by North Ridgeville, OH – The North Ridgeville Rangers are now 2-0 after a 37-12 win at home versus the Valley Forge Patriots. Valley Forge started the game with the ball but had a quick three-and-out, giving the ball to North Ridgeville with good field position. On the next possession, the Rangers mixed in a few passes, but mainly did most of their work on the ground. Star running back Zackary Barnhart ran for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Rangers a 7-0 lead.
Following another quick Valley Forge drive, the Rangers started with great field position after senior Carter Clark ran the punt back over 20 yards. Unfortunately for North Ridgeville, one of their few mistakes of the night came on this drive. The Rangers attempted a 30-yard field goal, but the snap went high, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt. On the play, holder Duke Baker tried to recover by throwing a pass, but it landed in the arms of a Valley Forge defender. The play resulted in a turnover for the Rangers.
On the next North Ridgeville possession, the Rangers got another chance at a field goal, which this time was successful. From one yard further out, Finley Keller made it a 10-0 game in favor of the Rangers.
North Ridgeville then attempted an onside kick and recovered it, resulting in excellent field position for the Rangers’ next possession. Despite the field position, it was the lone bright spot for North Ridgeville in this next sequence of events. Quarterback Cole Miller and wide receiver Eric Lengauer would connect on a huge 42-yard touchdown pass that, unfortunately, would be called back due to a penalty. On the next possession for North Ridgeville, Cole Allison would fumble the ball as Valley Forge’s Kaiden Hagel would recover, giving the ball back to the Patriots.
With some momentum, Valley Forge went to work as quarterback Sean Frank threw a few completions, including a 29-yard completion to Aiden Soto to really get the Patriots in motion. Frank later capped off the drive, finding his go-to receiver in Evan Tappe from eight yards out for the touchdown. The PAT was missed, but the Patriots had life, down only 10-6 with a lot of football left to be played.
The Rangers were able to turn the momentum back on their side after a few positive plays. Zackary Barnhart ran 56 yards to extend the Ranger lead to 17-6.
Valley Forge got some momentum going on their next drive. Sean Frank found Nelson Cruz for 10 yards, then received a late hit from the defender, resulting in Valley Forge gaining 25 yards on the play. Unfortunately for the Patriots, a costly drop on 4th down gave the ball back to the Rangers.
Starting on their own 27-yard line, the Rangers only needed 1 play. Cole Allison got the ball on a reverse and ran 73 yards for a touchdown! Keller added the PAT, and the Rangers quickly extended their lead to 24-6. For Valley Forge, they only managed to move the ball a little on their next drive. Frank would throw an interception to North Ridgeville’s Carter Clark two plays later. After the turnover, the Rangers had the ball back in their own territory with time left in the 1st half. After connecting with his running back Barnhart through the air, Miller showed his dual-threat ability running for a 26-yard score, making it 31-6 at the half.
On the first drive of the second half, Austin DeShazo got some touches running the ball, and he took advantage in a big way. He ran the ball for 36 yards and 16 yards, with the 16-yard run resulting in the Rangers’ final touchdown of the night, making the score 37-6. Valley Forge continued to fight and work for a late score. Frank found Tappe, who scored for Valley Forge, making the score 37-12, which was the final score.
With the win, North Ridgeville moves to 2-0 on the season. They look to keep their success going on the road, as they travel to play North Royalton next week. For Valley Forge, the loss moves them to 1-1 as they look to rebound at home next week versus Revere.
The player of the game for North Ridgeville was running back Zackary Barnhart. The senior did work for the Rangers both on the ground and threw the air. He ran the ball 11 times for 103 yards with 2 touchdowns and also caught the ball twice for 37 yards. The senior showed why he has been highly talked about for so long. Barnhart did all he did through one-half plus the first drive of the 2nd half before he was done for the night. Another great night for one of the Rangers’ biggest stars.
