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North Ridgeville, Ohio – The Rangers opened with possession and picked up an early first down when Braden Harrison found Cole Allison for a 19-yard reception on second-and-long. The drive stalled after junior linebacker Jack Straight recorded a sack and a false start pushed the Rangers into a third-and-long situation. North Ridgeville failed to convert and was forced to punt to the Bears.
On North Royalton’s first possession of the game, a 37-yard connection from junior QB Daniel Piper to senior WR Enzo Gajewski moved the Bears deep into Rangers’ territory and set up a promising scoring opportunity. Facing a fourth-and-one, the Bears elected to run for the first down, but the Rangers’ defense stood strong and stopped the attempt. North Ridgeville was unable to capitalize on the momentum, however, and after a short possession, the Rangers punted the ball right back to the Bears
A penalty against North Ridgeville moved the Bears into Rangers territory. Later facing a third-and-long situation, Daniel Piper connected with their captain Enzo Gajewski for a 45-yard touchdown pass, giving the Bears the game’s first score at 7-0.
It was the Cole Allison show on North Ridgeville’s next drive. The Rangers got off to a fast start when Allison broke free for a 30-yard run into Bears territory. Facing a third-and-short, North Ridgeville received a boost from an encroachment penalty that extended the drive with a first down. A few plays later, Braden Harrison connected with Allison for a 29-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
The Bears’ next drive appeared to be stalled early after sophomore LB Aiden Hughes recorded a sack, forcing a third-and-19 situation. A false start penalty backed the Bears up even further, making it third-and-24. However, freshman QB Owen Pay kept the drive alive with a spectacular 36-yard scramble for a first down. A pass interference penalty against North Ridgeville then moved the Bears deeper into Rangers’ territory and Pay capped off the drive by connecting with fellow freshman Ryan Kinney for a 30-yard touchdown pass and gave the Bears a 14-7 lead.
A strong kickoff return by junior Gus Dutta gave the Rangers excellent field position near midfield, but North Ridgeville was unable to take advantage and was forced to punt the ball back to North Royalton. On the punt, senior Lincoln Lee appeared poised to take it all the way for a touchdown before a saving tackle brought him down at the Rangers’ 6-yard line, capping a 44-yard return. The Bears wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity, as Daniel Piper connected with Ryan Kinney for a 6-yard touchdown pass on the very next play. It was Kinney’s second touchdown reception of the half, and although the extra point attempt was unsuccessful, North Royalton extended its lead to 20-7.
North Ridgeville answered quickly. On the first play of the drive, Cole Allison broke loose for an electrifying 65-yard touchdown run, cutting the Bears’ lead to 20-14 and injecting new life into the Rangers’ offense.
On the Bears’ next possession, Piper connected with Ryan Kinney on a 27-yard catch-and-run to move North Royalton into Rangers territory. However, Aidan Hughes came up with another key sack, forcing the Bears into a third-and-long situation. Unable to convert, North Royalton was forced to punt the ball back to North Ridgeville. A holding penalty backed North Ridgeville up deep in their own territory, leaving the Rangers pinned at their own 7-yard line. Despite the horrendous field position, the offense responded in a big way. Facing a third-and-medium, Braden Harrison connected with Gus Dutta on a perfectly timed pass that turned into an 88-yard touchdown. The explosive play gave North Ridgeville a 21-20 lead.
The Bears appeared to be putting together another scoring drive as Ryan Kinney and Cole Lipchek hauled in a pair of key receptions to move North Royalton into Rangers territory. However, a holding penalty pushed the Bears back 10 yards and stalled the momentum. Facing a fourth-and-six, North Royalton was unable to convert, turning the ball over on downs and taking us into halftime.
A strong return by North Royalton gave the Bears excellent field position in Rangers’ territory after halftime. Senior captain Rory Hannah then broke off a 29-yard run, moving the ball down to the North Ridgeville 6-yard line. On the very next play, Daniel Piper found senior Lincoln Lee wide open in the end zone for a touchdown. The Bears were unable to convert the two-point attempt, but they regained the lead, 26-21.
