by SULLIVAN, Ohio – It was the Columbia Raiders shutting out the Black River Pirates 14-0 in a battle of Lorain County League teams.
1st Half
Columbia got the ball first and had early success on the ground, running the ball. The running back duo of Xavier Hendon and Jose Rivera both had solid contributions on the drive. Rivera was able to finish off the drive with a 33-yard touchdown run, giving the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
The second half saw both teams having some success, but neither was able to sustain any momentum. The Raiders turned the ball over on downs three times, while Black River punted three times and turned it over on downs as well. Black River freshman quarterback Domic Bell had some success in the first half, completing 5 of 8 passes, but the Black River offense as a whole just never got going consistently enough.
2nd Half
Following a Black River three-and-out, Columbia went on their longest drive, 13 total plays.
Running back Xavier Hendon ran the ball on the first five plays for 17 yards. Sophomore quarterback Wesley Sanders then found fellow sophomore tight end Ryan Smith for 13 yards. The next few plays saw Sanders, Hendon, and running back Ambrose Beach get touches on the ground before Sanders found Smith again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 in favor of the Raiders. After a punt by Black River and a turnover on downs by Columbia, Black River got the ball on their second possession of the half. On the third play of the drive, Bell’s pass found the waiting arms of Columbia’s Carter Dudley for an interception.
On the next drive for Black River, Bell found wide receiver Bryce Murray three times for 29 yards and wide receiver Zane Bungard for 10 yards. His next pass then found the arms of Columbia’s Carter Dudley again for his second interception of the game as Columbia then took a knee to cap off their 14-0 win.
With the win, Columbia improves to 5-0 (2-0 Lorain County League) on the season. They will look to stay undefeated as they play at Brookside next week.
As for Black River, they fall to 2-3 (1-1 Lorain County League) on the season. They look to rebound next week when they travel to play at Keystone.
Player of the Game: Columbia’s Xavier Hendon – The sophomore running back ran the ball 29 times for 130 yards. While he did not catch a touchdown pass on the night, Hendon was a force to be reckoned with. He helped set up both touchdowns for Columbia on the night.
