by PAINESVILLE, Ohio – Riverside High School wasted little time Friday night turning a Greater Cleveland Conference matchup into an avalanche.
The Beavers opened with a methodical 13-play scoring drive, then mixed short fields with explosive plays to build a massive first-half advantage on the way to a 48-14 victory over Strongsville High School.
Riverside quarterback Bo Brandehoff was at the center of it, but he had plenty of company. Brandehoff completed 15 of 20 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns, then added 47 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Jaxon Moore turned four receptions and four rushing attempts into 210 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Strongsville entered the night 3-2 and Riverside 2-3, with both teams in conference play.
The Beavers established the tone on their opening possession.
Riverside took the kickoff and put together a balanced 13-play drive that covered roughly 80 yards. Brandehoff eventually finished it himself, scoring on a 17-yard run to give Riverside the game’s first touchdown.
Strongsville started its first possession at its own 16-yard line and leaned heavily on the running game. The Mustangs moved the ball, but Riverside came up with a fourth-down stop and immediately turned the favorable field position into another touchdown.
That was the beginning of a miserable stretch for Strongsville.
The Mustangs fumbled on their next possession, handing Riverside another short field. Brandehoff and the Beavers made them pay again.
Riverside’s offense then began trading the steady opening-drive approach for home-run swings.
Brandehoff found David Seibert for a 29-yard touchdown pass, and the Beavers followed with one of the night’s biggest plays when Jaxon Moore took a screen pass 71 yards for a touchdown.
Poor tackling turned short completions into long gains throughout the first half, and Riverside kept finding open grass.
Strongsville finally punched back.
Quarterback Jack Kasner connected with Brayden Alfred for a 57-yard touchdown pass, giving the Mustangs their first points and briefly stopping Riverside’s run.
It did not stop the Beavers for long.
Brandehoff answered by finding Moore again, this time for a 67-yard touchdown. Riverside later added another scoring pass to Seibert as the Beavers continued piling up points before halftime.
By the break, Riverside had scored six touchdowns and taken complete control of the game.
The biggest reason was Brandehoff’s ability to distribute the football. Seibert caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore finished with four catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Moore was just as dangerous when Riverside handed him the ball. He carried four times for 48 yards and another touchdown, including a 29-yard sweep. His final line came to 210 yards from scrimmage and three scores.
Running back Dominic Bottiggi added 45 yards on seven carries, helping Riverside stay balanced enough that Strongsville could not simply sit back and defend the big play.
Strongsville showed some life through the air.
Kasner finished 12-of-21 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Alfred caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while running back Austin Tatulinski added a 30-yard reception to go with 28 rushing yards on four carries.
The Mustangs also got 35 rushing yards on five carries from Kendrick Boddie.
But Strongsville could never string together enough stops to make those offensive moments matter.
Riverside put together another sustained possession after halftime. The drive ended when Weston Bailey scored on a 2-yard run, providing the Beavers with their final touchdown.
Strongsville continued playing deep into the fourth quarter and finally produced its best extended possession of the second half.
Kasner completed the drive by finding Dylan Malensky for a 21-yard touchdown pass, giving the Mustangs their second score and producing the final 48-14 margin.
Strongsville’s offensive numbers showed flashes of what worked, especially when Kasner pushed the ball downfield, but the Mustangs spent most of the night trying to recover from the damage Riverside did during the first half.
The Beavers created explosive plays of 71, 67 and 29 yards through the air, complemented them with Brandehoff’s running ability and consistently made Strongsville pay for missed tackles and short fields.
A game that began with Riverside calmly working its way through a 13-play drive soon turned into something much faster.
By halftime, the Beavers had already done most of the damage.
The victory moves Riverside to 3-3, while Strongsville falls to 3-3.
Riverside travels to Cleveland Heights on Friday, Oct. 2, while Strongsville returns home to face Mentor that same night.
Players of the Game
RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jaxon Moore, RB/LB
4 carries, 48 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown; 4 receptions, 162 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns; 210 total yards from scrimmage and 3 touchdowns.
Moore was Riverside’s explosive-play problem Strongsville never solved. His 71-yard screen touchdown and 67-yard scoring reception helped turn Riverside’s early advantage into a commanding first-half lead.
STRONGSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jack Kasner, QB
12-of-21 passing, 185 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions; 4 rushing attempts, minus-8 yards.
Kasner accounted for both Strongsville touchdowns, hitting Brayden Alfred for 57 yards and Dylan Malensky for 21 yards. He kept attacking downfield despite Strongsville spending much of the night playing from behind.
