Berea-Midpark Stuns Olmsted Falls to Take Home Bagley Cup

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Olmsted Falls, Ohio – In one of the toughest conferences in Northeast Ohio, the Southwestern, the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs battled the Berea-Midpark Titans for the Bagley Cup. On Friday night, the Berea-Midpark Titans stunned the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs in a 35-21 victory to take home the cup.  

Leading the way was quarterback Danny Bowser. Bowser went 16/25 passing for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 123 yards rushing on 10 carries. 

The Berea-Midpark Titans, who boast a pass-heavy offense, had it going early on. A 39-yard pass from Danny Bowser to Jeriah Haynes set up an opening drive score. Moments later, Bowser connected with Tyson Clay for a 7-yard touchdown pass to put Berea-Midpark up early. Their opening defensive drive could not have gone much better either. The Titan defense forced a quick punt with a 3-and-out. 

On the next offensive possession, the Titans got right back to work. A 4-play, 49-yard drive ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Danny Bowser to Jeriah Haynes. Following the extra point, Berea-Midpark held an early 14-0 lead. 

With multiple 25+ yard throws in the first quarter connecting, quarterback Danny Bowser had this to say about being able to let the long ball loose, “Just matchups. I mean I trust my guys. I think all of our perimeter guys are fast enough to beat a corner even if their off of them and they proved that tonight.”  

After a botched kickoff return, the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs were in rough field position starting from their own 4. A heavy dose of running back Owen Singleton helped the Bulldogs march down the field. On the first play of the 2nd quarter, a 1-yard Owen Singleton touchdown run capped off a 14-play, 96-yard drive. Olmsted Falls was on the board and now trailing just 14-7. 

Later in the 2nd quarter, the Titans were looking to extend their lead back to double digits as they drove deep into Olmsted Falls territory. The Bulldogs had other ideas, however. Their defense forced a fumble on a catch-and-run by the Titans. They jumped on the loose ball and took possession over from their own 7 yard line.  

Four plays into the ensuing Bulldogs’ drive, the Berea-Midpark defense made a big play of their own. They picked off an attempted pass from Olmsted Falls quarterback Jimmy Rosol. This gave Berea-Midpark possession from their own 48. 

Much like the Bulldogs, the Titans were unable to capitalize on the turnover. Five plays into their drive, they failed to convert on 4th down, turning the ball back over to Olmsted Falls. 

After forcing a punt, the Titans had just under 2 minutes to drive down the field and extend the lead before half time. Chunk plays from Justin McDonnell and Danny Bowser led the Titans down the field deep into Olmsted Falls territory. With no timeouts left though, the Titans were unable to get a final play off before halftime. They were set at the Bulldogs’ 8 yard line looking to punch it into the end zone. Heading into the break, Berea-Midpark held a 14-7 lead. 

Just two plays into the second half, Berea-Midpark’s defense made another important play. A botched handoff led to a fumble that the Titans ambushed and recovered. However, the Titans were once again not able to take advantage of the turnover. They lost 6 yards on their 3-play drive that led to a missed field goal attempt. 

After forcing a 3-and-out, the Titan’s offense went back on the field. A few plays into their drive, Danny Bowser connected with Jeriah Haynes on another deep ball. This time it was good for 41 yards and set the stage for the Titans to extend the lead. Moments later, Justin McDonnell took a handoff from 5 yards out into the end zone.  

The defense continued to be tough on the Bulldogs’ offense as they forced yet another punt. On the ensuing Berea-Midpark drive, a handoff taken by Justin McDonnell was carried 20 yards. At the end of the run though, Olmsted Falls defenders ripped the ball from McDonnell and jumped on the ball. The Bulldogs still had life with possession. 

As was the case throughout most of the game, Berea-Midpark’s defense was ready to step up. They forced a turnover on downs to take possession over from their own 31. 

When asked about what the defense means to the team, Coach Jon Hunek had this to say, “We have a new coordinator this year with a new scheme… so we knew it would take a little bit of time to build the defense the way it is. But it was cool to see it all come together today. Our kids have had nothing but faith in our defensive coordinator in Coach Zolkowski and it really showed today. I’m really proud of them giving that faith to him so he rewarded them with a great plan and a great game.” 

The Titan’s offense would then march 69 yards down the field in 6 plays that ended with Justin McDonnell’s 2nd score of the half. Following the PAT, Berea-Midpark held a 28-7 lead.  

The Bulldogs were not done yet, however. After a kickoff return set them up at the Titans’ 30 yard line, Olmsted Falls found the end zone quickly. A 2-yard touchdown run by Owen Singleton capped off the drive. The Bulldogs were now down 28-14 with just under 6 minutes to go in the game.  

The Titans did not want to leave any doubt on their ensuing drive. A quick 4-play, 55-yard drive ended with Justin McDonnell completing a hat-trick. He found the end zone for the 3rd time in the game to put the Titans ahead for good.  

After the game I caught up with McDonnell and asked how it was to have that confidence from his coaches in the game, as well as what it meant to score 3 times. “It feels great especially after that fumble in the 3rd quarter. To bounce back and be able to follow my O-Line and score three times feels amazing” stated McDonnell. 

With the 35-14 win for the Titans, Berea-Midpark improves to 2-7 on the season as Olmsted Falls falls to 6-3. 

Next Week 

The Olmsted Falls Bulldogs (6-3) look to bounce back at home as they host the Midview Middies (5-4). For the Berea-Midpark Titans (2-7) they will look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season as they travel to take on the Elyria Pioneers (0-9). 

Key Players 

Berea Midpark: 

QB Danny Bowser – 16/25 passing, 228 yards, 2 TDs; 10 carries, 123 yards 

RB Justin McDonnell – 19 carries, 122 yards, 3 TDs, 1 fumble 

WR Jeriah Haynes – 5 receptions for 157 yards 

Olmsted Falls: 

RB Owen Singleton – 24 carries, 96 yards, 2 TDs 

ATH Brendan Hearns – 9 carries for 44 yards 

PLAYER OF THE GAME: BEREA-MIDPARK QB DANNY BOWSER