by Cleveland Heights, Ohio – Senior running back and University of Kentucky commit Marquise Davis rushed for five touchdowns as Cleveland Heights defeated rival Shaker Heights, 54-35, at Crawford Field in the battle of Lee Road on Saturday afternoon.
Cleveland Heights came into Saturday’s matchup having unofficially clinched the #9 seed in Division I, Region 1 according to JoeEitel.com. Shaker Heights came into the matchup ranked 22nd in Division II, Region 5, having an outside chance to clinch a playoff spot according to JoeEitel.com.
The Tigers got off to a good start, as Emere Atkins returned the opening kickoff deep into Shaker territory. Marquise Davis did the rest, rushing for a 35-yard touchdown to open up the scoring. Cleveland Heights jumped out to an 8-0 lead following Davis’ two point conversion.
Sinatra Williams came up with a fumble recovery in the first quarter, but the Tigers could not take advantage, turning the ball over on downs.
Shaker Heights would get on the board in the second quarter. Senior running back Cornell Beard rushed for a three-yard touchdown. The Red Raiders elected to kick the extra point, which was good, cutting their deficit to 8-7 with 9:51 left in the second quarter.
Marquise Davis rushed for his second touchdown of the game from six yards out. This increased the Cleveland Heights lead to 14-7 following the failed two-point attempt.
Shaker Heights faked a punt on fourth down, but was stopped short of the line to gain.
Marquise Davis scored his third touchdown from 44 yards out, and the ensuing two-point try. The Cleveland Heights lead would stand at 22-7 with 3:49 left in the second quarter.
Asher Wilson found a wide open Landon Pol for a 54-yard touchdown to increase the Cleveland Heights lead to 28-7 with 52 seconds left in the second quarter. This came after a Laron Anderson interception on defense.
Shaker Heights was knocking on the door of the end zone, looking to trim their deficit. But a bad snap in wildcat formation thwarted those plans. Freshman Elijah Harris scooped up the loose ball, and evaded a couple of players on the way to the end zone for a 79 yard touchdown. Cleveland Heights would have a 34-7 lead at halftime.
The Red Raiders would score on the opening drive of the third quarter. Junior quarterback Jacire Eaddy found Kamren Jackson for a 55-yard touchdown reception. This would cut their deficit to 34-14 just over a minute into the quarter. After forcing a punt, senior tailback Cornell Beard rushed for a 48-yard touchdown. The ensuing PAT was good, trimming the Cleveland Heights lead was down to 34-21 with 8:56 left in the third quarter.
Cleveland Heights would respond with a scoring drive of their own. Marquise Davis rushed for a one-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 40-21 with 4:31 left in the third.
Less than a minute later, Jacire Eaddy found a hole on the left side of the field, scampering to the end zone from 48 yards out. The score would stand at 40-28 in favor of Cleveland Heights at the end of three.
Marquise Davis rushed for his fifth touchdown of the game. Elijah Harris had the two-point conversion, and Cleveland Heights led 48-28 with 8:26 remaining.
Shaker Heights had an immediate response as Jacire Eaddy connected with Kameron Jackson for a 65-yard touchdown. The Red Raiders would get a huge defensive play as University of Oregon commit Trey McNutt recovered a fumble.
Despite being down by as much as 34-7, the Red Raiders now had a chance to cut their deficit to single digits. Shaker Heights was in However, a bad snap on the next play was scooped up by senior lineman Sandale Jackson, who rumbled the rest of the way to the end zone. This would increase the Cleveland Heights lead to 54-35 with 6:38 to play.
This would be the final margin, as both teams got in the red zone, but neither could score.
Cleveland Heights finishes at 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Greater Cleveland Conference. They will unofficially travel to Strongsville for a rematch of their Week 6 contest next Friday, November 1st.
Shaker Heights finishes at 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the Greater Cleveland Conference.
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