A trio of Chiefs run a play against Indian Lake in Week 5. TONY BARRETT CHRONICLE STAFF
SPRINGFIELD — Bellefontaine’s difficult stretch continued Friday night as the Chieftains fell to Kenton Ridge, 41-7, on the road.
The loss marked Bellefontaine’s fifth consecutive defeat, dropping the Chieftains to 1-5 on the season. Kenton Ridge, meanwhile, continued its torrid run, improving to 5-1 with its fifth straight victory.
The Cougars wasted little time taking control of the contest, building a commanding 34-0 advantage by halftime. Kenton Ridge’s offense consistently found room to operate, while Bellefontaine struggled to generate enough offensive momentum to keep pace.
Kenton Ridge entered Friday’s matchup having already put together four consecutive wins, scoring at least 40 points in each of its previous four games. That offensive production carried over against the Chieftains as the Cougars continued to put pressure on Bellefontaine throughout the night.
The Cougars added another score on the opening play of the second half when senior running back Brody Runkle broke free for a 71-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 41-0 and putting the game out of reach. Runkle entered the matchup as the Central Buckeye Conference’s leading rusher.
Bellefontaine continued to battle and eventually found the end zone when Bryant Carter was able to take a run 80 yards to the end zone in the 3rd quarter to erase the goose egg.
Friday’s result also snapped a long stretch of dominance by Bellefontaine in the series. Kenton Ridge’s victory was its first over the Chieftains since 2015.
For Bellefontaine, the focus now shifts to the second half of the season. The Chieftains will look to regroup next Friday when they travel to London for another Central Buckeye Conference matchup.
The Chieftains have four games remaining on the regular-season schedule, including upcoming conference matchups against London, Tecumseh, Urbana and Jonathan Alder.
