by Shaker Heights, OH — Strongsville defeated Shaker Heights in Week 9 of the OHSAA season, with a final score of 44-6. The Mustangs brought the heat on this cool Friday night.
Shaker Heights kicked off this Friday night game against Strongsville in what would be a water-soaked brawl for Week 9 of the OHSAA Conference.
Strongsville, starting on offense, was slowly making headway to start the game, with key runs from senior Kendrick Bobbie and key completions from Ethan Wolfe.
Making their way to the end zone yard by yard, Strongsville was met with a stop from Shaker Heights. This forced senior Vincent Roncone of Strongsville to kick a field goal, putting three points on the board for the Mustangs.
This put the score at 3-0 with 3:55 left on the clock, meaning that if either team wanted to make any traction, they would need a breakthrough tonight.
Shaker Heights, moving into offense, was struggling to make any headway against Strongsville’s defensive line. This quickly became a problem for Shaker as they turned the ball over at the 10-yard line.
This teed Bobbie up to score a 10-yard touchdown, putting another six points on the board for Strongsville. Roncone got the extra point, meaning Strongsville was now 10 points up on Shaker Heights by the end of the first quarter.
Shaker, back on offense, was once again struggling to make any headway against Strongsville’s defense. This series was capped off by a fumble, which Strongsville quickly recovered to end the first quarter.
Moving into the second quarter, Strongsville quickly made headway, getting close to Shaker Heights’ end zone. This allowed Austin Tatulinski to break through Shaker Heights’ defensive line for a 20-yard touchdown. Roncone got the extra point, putting another seven points on the board for Strongsville.
At 9:59 in the second quarter, it was clear that Strongsville’s offensive pressure would be a highlight of the game, even so far from home.
Shaker Heights’ offensive line was unable to keep up the pressure during the following series, and the ball was quickly returned to Strongsville. This put the Strongsville Mustangs within striking distance of the end zone once again, only mere minutes after the last touchdown.
Tatulinski saw this as another opportunity to score and quickly made his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the quarter. Roncone got the extra point, making the new score 24-0 at 6:51 of the second quarter.
This put Shaker Heights in the hot seat for what would be a tough battle on this Friday night, as trying to maintain offensive momentum and pressure proved to be a tough feat against Strongsville’s defense.
Things only got tougher moving forward, as Brayden Alfred quickly charged into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown for Strongsville. Roncone got the extra point, meaning another seven points went on the board and making the new score 31-0.
This was a continued, relentless assault from a combined effort by Strongsville’s offense and defense, as Shaker Heights continued to struggle to find its footing throughout the first half.
Strongsville quickly found possession once again at 2:59 of the second quarter. Quarterback Jack Kasner saw another opportunity and connected for a 20-yard touchdown to keep the momentum going in the stadium.
This put Strongsville 37 points up on Shaker Heights at the end of the half, with the score sitting at 37-0.
Moving into the second half, Shaker Heights started with possession of the ball, and as the clock continued to tick, the home team was running out of time to make a comeback.
Slowly making traction up the field, Shaker Heights’ offense was bringing the heat that had been sorely missing in the first half. With this newfound momentum, they made their way into the end zone for the first time this game, thanks to a 45-yard touchdown from senior Bryan Fleshman.
This put six points on the board for Shaker Heights, making the score 37-6 at 5:30 of the third quarter. Strongsville, seeing the new fire from Shaker Heights, knew they needed to turn up the pressure even further to secure the game.
But Shaker Heights was ready, with an interception by Fleshman quickly returning possession to his team. That fire would hopefully not be short-lived as the game moved into the final quarter.
Strongsville obtained possession of the ball to start the fourth quarter and quickly found itself back near Shaker Heights’ end zone. Senior Devon Powell made his way in for another Strongsville touchdown. Roncone got the extra point, making the new score 44-6 at 9:23 of the fourth quarter.
At this point in the game, Shaker Heights needed to find a game plan to stop Strongsville’s defense from breaking through and get back into the end zone.
Unfortunately, Strongsville’s defense was able to keep up the pressure and shut them down. Strongsville closed out Week 9 with a final score of 44-6, making the Mustangs the victors on this Friday night.
Player(s) of the game:
Shaker Heights’ Bryan Fleshman-(1 TD, 1 Interception, 45 YDS Rushing)
Strongsville Austin Tatulinski-(2 TDs, 25 YDS Rushing)
