by The Amherst Comets welcomed the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs to Mercy Health Stadium for a key Southwestern Conference matchup. Both teams were looking to rebound after tough conference losses last week. The visitors would utilize their bludgeoning rush attack to take care of business, 43-14.
The Bulldogs started things off with a very impressive opening drive. Sophomore running back Owen Singleton carried the ball four times for 36 yards, while senior receiver Trent Hrabnicky hauled in four passes for 50 yards. Derek Neckar capped the drive off with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give Olmsted Falls the early advantage. Then on their second drive, they leaned on their dominant ground game to march down the field. Owen Singleton put his team in Comets territory with a 30-yard run. A few plays later Caleb Ellis ran it in from 19 yards to put the Bulldogs up 14-0.
However, the Comets would respond quickly. Quarterback Cole Norris would locate Tristyn Young down the right sideline for a 63-yard chunk play. Two plays later J.R. Bires would get the Comets on the board with a 12-yard rushing score. But, it did little to keep up the pace with the visitor’s run game. After a couple more gashes from Singleton, Neckar would cross paydirt once again. The Bulldogs would go back up by two touchdowns, 21-7.
On the first play of the Comets’ ensuing possession, Norris was intercepted by Andrew Bonness. A 33-yard run from Trent Hrabnicky would set up Olmsted Falls inside the five. Then on third and goal from the 1-yard line, Neckar punched it in for his third rushing score. Neckar added his fourth and final touchdown with the same 1-yard rush with less than a minute before halftime. Cole Norris would drive the Comets into field goal range in the half’s final seconds, but Nathan Stewart’s kick missed. The Bulldogs held a 34-7 lead going into the locker room.
The Bulldogs brought out the younger players in the second half. Sophomore quarterback Ayden Rivera came in for starter Jimmy Rosol. Rivera would quickly make an impact, with a huge 41-yard gash. That, in turn, set up his 7-yard dash to the endzone. Amherst put together their best drive of the game on their first possession of the second half. Cole Norris would complete 6 passes on the drive and finished it with a pass and score to Jonathan Williams. It was a 41-14 gap through three.
A safety brought the final score to 43-14. The Bulldogs only threw the ball five times the entire game. The running game could simply not be denied. Olmsted Falls found all the soft spots in Amherst’s defense to go off for 403 yards rushing. Owen Singleton was the leader with 178 of them.
Player of the Game:
Olmsted Falls RB Derek Neckar: 7 RUSH 59 YDS 4 TD
