by The Avon Lake Shoremen shut out the North Ridgeville Rangers in the second half to pick up a big Southwestern Conference win by a score of 35-21. The Shoremen got a fantastic performance from Chris Gaulding, as he finished with 7 receptions for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns. Their quarterback Michael Ambrose also had a great game, throwing for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The Rangers got on the board first when Cole Allison took a dump off from Braden Harrison all the way for a 52-yard touchdown. After accidentally stepping out of bounds on the kickoff, the Shoremen were pinned back at their own 2-yard line. Chris Gaulding then saved the Shoremen by getting behind the defense and hauling in a 98-yard touchdown catch.
Early in the second quarter, Avon Lake took a 13-7 lead with a 3-yard run by John Donahue. North Ridgeville quickly went back in front on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Harrison to Jacob Stout. After the Shoremen fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Rangers took right back over. North Ridgeville went up 21-13 with Cole Allison’s second scoring grab of the game. Allison continued his strong all around season by racking up 92 receiving yards and 30 yards on the ground.
The Shoremen came out looking like a different team in the second half. Michael Ambrose found Mason Ambrose for a 16-yard touchdown, then hit Gaulding for a 2-point conversion to tie the game at 21. On their next drive, they faced a 4th down and 4 from the Rangers 39-yard line. That’s when Ambrose connected with Gaulding for another score to put Avon Lake in front.
With the game slipping away from them, North Ridgeville’s special teams unit came through. They blocked Kyle Anderson’s 28-yard field goal attempt to keep the deficit at 28-21. In the 4th quarter, Avon Lake had another strong chance to extend their lead. However, Ambrose was intercepted by Javon Harris. The Rangers offense still was unable to get anything going, as they were forced to punt.
Thomas Rodkey finally put the game away for the Shoremen with a 5-yard run to make it 35-21 with 1:25 remaining. Andrew Lazor then put the exclamation point on the victory, by strip-sacking Harrison.
The Shoremen improve to 4-4 and will get ready for a big game against their rival Avon Eagles next week. The Rangers fall to 2-6 and will look rebound next week against the Amherst Comets.
Avon Lake Player of the Game:
WR Chris Gaulding: 7 receptions, 208 yards, 2 TDs
North Ridgeville Player of the Game:
HB Cole Allison: 8 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TDs, 5 rushes, 32 yards
