by Rocky River defended their home turf by defeating Clyde 14-7. Both defenses shined in this first round matchup. Rocky River also had big performances from Julian Patti, Nick DiSalvo and Ryan Ricketti.
Rocky River got the ball first and wasted no time getting on the board. On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Julian Patti hit Ryan Ricketti on a bubble screen, he juked two defenders and took it all the way to the endzone for an 81-yard touchdown. The Pirates led 7-0 just 20 seconds into the game.
Clyde was able to respond and get their offense going. Some nice running from Chancy Miracle and Clark Norman got the Fliers all the way down to the Rocky River 8-yard line. That’s when quarterback Jonathan Lantz took the snap and ran it in for the score. There appeared to be confusion on the handoff, which Lantz ultimately kept, and then the o-line was able to push him across the goal line. This tied the game at 7 with 6:14 remaining in the opening quarter.
Both teams would exchange possessions as the rest of the quarter held scoreless. Clyde was able to drive down to the redzone, however Rocky River got a turnover on downs thanks to an impressive tackle by Cam Bulkowski.
Rocky River then used the momentum to put together another scoring drive. Some nice plays from Patti and running back Nick DiSalvo got the Pirates all the way to the redzone. Patti found Rowan McDougal for 19 yards to setup the Pirates at the goal line. Two plays later, Patti snuck it in to put Rocky River up 14-7 with 8:46 remaining in the half.
The score of 14-7 held into the break. Rocky River got a turnover on downs thanks to Ricketti, who picked off a Clyde pass on 4th down. Clyde also got a huge stop to end the half. Rocky River had the ball inside the redzone, and a big-time sack by Blake Hershey halted the drive. Clyde then kneeled it out to end the half. Despite the half starting very offensively, both defenses were able to adjust.
The defenses continued their dominance in the second half. Halfway through the third quarter, Rocky River had driven down to the Fliers’ 11-yard line. Clyde’s defense was able to stifle the Pirates and get the ball back. The third quarter turned into a bit of stalemate as both offenses were trying to get things going.
The fourth quarter was no different, however this time it took some big plays from the Rocky River defense to keep Clyde out of the endzone. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Pirates forced and recovered a Clyde fumble, stopping a Flier drive and giving them the ball back at their own 19. After a defensive stop, Clyde got the ball back again. They got down to the Rocky River 5-yard line, as Brady Olson put a nice double move on the corner and Jonathan Lantz hit him for a 53-yard gain.
Once again, the Pirate defense came up huge. They got three stops, forcing a 4th and goal. On 4th down, Clyde muffed the snap, and it went all the way back to the Pirate 25-yard line. The fumble was recovered by Trent Delventhal, who got the Pirates the ball back with 6:26 to play. Rocky River was able to chew some clock but ultimately ended up punting the ball back to Clyde.
Clyde once again got down to the redzone. Lantz found Olson again, this time off of a nicely designed play action pass. This one went for 35 yards down to the Rocky River 31-yard line. Clyde was able to march and get the ball inside 10-yard line yet again. It all came down to one last 4th down. The Fliers faced a 4th and 1 from the Pirate 9- yard line with 46 seconds left to play. Lantz took the snap, went left on what appeared to be a speed option, and ran into a boatload of Pirates who swarmed him for a loss of 1. The Pirates then kneeled it out to seal the win.
Here are some key performances from this instant classic.
Rocky River
QB Julian Patti: 14/25 for 255 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 5 carries for 6 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He became the first ever Rocky River quarterback to throw for 3000 yards in a season.
WR/DB Ryan Ricketti: 6 catches for 135 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added an INT on defense.
RB Nick DiSalvo: 16 carries for 114 yards. Also had 4 catches for 52 yards.
Clyde
QB Jonathan Lantz: 15/21 for 178 yards. Also had 2 carries for 7 yards and a touchdown.
WR Bradyen Olson: 5 catches for 107 yards
Tonight’s player of the game is the Rocky River defense. The Pirate defense had 3 turnovers, 2 fumble recoveries and an interception. They had 3 4th down stops in the redzone, two of which came in the final 7 minutes of the game. Most importantly, they held Clyde to just 7 points. They stepped up when needed most and put the team on their back.
Rocky River will move on to the second round of the playoffs and moves to 10-1 on the season. Clyde will end their season 5-6.
