ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Anderson junior running back Jordan Davis was all smiles just moments after the Raptors’ 52-10 win over visiting Cooper Friday night.
Davis enjoyed every minute of his first game at Anderson.
“We came out, had fun and I think we’re going to develop as a team and continue to build that chemistry,” said Davis, who previously played at Milford.
Anderson, ranked No. 3 in the MaxPreps Ohio rankings, showed early this season why it’s one of the premier teams in the state Friday night.
The Raptors, the 2024 Division II state runner-up, has won 23 consecutive games against Greater Cincinnati opponents as Anderson (1-0) prepares to host West Clermont (1-0) Aug. 29.
Friday’s game – the first of a home-and-home agreement with Cooper – was certainly a significant start.
“It was just one game – we were super excited - overly excited,” Anderson football coach Evan Dreyer said. “It’s great to walk off game one, 1-0.”
Davis scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 1-yard run at the 6:51 mark of the second quarter to help give Anderson an 8-0 lead after he converted the two-point conversion. He completed the game with 14 carries for 101 yards and three touchdowns.
“So happy for the guy,” Dreyer said. “I’m so impressed with how he’s handled our coaching and his ability to make some plays. I think the one thing is he has great characteristics physically and he’s just going to hit the ground running and he’s going to have a great junior season.”
Cooper senior Eyler Tibbs made a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make it an 8-3 halftime score.
Anderson outscored Cooper 24-7 in the third quarter. Davis had two touchdown carries. Junior quarterback Owen Scalf found junior wide receiver Cooper Kathman early in the third quarter for a 53-yard touchdown pass connection.
Anderson earned 530 yards of total offense. Scalf was 32 of 42 passing for 333 yards. Junior Tysin Weaver had eight receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. Kathman had eight receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, several players stood out including senior linebacker Brady Kuhn (two sacks), senior defensive back Ke’Maury Tye (six tackles) and junior defensive back Ace Alston (interception).
“There’s a lot of things we’re going to fix but there’s also a lot of things where we’re like wow we’re impressive at certain times,” Dreyer said. “To make a run like that over Cooper – that third quarter was really, really great,” Dreyer said. “But, we’re going to get to back to work and talk about the first half tomorrow morning.”
Cooper (0-1) plays host to Highlands (1-0) Aug. 29. Cooper coach Randy Borchers said the team will use the Anderson result as something to improve upon in the short term.
“I think this is a game that obviously didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” Borchers said. “It’s a game that we can build on, learn from and get better in the long run.”
Cooper senior running back Keagan Maher rushed 26 times for 181 yards and a touchdown.
