and it increased Lima Senior’s lead to 21-0 with 1:34 left in the half. Scales 19-yard jaunt capped off a 50 yard drive that saw to big catches from receive Aaryion Manley to account for 25 of those yards.
Reach Jose Nogueras at 567-242-0468.
