by A rainy night in Cleveland stops most things but not football! The Cleveland Heights Tigers lined up at home to go against the Hudson Explorers on a gloomy Friday night. With the tigers coming in at 1-1 coming in off a loss to the Detroit MLK Crusaders; and the Explorers coming in off a loss(then 0-2) to the Hoover Vikings. Both teams had a redemption arc in mind when coming into the game tonight. Even more so for the Explorers considering the Tigers overcame a 10 point deficit to win in their last meeting, on September 1, 2023. So, What better place to be than at Cleveland Heights High School Stadium to experience a rainy and running masterclass.
1st quarter
The first Quarter gears up with the Tigers receiving and totaling a 20 yard return. The first drive of the game ends not so sweet for them as they fumble at the 45 within the first two minutes of the game as the explorers recover the ball. Quarterback, Myles Pratt gets a good gain from a QB sneak and goes for it again. Not many worries come from Hudson’s first drive as they also fumble with six minutes left to go in the quarter. Heights try to establish a run game and it doesn’t end well for them as they go for a 4th down conversion and are not successful. The Explorers pick the ball up at their own 30 and Reno Ferri takes it home for a 30 yard rushing touchdown and the extra point is good. Hudson went up 7-0 and the rest of the quarter was back and forth until the end. It ended with Hudson up by 1 touchdown.
2nd Quarter
As the 1st Quarter ended with Hudson fumbling and recovering their own ball for a lost at the 27 yard line then getting some good yardage on a pass to the 44. They start the 2nd quarter with yet another fumble(2 total for them; 3 total in game, 1 loss. Only this fumble loses them 40 yards, from the 44 to the 4 yard line. The 2nd quarter was about who could overcome the weather but one standout from this game so far was Reno Ferri from the explorers, who picked up some insane gains on his runs and almost breaking free from a few of those. Another takeaway, which may not entirely be concerning is that both teams’ pass game was nonexistent. Both teams have over thrown their targets most times they’ve went for a pass and maybe the weather could’ve been seen as a valid excuse for this but this is still something worth noting. It was evident that both teams were being safe with the weather being unpredictable and rightfully so. One more thing to note is that there were 5 total fumbles that came within the first half with Reno Ferri dropping it and recovering it on the Tigers 10 yard line. All in all, the first half was great back and forth action with both teams trying to establish some fluidity with the run game. Hudson ends half up by 7.
3rd Quarter
Tigers kick to explorers to start the quarter and Harrison Williams picks up a huge return with a 47 yard gain. Reno Ferri breaks through Heights defense for a short gain of 6 and Brennan Funyak comes in and asserts himself against the Tiger’s d-line. Both Ferri and Funyak combine for 43 yards at RB to give the Explorers another touchdown within first two minutes of the quarter. Extra point was good 14-0 Hudson. The Tigers receive the kick and take it for 30 yard. They finally gain some fluidity on their pass game but the rain picked up once more and adds some difficulty to what looked like a breakthrough for the Tigers passing. Multiple passes were dropped on the Tiger’s end while the Explorers kept opting for the run game to no avail.
Explorers got some luck with a punt at the 4:30 mark, Tigers inadvertently touched the ball and Hudson recovered. This turned into yet another long run by Reno Ferri, who then fumbled, the very next play and was recovered by the Tigers (2nd for him, 6th total). Tigers then proceeded to fumble just 3 plays later off of an option play but recovered. Tigers finally struck the iron hot with a 40 yard rushing touchdown but was unfortunately brought back with a flag on the play. The freshman Elijah Harris, told the team not to worry as he trucked through the defense and carried the ball for a 26 yard touchdown with 27 seconds left in the 3rd, converting on a 4th down conversion. But to add fuel to the fire, sophomore, Reno Ferri once again showed how dominant he truly is with a 77 yard kick return. End of Quarter score: 21-7, led by Hudson.
4th Quarter
Freshman, Elijah Harris starts the quarter and the drive with a 60 yard touchdown run. In a back and forth run battle between each teams’ running backs, it was pure entertainment heading down the stretch of this 1 score led game. Each team traded blows/drives but Hudson got the upper hand once more. Myles Pratt takes it up the field along with some penalties to add on to the yardage. But once again, the sophomore, Reno Ferri, ends the drive with a 10 yard touchdown to make the score 27-14, no extra point. They went to Ferri all game and he did not let them down. The Tigers had some hope on the next drive, especially with the run and pass gaining some traction. They turned it over with 2:15 left and the Explorers coasted to a victory.
This game picked up at the very end and it was not a disappointment from either side. In what turned out to be good game on this cold Friday night, both teams gave it everything they had. It is clear that the weather had an impact with both teams opting to play the conservative game with a focus on running the ball and playing it safe with the rain being unpredictable. But, in the end, Hudson came away with a 27-14 victory over the Cleveland Heights Tigers. Reno Ferri showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. As I’ve mentioned throughout all of this, he is only a sophomore and came away with 3 touchdowns and over 100 yards. He has a bright future ahead of him and the sky is the limit. Now, both teams gear up for their next opponents and high school football continues in the Land. Can the Tigers redeem themselves next week against the Brunswick Blue Devils? As we wait to see what that answer will be, please stay tuned for future developments!
