The Covington Buccaneers exploded for a 22-point first half Friday night, and the turned back a Northeastern comeback to clinch a 28-20 victory and a second place finish behind Springfield Shawnee in the Mad River Valley League.

When you're playing an "opportunistic" team such as the Covington Buccaneers, one small mistake could cost you dearly. Just ask the Miami East Vikings. The Buccaneers scooped up two Viking fumbles and snatched off a pair of East passes and went on to wallop the hapless Casstown crew 52-12 Friday night at Smith Field.

The Mad River Valley League football championship may not have been at stake Friday night, but that did not stop one of the hardest fought gridiron battles the area had to offer as the Covington Buccaneers pulled out a 12-6 non-league win over Worthington.

The Parents' Night crowd at Covington's Smith Field did not get a sweet taste of the Buccaneers, but Springfield Shawnee is still picking Pirates out of their teeth after chewing up coach Larrie Tisdale's crew, 42-8, in Mad River Valley League action Friday night.

When coach Larrie Tisdale carted his Covington Buccaneer gridiron crew off to Greenon Friday night for a Mad River Valley League encounter with the Knights, the Buccs must have felt that a victory over the winless Knights was in the bag.

A mistake riddled second half nearly turned victory into defeat for the Covington Buccaneers, but coach Larrie Tisdale's crew, behind a two-touchdown production by junior scatback, Denny Cain, hung on to record their second straight Mad River Valley League win over Northwestern, 18-6.

Coach Larrie Tisdale's Buccs, behind the hard-nosed running of junior halfback Denny Cain, the quarterbacking of Rex Huffman and a couple of good breaks, de-feathered the Falcons, 30-19 Friday night in the Mad River Valley League opener for both squads.

Everything in the book, from injuries to high blood pressure to the flu to one Denny Cain, has hit Bradford this past week, but chances are the Pennsylvania Railroad boys will tell you that nothing hit them harder then Cain did Friday night.

It was a long Friday night for the Covington Buccaneers in their opening encounter with Tipp City and Bucc coach Larrie Tisdale is probably still awake, wondering what hit his Buccs. Tipp City handed Covington a 48-22 drubbing, a beating Covington teams have not taken in quite a spell.

Thanks to a stingy defense, the Covington Buccaneers pulled out a 6-0 win over a dangerous Greenville team to complete the 1968 season with a perfect 10-0 record.