On North Ridgeville’s next drive, Braden Harrison connected with Mason Allison on a 25-yard catch-and-run that moved the Rangers near midfield. Facing a fourth-and-two, the Rangers kept the drive alive with a successful direct snap to the running back. However, just a few plays later, running back Matthew Flesher fumbled the ball and North Royalton recovered to regain possession. The Bears looked to capitalize on the turnover but were denied by the Rangers’ defense, who came up with a crucial stop on a fourth-and-two rushing attempt to force a turnover on downs.
North Ridgeville wasted little time regaining the lead. Braden Harrison connected with junior Jacob Stout for a 30-yard reception, moving the Rangers deep into Bears territory and down to the 10-yard line. On the very next play, running back Matthew Flesher punched in a 10-yard touchdown run, capping off the quick scoring drive. The Rangers converted the two-point attempt to take a 28-26 lead over North Royalton.
North Royalton was unable to generate any momentum on their next drive and was forced to punt the ball back to North Ridgeville. However, on the very next play, Harrison mishandled the snap, and North Royalton recovered the fumble at the Rangers’ 13-yard line. Capitalizing on the turnover, the Bears struck immediately with a trick play. Piper connected with junior Ameen Suleiman, who then threw a touchdown pass to Ryan Kinney. On the two-point conversion attempt, Piper found Lincoln Lee for a successful conversion, giving North Royalton a 34-28 lead.
Looking to answer immediately, the Rangers put together a quick scoring drive. A 32-yard reception by Gus Dutta and a 12-yard catch from Cole Allison moved North Ridgeville deep into North Royalton territory and into the red zone. Harrison then connected with a wide-open Mason Allison for a 14-yard touchdown pass, allowing the Rangers to reclaim the lead, 35-34.
North Royalton’s troubles continued. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bears fumbled the return, and North Ridgeville recovered the loose ball, giving the Rangers excellent field position. Taking advantage of the turnover, the Rangers quickly added to their lead. A few plays later, Cole Allison found the end zone once again, breaking free for a 34-yard touchdown run to extend North Ridgeville’s advantage to 42-34.
On North Royalton’s next possession, junior DB Grayson Draper came up with a key interception, giving the Rangers favorable field position at the 33-yard line. However, North Ridgeville was unable to capitalize, as the Rangers fumbled the ball away and the Bears recovered. North Royalton quickly took advantage of the turnover. Piper broke loose for a 32-yard run to move the Bears into Rangers territory. Following a series of short runs and completions, North Royalton marched to the goal line, where Piper scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 42-40. The Bears then went for two, and Piper once again found the end zone on the conversion attempt, tying the game at 42-42.
On North Ridgeville’s next possession, the Rangers appeared poised to take control of the game before junior captain Anthony Kinney stepped in front of a pass and came away with a crucial interception, setting North Royalton up in Rangers territory. The Bears capitalized on the turnover, and on a pivotal third-down play; Piper broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run to give North Royalton a 49-42 lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation.
With less than a minute remaining, the Rangers mounted one final drive in an attempt to tie the game. However, North Ridgeville struggled to find a rhythm offensively and eventually faced a fourth-and-10 situation. With the game on the line, Harrison dropped back to pass, but his throw was intercepted, sealing North Royalton’s 49-42 victory.
North Ridgeville was led by senior QB Braden Harrison 18/32, 325 Passing Yards, 3 Passing touchdowns and 1 rush for 4 yards, RB Matthew Flesher 11 rushes for 29 yards and 1 touchdown, Senior Cole Allison 8 rushes for 149 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, 8 receptions for 82 yards and 1 touchdown, junior WR Mason Allison 8 catches 85 yards and 1 touchdown, and junior WR Gus Dutta with 2 receptions for 122 yards and 1 touchdown
North Royalton was led by QB’s Daniel Piper 13/23 201 yards and 3 touchdowns & Owen Pay 7/9, 68 yards passing and 3 rushes for 53 yards. RB Bryce Defendorf 13 carries for 37 yards. WR Enzo Gajewski with 2 receptions for 82 yards and 1 touchdown, Senior Lincoln Lee with 4 receptions for 16 yards with one touchdown and one two-point conversion, and 4 rushes for 22 yards, and freshman WR Ryan Kinney with 107 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.
Players of the Game:
North Ridgeville – Senior Cole Allison, 148 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, 82 yards receiving and 1 touchdown
North Royalton – Freshman WR Ryan Kinney, 107 Receiving yards and 3 touchdowns
