by The SWC’s very own Olmsted Falls Bulldogs headed 40 minutes down south to Barberton. The Magics were undefeated on their own turf entering the night. Both teams were also coming off convincing wins in week one of the playoffs.
The Magics couldn’t get anything going to start the game with a quick three and out that gave Olmsted Falls the ball with over 13 minutes left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs would show their strength by handing it off to Rocco Conti early. Seven straight runs would set up the play action pass, getting wideout Gavin Moore wide open for a 39-yard touchdown. The pass from Charlie Ciolek made it 7-0.
The Magics got the ball back and were forced into a three and out again. The Magics put their punt team on and quickly took them out, putting the offense in. Olmsted Falls called 2 timeouts in a row due to this sudden change before the Bulldogs would jump offsides.
The Magics tried it again in the same possession but were hit with an illegal shift. They still went for it in a spread package. The result would be short due to the incomplete pass delivered by Magics quarterback Chanen Lee. Lee was only 1 for 4 to start the game in the first two possessions.
The Magics got a must needed stop on defense, getting the ball on their own 48 yard line. This opportunity from the Bulldogs end of the field wouldn’t be enough as a screen pass from Lee to wide receiver Hayden Macko resulted in a fumble.
The Bulldogs wouldn’t take this opportunity for granted as they drove right down the field in traditional Bulldogs fashion. Rocco Conti got the nod on 3rd and goal and punched it in to make the score 14-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Magics dug deep and saw the surge of offense they needed. They drove down the field on a Roosevelt Andrews 32-yard run, putting them in the redzone. Chanden Lee made a move out of the pocket trying to buy time for his receivers and found a receiver on 4th down. Lee was past the line of scrimmage which resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Bulldogs would do it again on offense as Ciolek carried the load on this possession. He had a 46-yard pass to Conti and an 18-yard pass to Carson Atkins. Conti capped off the drive with a three yard TD run, increasing the lead to 21 zip in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Magics drove down the field once again, yet sadly for Barberton it resulted the same way as the last drive. They would be stopped on 4th and short inside the redzone to end the half.
The Bulldogs had a three and out to start the half but got it right back after the punt hit a Magics player. This play placed the Bulldogs on the positive side of the field. The Bulldogs slowly advanced the ball, essentially making it a six minute drive to extend the lead to 28-0 in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Magics would once again work their way into the Bulldogs redzone, where they would take it one step further and end up in the endzone for the first time. This 15-yard touchdown pass was from Lee to Hayden Macko. The Magics would attempt an onside kick but fail to recover.
Olmsted Falls iced the game with Kee On Sports SWC Player of the Year, Rocco Conti, as he would score his fourth touchdown on the day. Conti and Ciolek would be on the same page all night as they connected on an alley screen that would help Ciolek get over 200 passing yards on the day.
The Magics tried to pull a rabbit out of the hat late. They turned the ball over on downs once again.
The Magics season ends in the second round of the playoffs as they finished top three in their conference with only one loss to their name in the regular season.
The Bulldogs will win this game and move on to the third round of the playoffs and face SWC foe, Avon. The Eagles and the Bulldogs shared the conference title this season. That game will be at a neutral site which is TBD at the moment.
Rocco Conti is once again the player of the game with 246 all purpose yards, as well as four all-purpose touchdowns. He was the workhorse for the Bulldogs all day long as he attacked them in the passing and rushing game.
