Highland Wins The Suburban League American Conference Against Aurora, 34-0

For the second consecutive year, Highland and Aurora played a Week 10 showdown for the championship of the Suburban League American Conference, and for the second consecutive year, Casey Myser played a key role in the game’s outcome.

Last year, as a sophomore, he fumbled the ball away on the 5-yard line as the Hornets were driving for what could have been the winning score in what ended up being a 9-7 loss. Friday he more than atoned for that devastating mistake, rushing for 215 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, leading visiting Highland to a 34-0 victory.

“This game was definitely one that was circled all year for me,” he said. “For 365 days we thought about it. Last year I fumbled down on the 5-yard line, and I felt like I let a lot of people down.”

With the victory, the Hornets finish the regular season with a 10-0 record, 7-0 in conference play, while Aurora falls to 9-1 and 6-1. Both teams are well set up for the postseason, as both had already clinched a first-round home game in the playoffs, Highland in Division II Region 6 and Aurora in Division III Region 9. The pairings will be announced by the OHSAA Sunday afternoon.

Entering the game, the teams had similar numbers, both winning their games by an average score of about 47-7. So, the final outcome came as a surprise to everyone.

“Every game takes on a personality of its own,” said Highland coach Mike Gibbons. “It was two great teams, both teams 9-0. You really don’t know what to expect. We really just made some great plays.”

Playing behind a line that averages about 270 pounds, Myser made it his personal mission to lead the Hornets to victory. He used his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame to punish the Aurora defenders, either with a powerful stiff arm or by lowering his shoulders to cause the collision instead of absorbing it.

“He’s a special talent,” Gibbons said. “He brings it every single day, every single week. He’s a special player, but he would be the first to tell you that it’s the guys up front and the receivers who are blocking for him. It’s a team effort for this entire group here.”

What makes Myser’s performance all the more impressive is that he had a 71-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty.

“They’re big and strong up front,” said Aurora coach Bob Mihalik. “They won the game on the line of scrimmage on both sides. They’re a heck of a physical football team. They blocked and tackled better than we did tonight.”

It should be noted that Aurora was without its best player on both sides of the ball, Lucas Manderbach, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound running back and defensive end who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s 53-3 victory over Barberton.

“They had a good plan, attacking where Lucas would have been,” said Mihalik. “That’s great coaching. Hat’s off to them.”

While Myser was carrying the load for the Highland offense, the defense was just as dominant, posting its fifth shutout of the season and its third in a row. Keep in mind that this was an Aurora team that averaged 48 points per game and had a running clock at the end of each of its first nine games. But the Hornets were up to the task, led by Ryan Zywiec.

“It’s obviously a special group,” said Gibbons. “Through the Suburban League we gave up 21 points. It’s a dominant group up front and they’re playing 11 as one. They’re flying around and swarming. Hopefully we can keep things rolling now.”

Things got off to a bad start for the Greenmen on the very first possession of the game. First it appeared they were going to put together a successful drive, but it was stalled because of consecutive penalties, one for an ineligible man downfield and one for a false start. Then, on the ensuing punt, punter Ryan Dwyer went down on a knee to field a low snap and was called down on the Aurora 24-yard line.

Four plays later, the Hornets were in the end zone on a 5-yard sweep by Lucas Gerding, giving Highland a lead that it would only increase as the game progressed.

“We didn’t help ourselves early in the game with the bad snap and the punter putting his knee on the ground,” said Mihalik. “And we had some uncharacteristic penalties and turnovers, but that’s a credit to them. They caused them. I thought we moved the ball pretty well, but we couldn’t run the ball.”

Others who scored for Highland were Evan Foust on a 31-yard pass from Dylan Borla, Myser on runs of 47 yards and 1 yard, and Garrett Phillips on a 5-yard run. Phillips also had two interceptions in the game, including one in the end zone when he left the player he was defending and stepped in front of Aurora’s Alex Brooker.

Aurora was led by Dwyer, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 176 yards, but he was intercepted twice.