by The Columbia Raiders played host to the Wellington Dukes at Southwest General Field in a Lorain Conference League matchup. It was all Raiders in this game, as they ran all over the Dukes in route to a 33-7 victory. With almost 300 yards on the ground and 3 forced turnovers, the Raiders dominated this game on both sides of the ball.
The Raiders defense made a huge play right away, forcing Dukes running back Connor Stevens to fumble on the first play of the game. Raiders linebacker Gage Maruna, who also is the teams’ quarterback, recovered the fumble. Jose Rivera would then get the Raiders on the board first with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. On the Raiders next drive Gage Maruna scored on a QB keeper to make it a 13-0 game.
The Dukes would strike back when quarterback Landon Wright found Johnnie Kinter deep down the field for a 55-yard score. It was the second time Wright and Kinter connected on a 50-plus yard pass in the first half. Momentum would swing back in Columbia’s favor after a botched snap on a Wellington punt attempt. Columbia was set up with great field position and would capitalize on it. Sophomore runningback Logan Menge added the Raiders third rushing touchdown of the first half. Columbia would take a 20-7 lead into halftime.
The Raiders would open the second half with a long drive that led them to the doorstep of the endzone. However, they would come up empty as Maruna was stuffed at the goal line on 4th down by Dukes defensive lineman Cade Spangenberg. Unfortunately for the Dukes, their offense was unable to help them get back in the game. Besides the two long passes to Kinter, the Raider defense seemed to swallow up everything the Dukes tried on offense.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jose Rivera scored his second touchdown of the game for Columbia. The frustrating night for Wellington continued when a fumbled snap led to another turnover. Columbia would then go up 33-7 with an 18-yard rushing touchdown from Jimmy Stofey. Stofey was the fourth different Raider to score on the ground in this game.
The Raiders used a balanced rushing attack, as they had 5 players with over 25 yards on the ground. Gage Maruna led the way with 85 yards, while Jimmy Stofey had 76, and Jose Rivera added 2 touchdowns. Columbia improves to 5-2 now on the season. Wellington falls to 2-5.
Player of the Game: QB/LB Gage Maruna 14 RUSH 85 YARDS 1 TD, 1/2 PASS 9 YARDS, 1 FUM REC
One thought on “Columbia Raiders Run All Over Wellington Dukes in 33-7 Win”