by The Columbia Raiders came into last night looking for their first win, and also their identity. After a 53-24 win over Oberlin, I believe they found both! The Raiders used a three headed rushing monster to put away the Phoenix by halftime.
After Oberlin scored minutes into the game, it was all Raiders as they would proceed to score the next 41 points in a blitzkreig of offense. Tailback Joe Governale went off for 157 yards on a workload of 25 carries, scoring twice as well.
His backfield mate Owen Menge had a monster night, accounting for 189 total yards on just six carries, and also 2 catches. He scored on both catches of 5 and 65 yards to break the game wide open.
Menge was a speed demon on that field last night and no one could touch him, the young man played with passion and was a force!
We also cannot forget about young Tom Reljin who also had a masterful performance. He went off for touchdown runs of 65 and 5 yards, also caught a 16-yard touchdown pass for his big three touchdown night.
The quarterback reeking the benefit of so many weapons was freshman quarterback Carter Kalamasz who finished 5 of 5 passing for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also fumbled the ball once at the goal line.
Oberlin had one big threat, and when he could stay on the field, he was quite the force to deal with. Their tailback Jayden Harris went for 217 yards, 2 touchdowns on 21 carries. Harris may be playing on a team with a poor record, now 1-5, but he may also be the biggest hidden gem in the OHSAA.
As mentioned, the Raiders trailed early but then couldn’t be stopped. Tom Reljin had two touchdown runs in the first half of 1 and 16 yards.
Governale had two touchdown runs as well, he scored on rumbles of 1 and 11 yards. Menge, also caught a pass and took it to the house as they built a 34-6 lead at the half.
The scoring for the Raiders didn’t stop in the second half, as they ripped off 19 more points with touchdown catches from Menge and Relgin. Also, backup quarterback Alec Campana got into the act with a 20 yard touchdown run as the clocked ticked towards zero’s.
The Raiders picked up their first win of the season to improve to 1-5 on Jordan Grahams birthday. They now travel to Wellington next week. Oberlin falls to 1-5 and returns home to host Black River next week.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE GAME BY CLICKING HERE
https://keeonsports.podbean.com/e/hs-football-oberlin-at-columbia/
