by The North Ridgeville Rangers (8-1) went on the road to take on the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs (6-3) for a season finale and the Rangers took home the hard fought win 36-34. I talked with Ranger head coach Bryan Morgan before the game and he told me “were playing a highly physical team, and we need to match their physicality” after I asked him how to close out the year with a win. He wanted his squad to be physical and he got just that from his senior quarterback. Cole Miller used his 6’5 235lb frame to get the win for the Rangers. His work in the ground game was unmatched as he finished with 205 yards and 2 scores. The Bulldogs put up a great fight but ultimately the defense was not able to stop the high powered Ranger offense, as they did not put a single time all night.
North Ridgeville elected to differ after winning the coin toss, putting their defense on the field first. They did not disappoint, forcing a 3 and out. Senior captain Carter Clark was deep for the punt return and he put on a show. He caught the ball at his own 40 yard line and began to weave in and out between defenders. Eventually it was just green grass ahead of him, and he took it all the way. The 60 yard punt return put the Rangers up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
However, that lead did not last long. Bulldogs quarterback Cameron Pesch wasted no time as their first play back after the Ranger score, was a QB power run that he took 59 yards to the house. The score knotted the game up at 7-7 with 10 minutes left in the opening quarter.
The scoring parade did not end there as the Rangers offense got the ball for the first time in this one. Rangers quarterback Cole Miller scrambled out of the pocket and found an opening to take it 53 yards to the endzone for the score. After a blocked PAT the Rangers went up 13-7.
Once again the Bulldogs answered quickly with a 3 play drive. A 28 yard touchdown run from senior Logan Connelly put his squad up 14-13. Again the Rangers came right back with a long touchdown run of their own. Receiver Dylan Deshazo took a jet sweep run 57 yards for a score putting the Rangers up 19-14 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.
Olmsted Falls got the ball back and decided to slow down the pace of the game, which had been rapid till this point. The Bulldogs put together an 11 play, 80 yard drive that took up 6 minutes and put them up 21-19 with 9 minutes left in the half. The drive was made up of 10 runs and 1 pass, and the score came from a Khye Gilbert run for 8 yards.
The Rangers matched the Bulldogs with a lengthy drive of their own. They put together a 4 minute, 12 play drive where they mixed the pass and run very well. They came up short just inside the redzone and senior kicker Finley Keller put a 33 yard kick through the uprights to give the Rangers a 22-21 lead with 6 minutes left in the half.
The first half would end with the score of 22-21 after a Bulldogs missed field goal and a Rangers stalled out 2 minute drive. Both teams went into the locker room dominating on offense but struggling on defense.
Madness continued into the 2nd half as North Ridgeville received the ball to start off. Disaster struck for them as the first play of the half was a failed handoff that resulted in a fumble, giving the Bulldogs the ball in the redzone. They capitalized off the turnover with a Connelly 6 yard touchdown run and went up 27-22 after a failed 2 point attempt.
The Rangers punched right back right away. Dylan Deshazo received the kickoff at the 9 yard line. He bursted with speed as soon as he caught it and it wasn’t long before everyone knew he was gone. The 91 yard touchdown return put the rangers back in front 29-27.
The Bulldogs got to work quickly on the ensuing drive. Pesch found Connelly for 60 yards and got them all the way down to the 1. It looked like the scoring was going to continue but the Ranger defense stepped up when they needed to most. They forced a turnover on downs with a massive goalline stop, giving the ball back to their offense.
After their biggest defensive drive of the night, the Rangers matched it with their biggest offensive drive. North Ridgeville drove an impressive 98 yards in 15 plays, taking up almost 7 minutes. The drive was highlighted by the pure strength of Cole Miller. His legs drove the Rangers all the way down the field, where he capped off the drive with a 1 yard touchdown run to start the 4th quarter. This put the Rangers up 36-27 for the first 2 possession lead of the game.
But the Bulldogs were not out of it yet. They went on another dominant long drive and finished it off with a touchdown. The score came from senior Owen Singleton and put the Bulldogs right back in it, down 36-34 with 8 minutes left.
The Rangers got the ball back and were able to run a lot of clock. But the Bulldog defense came up big forcing them to attempt a 32 yard field goal with 2:20 left. It was missed wide left and the Bulldogs were given an opportunity to drive down the field for a win.
They made it to midfield before they faced a crucial 4th down and 7 with a minute left. Pesch took the snap and rolled to the outside. He threw it to the sidelines and it was just low and went out of the receivers hands. North Ridgeville took over and kneeled the clock out to finish this bizarre game with a 36-34 road win.
The Rangers finish the season at 9-1 while the Bulldogs finish at 6-4. Both teams are looking to go on long runs in the playoffs.
Players of the game
North Ridgeville Rangers QB Cole Miller – 12/17 for 93 yards, 21 carries for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns
Olmsted Falls Bulldogs RB Logan Connelly – 14 Carries for 100 yards 2 touchdowns, 3 catches for 80 yards
