by LORAIN, OH – It was the Firelands Falcons winning their third straight game 9-7 over the Clearview Clippers.
First Half:
Early on the teams took some time to feel each other out. Both teams had some success on their first drive, but both had to settle for punts. On the next Clearview drive, quarterback Kam Williams got his second pass of the game tipped and caught by Firelands’ defensive back Caleb Crawford, setting up Firelands with the ball inside the red zone. Unfortunately for Firelands, on their next possession, multi-faceted defensive player and receiver Caleb Crawford also ran the ball on a fake field goal attempt, but got tackled behind the line of scrimmage as the game remained scoreless.
On Fireland’s next possession, junior quarterback Liam Tobicash found sophomore tight end Brett Beury for an 11-yard pass. On the next play, Tobicash found sophomore wide receiver Carson Lima for an explosive 37 yards through the air. Following a two-yard rush by Tobicash, receiver Crawford then was given the ball and ran it in from five yards out to give Firelands a 6-0 lead. Clearview got the ball once more in the first half and made a handful of plays on this next possession. Their first 11 plays of the 12 play drive were runs led by Kam Williams who had eight carries for 38 yards and junior half back Christian Stevenson who added two carries for 18 yards. Unfortunately for Clearview, an incompletion on 4th down ended the drive. Firelands then took a knee taking a 6-0 lead into halftime.
Second Half:
Following a Clearview turnover, Firelands got the ball near midfield and were able to move the ball. Tobicash accounted for 19 yards including seven on the ground and found wide receiver Gabe DiFilippo for 12 through the air on the drive. Freshman kicker Landon Becker came out later on the drive and converted a 37-yard field goal to extend the Falcons lead to 9-0.
A few possessions later following a Firelands punt, Clearview got the ball needing some momentum and a big play. On the first play of their drive, quarterback Kam Williams found sophomore wide receiver Braden Turner for an 85 yard touchdown pass to ignite the Clearview faithful with the big score! Clearview converted the PAT, trimming the Firelands lead to just two points at 9-7. Clearview, needing a stop on defense, forced a quick three and out and looked to get the ball back around midfield. During the punt however, the ball was fumbled by a Clearview player and recovered by Firelands. The Falcons were able to run the clock out and hold on to win 9-7.
With the win, Firelands remained unbeaten in Lorain County League play at 3-0, and improved overall to 3-3 on the season. They will head home next week to play the Black River Pirates.
As for Clearview, the tough loss moves them to 1-5 on the season, and 1-2 in Lorain County League Play. They will stay at home next week as they host the Brookside Cardinals.
Player of the game, Firelands’ Liam Tobicash. The junior quarterback did work both with his arm and feet. He finished 7 for 14 for 106 yards. On the ground, he finished with 21 carries for 18 yards.
