by The North Olmsted Eagles defeated the Valley Forge Patriots 20-6 to get their first win of the season. North Olmsted struggled to move the ball on its opening possession, as a holding penalty and a false start backed the Eagles into a difficult 2nd-and-long situation. The Eagles were eventually forced to punt, but a mishandled snap nearly resulted in disaster. Punter Sebastian Mastroianni recovered the ball and raced for a first down, but the gain was taken back by a blindside block penalty, forcing North Olmsted to punt to Valley Forge. The Patriots then fumbled on their opening possession, and North Olmsted quickly capitalized by recovering the loose ball.
After recovering the fumble, North Olmsted was pushing down the field behind several strong runs from Koen Beasley and Ameer Silmi. The Eagles eventually faced a 4th-and-short situation; QB Will McPherson kept the drive alive by connecting with Brady Lane for a 14-yard gain that moved North Olmsted deep into the red zone. Despite the momentum, the Eagles were unable to find the end zone and elected to attempt a short field goal. However, a botched snap disrupted the play and resulted in a turnover on downs and took us to the 2nd quarter.
On Valley Forge’s next possession, QB John Purcel connected with Aiden Soto for a 35-yard gain, and a facemask penalty on the Eagles moved the Patriots deeper into North Olmsted territory. A pass interference call against the Eagles later moved Valley Forge into the red zone, setting up a promising scoring opportunity. However, North Olmsted’s defense tighten, forcing the Patriots into a 4th-and-short situation. Valley Forge elected to pass on fourth down, but the attempt was knocked away by the Eagles’ defense, resulting in a turnover on downs and preserving the scoreless tie.
North Olmsted’s next drive stalled after they were unable to convert a 3rd-and-short rushing attempt, forcing them to punt the ball back to Valley Forge. The Patriots quickly generated momentum when John Purcel connected with Jadan Gill for a 41-yard reception, moving Valley Forge into Eagles territory. Despite the big play, North Olmsted’s defense stepped up and forced the Patriots into a 3rd-and-long situation. Valley Forge lost yardage on their pass attempt, bringing the drive to a halt and forcing a punt. The Eagles regained possession with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.
With less than 90 seconds remaining in the first half, North Olmsted marched down the field in search of the game’s first points. A pair of completions moved the Eagles into Valley Forge territory, and a pass interference penalty helped advance the ball to the doorstep of the red zone. The drive appeared to stall, but on 4th-and-15, Will McPherson delivered a pass to Luis Bautista for a 19-yard gain, moving North Olmsted to the Patriots’ 11-yard line with just 18 seconds left before halftime. Facing 4th-and-nine, the Eagles elected to attempt a field goal, but the kick sailed wide, sending the game into halftime locked in a scoreless 0-0 tie.
Valley Forge’s opening possession after halftime ended almost immediately when Ameer Silmi intercepted a pass on the first play, giving North Olmsted excellent field position in Patriots territory. The Eagles wasted no time taking advantage of the turnover, as Cody Jak broke off a 22-yard run on the first play of the ensuing drive to move North Olmsted deeper into Valley Forge territory. A few plays later, QB Cam Massamiani connected with Ameer Silmi on a five-yard touchdown pass for the game’s first score. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Eagles took a 6-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
On Valley Forge’s next possession after the Eagles’ touchdown. The Patriots were driving from a couple of reception by Jacon Schillinger to move the Patriots into North Olmsted, however Purcel was hit from behind and fumbled the ball which was then recovered by the Eagles. The Eagles didn’t do much with the opportunity and punted it back to Valley Forge.
Valley Forge responded on its next possession with a methodical scoring drive. Percel connected with Jaden Gill for a 20-yard gain to move the Patriots into North Olmsted territory. A short time later, Percel found Dominic Marchese for another 20-yard reception, advancing Valley Forge deep into the red zone. The Patriots capitalized on the opportunity when Percel connected with Mason Furukawa for a five-yard touchdown pass. However, the extra point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the game tied at 6-6 midway through the third quarter.
North Olmsted’s next possession was short-lived, as the Eagles were unable to generate much offense and were forced to punt the ball back to Valley Forge. The Patriots followed with a similarly uneventful drive and quickly returned possession to the Eagles. The ensuing North Olmsted drive belonged entirely to Ameer Silmi. The junior running back ignited the offense with a 32-yard run that moved the Eagles into Valley Forge territory. After picking up several more tough yards on consecutive carries, Silmi broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run, extending North Olmsted’s lead to 13-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Valley Forge was unable to respond on its next possession and was forced to punt once again, giving the Eagles another opportunity to put the game away.
Once again, Silmi took over. He ripped off a 55-yard run to set up North Olmsted deep in Patriots territory before capping the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. The score pushed the Eagles’ advantage to 20-6 with just minutes remaining in regulation.
Looking to mount a comeback, Valley Forge moved the ball effectively on its next drive and advanced into North Olmsted territory. However, any hopes of a late rally were dashed when Justin Percel’s pass was intercepted by the Eagles’ defense. The turnover effectively sealed North Olmsted’s first victory of the season as the Eagles closed out a 20-6 win over the Patriots.
North Olmsted was led by QBs WiIl McPherson 8/13 77 Yards Passing and Cam Massamiani who went 3/7 15 Yards 1 Passing Touchdown. RB’s Koen Beasley 8 carries 35 rushing yards and Ameer Silmi 19 Carries for 175 Rushing yards 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown
Valley Forge was led by QB John Purcel 13/19 Passing 179 Passing Yards 1 passing touchdown
WR Jaden Gill 3 Receptions for 56 Yards
WR Mason Furukawa 1 reception 5 yard touchdown
Players of the Game:
North Olmsted – RB Ameer Silmi 19 Carries for 175 Rushing yards 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown
Valley Forge – QB John Purcel 13/19 Passing 179 Passing Yards 1 passing touchdown
