There are a few things fans should know when heading to a high school football game at Dayton’s new Greendevil Stadium.
Beating Dayton at home will not be easy, and there will be no shortage of fireworks. Literally. With fireworks launched beside the stadium after every score, the atmosphere is always lively, and on homecoming night it was electric. That backdrop set the stage for a 42–39 thriller as the Greendevils slipped past Ludlow.
“It’s the ambiance, the atmosphere,” Dayton head coach Jesse Herbst said. “We’re not at 91-year-old O.W. Davis Field anymore. We’re not practicing in the outfield of the baseball field anymore. It’s a new pride, a new restart. It’s been a real positive change.”
Through just two games at 200 Greendevil Lane, fans have already seen 192 combined points, 104 scored by Dayton and 88 by opponents. Both games ended with the team in green celebrating.
Much of that production has come from sophomore Malachi Kennedy. Against Pendleton County in the team’s second game of the season, he accounted for eight touchdowns. Against Ludlow, he delivered again, erupting for the game-winning 59-yard touchdown run with 4:14 remaining.
Kennedy finished with 24 carries for 277 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, and three two-point conversions.
“The crowd does a big part helping us, keeping our heads up, battling adversity,” Kennedy said. “It is super energetic. I love to bring something to the table for my team because they deserve it.”
The game featured lead changes throughout and came down to one final answer. Ludlow’s Finn McMillan kicked a 32-yard field goal to give his team a 39–36 advantage with just under eight minutes left. Kennedy quickly swung it back with his explosive run, and the Greendevils’ defense held firm, forcing a turnover on downs.
From there, the final play call was the easiest one of the night for Dayton: victory formation.
“We knew they were going to be physical and run the ball, and we had a hard time stopping them,” Ludlow head coach John McMillen said. “Credit to them, they play hard. We did move the ball a bit and got some stops, but we turned it over at the end. You cannot do that.”
The Panthers faced another obstacle when their quarterback, Miller Reed, who had a 46-yard rushing touchdown and 71 rushing yards while completing three passes, went down with an injury and did not return for the rest of the game.
Backup quarterback Jackson Mays, who has plenty of experience at the position, came in and completed 13 passes, including a 17-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion.
“Jackson Mays can play any position on the field,” McMillen said. “He is an outstanding young man, and I was very proud of the way he competed in a tough situation. He played his tail off, and he does that all the time.”
Nicholi Abbott led the Panthers on the ground with 26 carries for 129 yards, while Jaylen Stone paced the receiving corps with five catches for 81 yards.
Ludlow, now 1-3, will try to bounce back next Friday at home against Gallatin County at 7:30 p.m. Dayton, 2-2, will look for their first road win of the season against Western Hills the same evening at 7 p.m.
More photos below, provided by Charles Bolton:
GREENDEVILS 42, PANTHERS 39
DAYTON — 14-14-8-6— 42
LUDLOW — 14-15-7-3— 39
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(D) Harris 53-yard pass to Foster (10:33) Lopez Torres run failed
(L) M. Reed 46-yard run (10:02) McMillan kick
(D) Kennedy 6-yard run (6:53) Kennedy run
(L) Day 1-yard run (1:26) McMillan kick
2nd Quarter
(D) Foster 19-yard run (11:26) Kennedy run
(L) Abbott 1-yard run (6:27) Mays pass
(D) Kennedy 2-yard run (3:40) Foster run failed
(L) Abbott 1-yard run (0:42) McMillan kick
3rd Quarter
(D) Lopez Torres 17-yard run (7:12) Kennedy run
(L) Mays 17-yard pass to Stone (4:00) McMillan kick
4th Quarter
(L) McMillan 32-yard field goal (7:57)
(D) Kennedy 59-yard run (4:14) Kennedy run failed
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Dayton 60 (Harris 2/5), Ludlow 135 (Mays 13/22, Reed 3/4)
Rushing Yards: Dayton 378 (Kennedy 24-277, Torres Lopez 6-55, Foster 4-44, Harris 2-2), Ludlow 238 (Abbott 26-129, Reed 5-71, Day 4-31, Stone 2-6, Mays 2-1)
Receiving: Dayton (Foster 1-53, Jones 1-7), Ludlow (Stone 5-81, Englemon 6-35, Day 2-16, Abbott 2-3),
Turnovers: Dayton 0, Ludlow 1,
Penalties: Dayton 12-104, Ludlow 11-84
Records: Dayton 2-2, Ludlow 1-3