Bay Defense Holds Their Ground in 23-10 Victory Over Elyria Catholic

Bay hung on to defeat Elyria Catholic 23-10 in a tough matchup on Friday night. The Rockets were led by their defense most of the night. They put together multiple big stops throughout the game and did not let the Panthers get any kind of momentum during the 2nd half. As a unit, the defense forced 3 interceptions, recovered a fumble, forced a safety, and forced a turnover on downs.  

Bay Controls Opening Quarter 

The Bay Rockets controlled most of the first quarter on both sides of the ball. On the opening drive of the game, the Rockets’ defense forced a turnover on downs. With a short field following the defensive stop, the Bay offense went 31 yards in just 6 plays to take the lead. Brendan Spellman capped off their drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. On Elyria Catholic’s next drive, they drove deep into Bay territory. The Bay defense produced another drive stopping play. Wondu Owens picked off Panthers’ quarterback Hector Garcia to give Bay the ball back. After the first quarter, the Bay Rockets led Elyria Catholic 7-0. 

Elyria Catholic Storms Back 

The Panthers fought back hard in the second quarter after a shaky first. Despite losing a fumble at the Bay 2-yard line, the Panthers offense found a groove. Their big play potential in the air and a consistent run game helped EC march down the field on consecutive drives. Quarterback Hector Garcia IV got the Panthers on the board with a 33-yard touchdown run. After their defense forced a 3-and-out late in the quarter, the Panther offense had 1:22 left to drive 60 yards down the field. With time expiring and no timeouts left, the Panthers had to rush their kicking team onto the field. While just getting the snap off on time, EC kicker Sean O’Donnell hit a 22-yard field goal. This gave Elyria Catholic the lead heading into halftime 10-7. 

Bay Regains the Lead and Don’t Look Back 

The Bay Rockets dominated the entirety of the second half. They were carried by their defensive efforts from across the board. In the second half alone, Bay intercepted the Panthers twice and forced a safety. Offensively, the Rockets could not get a lot going. Their lead running back Brendan Spellman left the game in the second quarter after making a play defensively and did not return. Bay featured a two running back set for majority of the second half. They got on the board first when Rocco Ereditario punched it in from 3 yards out. This gave Bay a 14-10 lead. Ereditario would add another touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 21-10. On the night, Rocco had 21 carries for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.  

In the late stages of the game is when the Bay defense really sealed the deal. With just under 5 minutes to play, Charles Rice picked off Elyria Catholic’s quarterback Hector Garcia IV to give Bay great field position. After the Bay offense failed to score after starting their drive at the Panther’s 9 yard line, Elyria Catholic took over from their own 1. On the ensuing play, the Bay defense forced a safety to put 2 more points on the board. This would also give them the ball back with just over 4 minutes to play. With 2:35 left to play in the game, Robert Corbin put the game on ice as he intercepted the Panther’s deep pass attempt.  

With their victory over Elyria Catholic, Bay continues their great season and improves to 5-1. On the other hand, Elyria Catholic will fall to 2-5 after a tough defeat. 

Players of the Game 

Bay Defense: The Bay defense was a force and put the game away to seal the victory. They wound up with 3 INTs, 1 fumble recovery, 1 safety, and 1 turnover on downs 

Elyria Catholic: QB Hector Garcia IV: 6/20 passing, 143 yards, 3 INTs; 7 carries, 68 yards, 1TD 

Next Week 

With the season already more than halfway through, both teams will continue their push to the playoffs. Elyria Catholic (2-5) will host the North Olmsted Eagles (0-6) next Friday night in what will be a bounce back effort. The Bay Rockets (5-1) will travel to Fairview Park to play the Fairview Warriors (1-5). The Rockets look to stay hot as the post season is quickly approaching.