by ROCKY RIVER, OHIO – The unbeaten Bay Village Rockets traveled to take on cross town rival and 4-1 Rocky River Pirates tonight in a GLC clash. The Rockets remained un-beaten with a 21-16 victory in a tightly contested game.
Multi-talented player Connor Shell did it all tonight for Bay Village. The senior captain finished with 126 yards rushing on 22 carries, scoring once. He also blocked a punt and scored on an interception. Shell was excited about the result and the talked about it postgame.
“Our line dug down on those last couple of drives and picked me up after I fumbled. I knew it was going to be close because it is a rivalry game so you can throw records out. We dug down and it was the biggest win of my tenure here. A bang for sure!”
Bay Village relied heavily on the running attack all night long and only attempted 5 passes the entire game. Quarterback Logan LaMere went 3 of 5 for 53 yards, but all 3 completions were crucial to keep scoring drives alive.
Rocky River played well, and was never out of it. The key threat to the passing attack of Michael Finnegan tonight was wideout Christian Dean who compiled 83 yards on 7 catches. Also getting open at will was Owen Bebie who pulled in 5 catches for 40 yards. Finnegan would throw for 171 yards and a touchdown on 16 of 29 passing.
Rocky River received the opening kickoff and went right to work with a fast paced no huddle attack. A 10 play 70-yard drive would result in a 33-yard field goal by Owen Bebie to give River the early 3-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. Christian Dean had 4 catches on the drive for 45 yards.
Bay Village wasted no time in responding to the Rocky River strike however, as they answered quickly. A drive that started on the Rocky River 46-yard line was capped off with an Andrew Veverka touchdown run. The 4-minute, 9 play drive saw all running plays, and nothing through the air. Four different Bay Village players toted the rock on the drive.
The ensuing Rocky River drive would fizzle out and Bay Village would capitalize by blocking their punt and taking over at the River 34. On the block was Connor Shell. Bay Village couldn’t capitalize however, as they would miss a 39-yard field goal attempt a few plays later.
The Rocky River momentum would be short lived as Connor Shell picked off a Finnegan pass and returned it 14 yards to score. Shell was making his presence felt early and often in this one. A quarter and a half into the game, Shell had a blocked punt, interception for a touchdown and nearly double-digit tackles. Shell had also carried the ball 7 times at that point as well.
With less than 3 minutes to go in the first half, the Rocky River Pirate attack had a lot of yards to pick up, and did exactly that. They used an exciting combination of rushes with Daishaun Hill and Ross Hartman to get deep into Bay Village territory. They elected to go for it on 4th and goal from the 2 with 19 seconds left. The gamble paid off with a two-yard Hartman touchdown run, cutting the lead to 14-10 at the half.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, neither team had scored in the second half when Rocky River took over in their own territory. A promising drive would soon be snuffed out however after some crucial penalties and sacks that took them out of field goal position. River had drove to inside the Bay Village 30 when 3 straight sacks, and 2 personal fouls created a fourth and 43.
It would cost Rocky River big as on the next drive, Bay Village would use a long methodical drive to ice the game. An 8-yard touchdown Shell sprint would put it away for good. A last second Rocky River touchdown would prove to be too little too late.
Bay Village will look to stay hot next week as they travel to Normandy for a Thursday night showcase. Rocky River will also travel to Parma the following night, when they take on Valley Forge.
Tonight’s player of the game is Bay Village RB / LB Connor Shell. He finished with 126 yards and a touchdown rushing. He also had a blocked punt and interception return for a touchdown.
