by The Kent Rough Riders took on the Barberton Magics at home, losing 30-7.
Barberton’s best players were Xzavier Macon, Roosevelt Andrews, and Noah Dehart.
Macon was the primary ball carrier all day, finishing with 15 carries for 134 yards and two scores. Dehart checked in at quarterback in the second half and ran it with power. He had 110 yards on 9 carries. He also threw a 6-yard touchdown pass. Andrews played his part in the run game, but was a defensive game changer. He had 6 carries for 20 yards and a score, while also adding 5 tackles and a fumble recovery.
The Rough Riders struggled in a lot of ways, but Jon Jon Smith and Alex Britt showed bright spots throughout. Smith was Kent’s only source of offense early in the game, catching three passes for 35 yards while also handling punting duty. Britt was the star of the second half handling the ball 5 times for a total of 68 yards and Kent’s lone touchdown.
Barberton received the kick to start the game. The Magics ran wild on their first drive. They rushed the ball seven times, capped off by a 14-yard touchdown run to the outside by Xzavier Macon, to give Barberton a 7-0 lead with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
Kent started their first drive looking sharp after quarterback Matt McCann found Jon Jon Smith for an impressive 19-yard snag. The drive stalled after and they would end up punting.
Kent’s defense wasn’t out for long though. The Magics fumbled the snap on the first play of the drive and defensive lineman Jerome Norton pounced on it to give Kent the ball.
Kent would return the favor when McCann pumped fake, but the ball slipped right out of his hand and Roosevelt Andrews got the ball right back for Barberton.
Barberton had a quick three and out. Kent got the ball but the fumble problem continued. McCann mishandled a snap that the Magics’s Xzavier Macon recovered inside Kent’s 10 yard line.
A few plays later Barberton was able to extend the lead after a 5-yard run right up the middle by Roosevelt Andrews. The Magics led 14-0 with 1:04 in the first quarter.
After a Kent three and out, a 21-yard punt return by Noah Dehart put the Magics in the red zone once again. Kent’s defense stood strong though and held Barberton to a 30-yard field goal by Trenton Doerfler to put them up 17-0 with 11:10 left in the half.
After another Kent drive that didn’t go anywhere, Xzavier Macon continued his big day on the ground, going over 100 yards on the day with a 52-yard run for his second touchdown of the day, giving Barberton a 24-0 lead with 7:12 in the half.
Both teams failed to do anything with the ball in the remainder of the half. Barberton did, however, attempt a 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the half, though Trenton Doerfler didn’t have the power to put it through.
The ball went back and forth in a slow third quarter, until the Magics’s Noah Dehart was able to orchestrate a drive with his legs. He capped off the drive with his arm though, throwing Barberton’s first and only completion of the game on a 6-yard fade route to Keiron Smith Jr. for a touchdown. Doerfler missed the extra point. Barberton led 30-0 with 1:53.
Kent followed it up with their best drive of the day. McCann found Alex Britt for a 44 yard pickup and took the ball all the way down to the 12 yard line. A few incompletions later and Kent was forced to go for it, and couldn’t convert, turning the ball over on downs.
This drive gave the team their second wind though. The defense held strong and forced a bad punt to give the offense the ball back on Barberton’s 20 yard line.
The Rough Riders didn’t waste this opportunity, McCann tossed one to the corner of the endzone, the pass was tipped, but Alex Britt made a heads up play to grab the deflection in the endzone for a touchdown. Kent cut the lead to 30-7 with 6:02 in the game.
The special teams kept the miracle alive, Kent’s Carson D’Sidocky recovered the onside kick to give the ball right back to the Rough Riders.
The miracle wouldn’t stay alive for long though, even with a free 5-yard penalty, the Rough Riders couldn’t pick up a first down and turned the ball over on downs once again.
The player of the game was Xzavier Macon. Macon’s 134 yards and 2 scores were the highlight of Barberton’s offense.
“We played cool, but I feel we can do better,” Macon said. “I feel I can be better, I was hoping for 3 or 4 touchdowns, but a win is a win.”
The Barberton Magics will look to go over .500 next week against the Highland Hornets.
The Kent Rough Riders will look to get back in the win column next week against the Copley Indians.
great write up. good inside information.