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BEREA, OH – On Friday night, the Berea-Midpark Titans hosted the Highland Hornets at George Finnie Stadium to open their seasons. The Highland Hornets beat the Berea-Midpark Titans 39-20. Both the Hornet’s defense and offense shined tonight in a great team win. The Hornets were led by senior quarterback, Andrew Lurtz, senior running back, Lukas Stiles, and junior wide receiver, Matt Ciryak.
Andrew Lurtz had an amazing game to start off his senior season. His accurate passes and quick decision making helped lead the offense. He threw a 36-yard pass completion and 50-yard pass completion that helped the Hornets score on both drives. His speed was on display tonight as well as he even ran the ball in for a touchdown.
Lukas Stiles and Matt Ciryak both shined tonight along with Lurtz. The Titans had a hard time catching Lukas Stiles. His 63-yard run for a touchdown showed how much of an offensive weapon Stiles is for the Hornets. Matt Ciryak was an important part of the Hornets success tonight as well. He caught a 50-yard pass from Lurtz for a touchdown that put the Hornets on top. From that moment on, the Hornets never looked back and dominated on the field.
While the Berea-Midpark Titans struggled, senior quarterback Troy Schick and junior wide receiver Austin Clay still made things happen for the team. Troy Schick had some key passes that helped the Titans put points on the board. He threw two completions for 25-yards and 28-yards that led to a touchdown for the Titans. Schick played with heart, and he did not allow his team to give up. Austin Clay received a 30-yard pass from Schick that helped the Titans to score on the drive. Austin Clay’s athleticism and speed were on display tonight as he returned a kick for 40-yards. The duo of Troy Schick and Austin Clay helped lead the offense for the Titans tonight.
In the first quarter, the Hornets opened the game with the ball. They were silenced on their first drive by the Titans’ defense led by senior linebacker Hudson Devins, and senior defensive back Tom Mordarski. The Hornets bounced back on an interception by senior Mitchell Goode on the 25-yard line; this kicked off a 68-yard drive for the Hornets. Andrew Lurtz completed a 36-yard pass to junior Matt Ciryak to put them in scoring range. Andrew Lurtz ran the ball 1-yard into the end zone and senior Jacob Dobkowski got the extra point to put the Hornets ahead 7-0 with 5:39 left in the 1st quarter.
To start off the second quarter, the Titans answered the Hornets back with a 30-yard pass by senior Troy Shick to junior Austin Clay. Troy Schick completed two more passes and ran the ball 7-yards to put the Titans at 1st and goal. Troy Shick threw the ball to senior Josh Medina for the touchdown. Senior Nikola Rabljenovic scored the extra point the Titans tied the Hornets at 7-7 with 6:50 left in the second quarter.
The Hornets answered back and scored two more times in the second quarter. Andrew Lurtz threw a 50-yard pass to Matt Ciryak for a touchdown. Jacob Dobkowski got the extra point to put the Hornets up 14-7 with 6:10 left in the second quarter. The Hornets second touchdown came from an interception by senior Creed Hill who returned the interception for a touchdown. With another good kick by Jacob Dobkowski, the Hornets extended their lead over the Titans 21-7 with 5:08 left in the 2nd quarter.
The Titans answered back with two complete passes by Troy Schick. A 25-yard pass from Troy Schick to Braydon Cupach and a 28-yard pass from Troy Schick to Devyn Zahursky put the Titans at first and goal. Senior Hudson Devins ran the ball into the end zone for the touchdown and Rabljenovic unfortunately missed the extra point to put the game at 21- 13 with 1:23 left in the half.
The Hornets ended the half with a 27-yard field goal by Jacob Dobkowski to put the score at 24- 13 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Hornets continued to extend their lead over the Titans with two impressive running plays. Andrew Lurtz passed the ball to senior Noah Robinson who ran the ball 18-yards for a touchdown. Another perfect kick for Dobkowski put the Hornets up 31- 13 with 6:47 left to play in the 3rd. The Titans were unable to catch senior Lukas Stiles as he ran the ball for a 68-yard touchdown. Unfortunately, Dobkowski’s perfect night was over as he missed the kick for the extra point. The Hornets extended their lead to 37- 13 with only 1:58 left in the 3rd.
Despite the adversity facing the Titans, the team fought back in the 4th quarter. Troy Schick completed a 28-yard pass to Austin Clay which helped the Titans gain momentum. With 10:17, left to play in the 4th quarter, the score was Hornets 37 – Titans 20.
With 1:12 left to play, junior Jack Howard got the safety with a sack in the end zone for the Hornets making the final score 39-20.
I feel the player of the game was the Hornet’s senior quarterback, Andrew Lurtz! His leadership helped the offense shine. His accurate passes and confidence on the field were a big part of the Hornet’s team win.
The Highland Hornets look to keep their momentum going next week as they take on North Royalton at home on Friday August 26. The Titans look to bounce back next as they host Nordonia at home on Friday August 26.
Amazing article . Very descriptive of all that took place in in the field and also kept the reader interested in the “ who & the what & where “ . Great reporting.
I thought Matt Ciryak looked like OBJ out there