2nd Half shutout leads a 47-30 win for Penn over Ohio in the Penn-Ohio 44th annual football classic

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David Burnworth | June 24, 2023

On Thursday night, I went to Sebo Stadium in Salem, Ohio, to catch the 2023 Penn-Ohio 44th annual football classic. This game had a ton of D-1 talent in it, along with several other players headed to smaller colleges to continue their football careers and further their education.

Pennsylvania would show right off the bat that they had the best player on the field, and that was Trey Singleton (Beaver Falls). He would woo the crowd with not only his kickoff rebounds but also with his speed and his uncanny ability to get open and make catches look as easy as former Cowboys great Drew Pearson.

Singleton made a nice 37-yard catch to get things moving for Team Penn. After Jon’trell Mixon (Valley Christian) got to Penn quarterback Jareen Brickner (Beaver Falls) for a sack. Brickner would shake the sack off and find Singleton for the 19-yard score. Devon Thomas (Blackhawk) nailed the point after to make this a 7-0 game with 8:38 left in the opening quarter.

Ohio used a 24-yard run from Zane Kinsey (Toronto) to set up a 1-yard run later by Colton Soukup (Southern) and a two-point run from Jackson Johnson (Salem) to give Ohio an 8-7 lead after the fast-paced opening quarter.

The second quarter was as action-packed as you will ever see, with three touchdowns and a safety. Greg Barlion (Hopewell) set up the safety when he sacked Ohio quarterback Billy Skripac (South Range). A bad snap on the punt after the sack gave team Penn the 9-8 lead with 10:58 left. On the ensuing kick after the safety, Singleton, for the second time, would have a great return resulting in a 61-yard touchdown, making this a 16-8 game.

Ohio would get a 29-yard catch from Caden Swiger (Salem) to help set up their next score, which came on a 32-yard catch by Grant Knight (United) on a nicely thrown ball by Johnson. A two-point run from Kinsey locked things up at 16.

It would take Team Penn just 25 seconds to retake the lead on a Brickner-to-Singleton 23-yard touchdown pass to take a 23-16 lead. Singleton will be taking his talent to Fairmont State, where he should be a force.

For Ohio, a 30-yard touchdown pass by Skripac to Swiger made this a 23-22 game. Ohio, without a kicker, again went for two and the lead, but Skripac was stopped short of the goal line.

The teams traded interceptions, with Caleb White (Beaver Local) doing the deed for Ohio and then Raequon Troutman (Cornell) getting one for Team Penn.

The final two scores of the quarter came on a Brady Cooper (Laurel) 22-yard catch on play, where he toasted the defender, putting Team Penn up 30-22. Ohio locked things up at 30 with an 11-yard touchdown catch by Christian Martig (West Branch) and a two-point conversion run by Kinsey.

The third quarter would see a tackle for loss from Ryan DiMuccio (Laurel) when he brought down Kinsey. The only score came on a 3-yard run from Brickner to put Team Penn up 37-30. On the ensuing kickoff, the Ohio return unit looked lost, allowing Joey Reed (Riverside) to pounce on the ball. The quarter ended with J.D. Crawford (South Range) sacking Brickner for a loss of eleven.

With 10:26 left in the game, Thoms nailed his 29-yard field goal, putting Team Penn up 40-30. The Penn defense would get a sack by Coltin Hill (Laurel) on Johnson, forcing a turnover on downs. The final score came on a run from Liam Gibson (Beaver) to give us the final score of 47-30.

Penn/Ohio

First downs: 14-19

Total Yards: 267 344

Rushes-yards: 25-58, 34-170

Passing 209 174

Comp-Att-Int 10-20-1 11-18-1

Punts 1-22, 1-23

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-0

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INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Penn, Liam Gibson (Beaver) 6-23; Ohio, Zane Kinsey (Toronto) 12-59; Jackson Johnson (Salem) 10-55; Billy Skripac (South Range) 9-45.

PASSING: PENN, Jaren Brickner (Beaver Falls) 10-20-209-3-1; OHIO, Jackson Johnson (Salem) 4-8-76-1-1; Billy Skripac (South Range) 7-10-98-2-0.

Receiving: Penn, Trey Singleton (Beaver Falls) 4-111; Ohio, Caden Swiger (Salem) 2-69; Grant Knight (United) 3-43; Christian Martig (West Branch) 3-36.

Interceptions: Penn, Raequon Troutman (Cornell), Ohio, Caleb White (Beaver Local).