High school football: Troy McCann, Gage Nagy lead the way as Buckeye beats Copley in record-setting game

COPLEY TWP. — Behind tailback Troy McCann, fullback Gage Nagy and quarterback Casey Murray, the Buckeye football team set multiple school records Friday night. In a wild back-and-forth non-league game, the Bucks needed nearly every one of their 619 yards total offense to outlast Copley in a 67-54 shootout. The 121 combined points are a school record and rank fifth in Medina County history. The Bucks' scoring total ranks second in school history — one behind a 68-0 win over Keystone on Oct. 27, 1961 — while the points allowed rank eighth. "I'm proud of our kids for doing what we had to do," Buckeye coach Greg Dennison said. "If it's scoring every time we have the ball, then that's what it is and our kids responded to it. "We have to go back to work, and we will defensively to get better there." The Indians tallied 542 yards behind quarterback DaOne Owens, who passed for 360 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 161 yards and another score. "Our defense definitely needs to step up, but our offense was rolling through them," Nagy said. "They couldn't stop us. It was a dogfight the whole game, but me, (McCann) and (Murray) battled it out and our O-line stepped up. It was a great game." Nagy rushed for 169 yards on 16 carries and caught two passes for 39 yards, giving him 208 yards from scrimmage. Nagy also ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including an alert play that helped keep his team in front. With Buckeye ahead 53-48 midway through the period, the Bucks faced fourth-and-1 from the Copley 11. There was a fumble on the center-quarterback exchange, and Nagy alertly picked up the ball and cut through the defense for a touchdown and 59-48 lead. The Indians answered once again with a screen from Owens to receiver Luke Brenner, who scored from 36 yards out to cut the deficit to 59-54 with 4:29 left. Brenner was phenomenal, racking up 13 catches for 249 yards and touchdowns from 16, 64, 74 and 36 yards. He also added an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that tied the game at 41 midway through the third quarter. McCann answered Brenner's final touchdown with a 10-yard run with 1:40 left to put the game seemingly out of reach. The tailback ran for 226 yards and four scores on 32 carries. He scored the team's first three touchdowns. "This was probably one of the most exciting wins that I've ever had," McCann said. "I thought our offense did great, and that was probably one of the greatest running games that we've ever had." The Bucks did not feel the need to fancy up the game plan, sticking with what worked over and over again, namely trusting technically sound left tackle Ben Midea and mauling state champion left guard Todd Allen to clear the way while running the same two or three plays behind the combined 574 pounds of the left side of the line of scrimmage. "We ran 19-O and 17-O like crazy," Nagy said. "It was left side all night because of Ben Midea and Todd Allen. All-Gazette linemen." Midea and Allen did whatever they wanted to the Indians front as they plowed the way to the end zone time and time again. "It all starts up front, and we knew coming into the season we had (Midea and Allen) on the left side," Dennison said. "Ashton (Porec) is doing a real good job at center. We just ran behind them." When Copley did commit to stopping the run, that left the passing game wide open for Murray, who again was incredibly efficient while completing 11-of-14 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown. Never was the effect of the running game on the Indians' secondary more apparent than on his touchdown pass, when tight end Treytan Widenmeyer was left all alone over the middle of the field for a 66-yard score. "Our running game was so dominant that it opened up the passing game," Murray said. "When linebackers and safeties are flying up because your run game is so unstoppable, it makes the pass game so much easier." Murray also finished three drives with quarterback sneaks from the 1-yard line for scores. He finished with 3 yards on six carries. Widenmeyer had four catches for 104 yards, including his long touchdown. Wide receiver Zach Onoratti had three catches for 40 yards. While the offense was the main attraction, Buckeye's special teams and defense came up with plays in critical moments. None may have been bigger than stopping Brenner for no gain on a screen on fourth-and-10 from the Bucks 20-yard line with the game tied 41-41. Other big moments included a strip-sack of Owens that led to Buckeye's first touchdown and a recovered onside kick in the second quarter that led to the Bucks taking their first lead of the game at 21-14 when McCann took the next play 38 yards behind Midea and Allen. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Buckeye 67, Copley 54 BUCKEYE &emsp;&emsp;7 28 12 20 — 67 COPLEY &emsp;&emsp; 14 13 14 13 — 54 First C — Luke Brenner 16 pass from DaOne Owens (Kami Ayoup kick), 7:34. B — Troy McCann 10 run (Brayden Bonnett kick), 3:35. C — Brenner 64 pass from Owens (Ayoup kick), 2:54. Second B — McCann 6 run (Bonnett kick), 11:28. B — McCann 38 run (Bonnett kick), 11:20. B — Casey Murray 1 run (Bonnett kick), 7:05. C — Brenner 74 pass from Owens (kick failed), 6:44. B — Murray 1 run (Bonnett kick), 1:11. C — Carter Noel 14 pass from Owens (Ayoup kick), 0:20. Third C — Ben Firestine 6 pas from Owens (Ayoup kick), 9:31. B — Murray 1 run (kick failed), 5:57. C — Brenner 74 kick return (Ayoup kick), 5:45. B — Treytan Widenmeyer 66 pass (run failed), 1:36, Fourth B — Gage Nagy 7 run (pass failed), 10:19. C — Owens 59 run (Ayoup kick), 9:35. B — Nagy 11 run (pass failed), 5:21. C — Brenner 36 pass from Owens (run failed), 4:29. B — Troy McCann 10 run (Nagy run), 1:40. &emsp;&emsp;B &emsp;&emsp;C First downs &emsp;&emsp;24 &emsp;&emsp;19 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;57/409 24/182 Rushing average &emsp;&emsp;7.2 &emsp;&emsp;7.6 Passing &emsp;&emsp;11/14&emsp;&emsp;24/41 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;210 &emsp;&emsp;365 Total offense &emsp;&emsp;71/619 65/547 Punting &emsp;&emsp;1/25.0 2/35.5 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;6/62 &emsp;&emsp;5/28 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;3/2 &emsp;&emsp;4/2 RUSHING: Buckeye — McCann 32-226, Nagy 16-169, Brandon Hayner 1-15, Murray 6-3, Team 2-(-4). Copley — Owens 20-161, Ricardo Childs 3-18, Brenner 1-3. PASSING: Buckeye — Murray 11-14-210-1. Copley — Owens 24-41-365-1. RECEIVING: Buckeye — Widenmeyer 4-104, Zach Onorati 3-40, Nagy 2-39, Hayner 1-18, Nolan Martin 1-9. Copley — Brenner 13-249, Carter Noel 3-44, Ben Firestine 4-40, Trent Wininger 2-18, Scooby Stanford 2-9.