Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

GALLIPOLIS — The Gallipolis Blue Devils have a strong offense this season. In fact, it’s Armstrong.
James Armstrong ran 22 times for 214 yards and two scores to lead the Blue Devils to a 55-27 win over the Chesapeake Panthers in an Ohio Valley Conference game on Friday.
Gallipolis (4-0, 1-0) racked up 509 total yards with 349 coming on the ground. Quarterback Noah Vanco was 8-of-12 passing for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
Chesapeake (2-2, 0-1) had 276 yards of offense including 220 on the ground.
Donald Richendollar had 94 yards on 13 carries to lead the ground game. Will Todd got 51 yards on 12 attempts and Kamren Harless 50 yards on 20 tries.
Michael Beasy had a 15-yard scoring run to put the Blue Devils up 7-0 with 9:38 on the first quarter clock.
Chesapeake came right back with 6:02 left in the quarter as Harless ran 10 yards to make it 7-6.
The Blue Devils’ Briar Williams scored on a 36-yard run to make it 14-6, but Chesapeake tied the game with 4:53 left in the half on a 5-yard run by Harless and Richendollar’s conversion run.
Armstrong then ran 22 yards with just 1:29 left and Gallipolis led 21-14 at the half.
The Blue Devils blew the game open by outscoring the Panthers 21-0 in the third quarter to lead 41-14.
Williams — who had three catches for 78 yards — caught a 45-yard scoring pass from Vanco, Armstrong ran 2 yards for a TD and Vanco and Williams hooked up again on a 12-yard touchdown pass play just before the end of the quarter.
Williams then caught a 21-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the fourth quarter and it was 49-14.
Brody Fellure’s 36-yard touchdown run with 6:30 to go capped the Gallipolis scoring.
Chesapeake’s Carson Nida finished off the game by returning the ensuing kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown and added a 3-yard TD run with 5:08 to go.
Chesapeake 6 8 0 13 = 27
Gallipolis 7 14 21 13 = 55
First Quarter
Ga — Michael Beasy 15 run (Andrew Toler kick) 9:38
Ch — Kamren Harless 10 run (kick failed) 6:02
Second Quarter
Ga — Briar Williams 36 run (Andrew Toler kick) 9:30
Ch — Kamren Harless 5 run (Donald Richendollar run) 4:53
Ga — James Armstrong 22 run (Andrew Toler kick) 1:29
Third Quarter
Ga — Briar Williams 45 pass from Dalton Vanco (Andrew Toler kick) 5:03
Ga — James Armstrong 2 run (Andrew Toler kick) 2:10
Ga — Briar Williams 12 pass from Dalton Vanco (Andrew Toler kick) 0:37
Fourth Quarter
Ga – Briar Williams 21 pass from Dalton Vanco (Andrew Toler kick) 10:45
Ga — Brody Fellure 36 run (kick failed) 6:30
Ch — Carson Nida 78 kickoff return (Randy Wilson kick) 5:49
Ch — Carson Nida 3 run (kick blocked) 5:08
——
Ch Ga
First downs 14 24
Rushes-yards 57-220 46-349
Passing yards 56 160
Total yards 276 509
Cmp-Att-Int 2-5-1 8-12-0
Fumbles-lost 5-3 4-3
Penalties-yards 6-40 5-40
Individual Leaders
RUSHING — Chesapeake: Donald Richendollar 13-94, Will Todd 12-51, Kamren Harless 20-50, Carson Nida 5-11, Aaron Ross 1-10, Marcus Burnside 2-4, Ian Hicks 1-4, Logan Walsh 2-0, Randy Wilson 1-minius 4; Gallipolis: James Armstrong 22-214, Brody Fellure 4-51, Briar Williams 4-48, Michael Beasy 9-43, Caleb Geiser 4-16, Noah Vanco 3-minus 23.
PASSING — Chesapeake: Donald Richendollar 2-5-1 56; Gallipolis: Noah Vanco 8-12-0 160.
RECEIVING — Chesapeake: Thomas Sentz 1-34, Justice Hutchison 1-22; Gallipolis: Briar Williams 3-78, James Armstrong 1-28, Ben Cox 1-22, Zach Belville 1-16, Ryan Donovsky 1-12, Trent Johnson 1-4.