by It was a thriller that came down to the wire between the Cuyahoga Heights Red Wolves and the John F. Kennedy Eagles. However, the contest saw the Red Wolves come out victorious winning the contest 21-19.
John F. Kennedy started with the ball hoping to set the tone right away. However, the Cuyahoga Heights defense came up strong and forced the Eagles to punt after a quick 3 and out.
The Cuyahoga Heights offense stepped onto the field for the first time, but miscommunications sprung early for the Red Wolves. The Eagles defense stood strong and forced the Red Wolves to punt after a quick 3 and out.
The Red Wolves kicked it off to JFK’s own Marcus Komora who returned the ball for a 50-yard touchdown. This put the Eagles up 7-0 over the Red Wolves at the 7:51 mark in the first quarter.
Both offenses were starting to heat up midway through the first quarter. On the first drive of Cuyahoga Heights 2nd drive saw running back Gavin Chamberlin rush for a huge gain of 60 yards. Chamberlin was able to get the Red Wolves all the way down to the 16-yard line where they gave it back to him to punch it in for a touchdown. This made the score 7-7 at the 6:54 mark in the first quarter.
The Eagles were back ready to return the kickoff after a Red Wolves touchdown. However, the kickoff was fumbled by JFK and the Red Wolves recovered the ball in great field position. Cuyahoga Heights’s offense took the field hoping to score once again after the fumble recovery. However, the Red Wolves threw a screen pass backward that was mishandled by their receiver and the Eagles recovered the ball.
After a few sloppy possessions by both teams, JFK took the field once again. Quarterback LaMarcus Provitt was doing it all after the fumble recovery. Provitt was able to scramble for 40 yards to get the Eagles down to the Red Wolves’ 15-yard line. The Eagles handed the ball off to power back Jaylen Murray who ran it in for a touchdown. This made the score 13-7 after a failed 2-point conversion.
Cuyahoga Heights was back ready for the kickoff and the ball was fumbled, however, the ball rolled out of bounds. The rain was playing a big factor when it came to handling the football. The Red Wolves offense continued to be stagnant, and JFK forced Cuyahoga Heights to punt after a quick 3 and out.
The first quarter came to a close but not before Eagles quarterback Freddy Bolchalk scrambled for 20 yards. The Eagles went into the second quarter up 13-7 over the Red Wolves. JFK started the second quarter pretty slow and a few nice defensive plays by Cuyahoga Heights forced the Eagles to punt.
Cuyahoga Heights’ offense came back out moving the chains. Red Wolves quarterback Zach Shafer took a shot down to his receiver; however, a flag was thrown due to defensive pass interference. Chamberlin was running hard for the Red Wolves getting them into the redzone.
Cuyahoga Heights went for a trick play that set up Devon Dzik to pass it into the endzone which resulted in a touchdown. However, a flag was thrown due to an ineligible receiver downfield, and the touchdown was called back. After the flag, Shafer threw the ball into the middle of the field which resulted in an interception.
The Eagles took a deep shot on their first play after the interception down the field to receiver Noah Elser who was just out of reach. Bolchalk was running hard for the Eagles, and he was moving his offense down the field quickly. Bolchalk had a nice 25-yard rush that got the Eagles into the red zone. However, the Red Wolves got a huge sack on 3rd and 7 and JFK was forced to attempt a field goal that was no good. This ended the half and saw the Eagles up 13-7 heading into the break.
Cuyahoga Heights received the ball to start the second half. A balanced rush attack between Shafer and Chamberlin got the Red Wolves all the way down to the Eagles 22-yard line. The Red Wolves handed the ball off to Devon Dzik for a 22-yard rushing TD. This made the score 14-13 at the 9:33 mark in the third quarter.
The Eagles got the ball back and were moving down the field fast due to a balanced rush attack between Murray and Provitt. However, some mental mistakes cost JFK great field position, and were forced to punt after facing a 4th and 31.
The Red Wolves showed no signs of slowing down after their last touchdown. Shafer came back out and was running hard to get his offense down in JFK territory. However, a few nice defensive stands by the Eagles forced the Red Wolves to kick a field goal that was no good.
The Eagles’ offense took the field once again after forcing the Red Wolves to attempt a field goal but didn’t do much with their drive and were forced to punt.
Cuyahoga Heights got the ball back after a nice defensive stand and ran two plays before the third quarter came to a close. The Red Wolves’ offense came back out to start the fourth quarter where they nearly lost a fumbled snap. However, JFK made up for the missed recovery with a nice sack on the very next play. The Eagles defense stood strong and forced the Red Wolves to punt the ball away.
The Eagles were moving the chains after being pinned back on their 6-yard line. JFK was stuffed back deep in their own territory and faced a 4th and 3. The Eagles offense stayed on the field late in the fourth quarter and their first down conversion was no good.
The Red Wolves got the ball back in great field position finding themselves on the Eagles’ own 17-yard line. Cuyahoga Heights wasted no time seeing quarterback Shafer keep the ball for a touchdown. This added to the Red Wolves lead and made the score 21-13 with just 4:25 to play.
The Eagles got the ball back and were hoping to score to keep their season alive. The Eagles’ drive started with a nice 11-yard catch and run from Komora. JFK was moving the ball after another nice play from Bolchalk to Elser for 10 yards. The ball found Elser again for another nice gain however a flag was thrown after Elser was tackled. The flag was called on the Red Wolves for a facemask which put the Eagles in great shape.
However, the Eagles found themselves facing a 3rd and 7 at the Red Wolves 27-yard line. The Eagles took a shot to the endzone that was ruled incomplete, however, yet another flag was thrown and this time it was a defensive pass interference. JFK handed the ball off to Murray for 11 yards to get them down to the 5-yard line. The Eagles kept the ball in quarterback Bolchalk’s hands for a touchdown. This made the score 21-19 and the Eagles had to go for a 2-point conversion to keep their season alive, however, the 2-point conversion was stopped just short.
The John F. Kennedy Eagles’ great season comes to a heartbreaking end whereas the Cuyahoga Heights Red Wolves survive and advance.
