by The Hudson Explorers defeat the North Royalton Bears by a score of 42-7 in a Hudson Homecoming beatdown.
The Hudson Explorers hosted the North Royalton Bears at Hudson Memorial Stadium for the Cleveland Browns Game of the Week in a highly anticipated Week 4 matchup between two undefeated programs. Ultimately, it was the Explorers who would remain undefeated, improving to a record of 4-0, while the Bears fell to 3-1.
Last weekend, the Explorers traveled down to Akron and convincingly beat Saint Vincent Saint Marty’s by a score of 54-13, while North faced North as the Bears came off of a shootout against North Ridegville which ended 49-42 in favor of the Bears.
Tonight, there would be no such fireworks from North Royalton. However, as Hudson’s vaunted defense forced the Bears offense into hibernation, they held North Royalton to 7 points which came in garbage time. This defensive showcase was accented by 5 turnovers, with 4 coming in the first quarter alone.
The contest felt like it was over before it even started for the Bears, as they gave up a 80 yard touchdown run from #44, senior running back Reno Ferri, who tore through the defense like a wrecking ball on only the second play from scrimmage, and it didn’t get any prettier from there, as the Bears would trail 28-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Hudson’s senior quarterback, #6 Hayden Lipinski, had an efficient game, finishing with over 100 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and one on the ground. The senior signal caller found great success airing the ball out to his favorite target, senior receiver #12, Keswick Ritley, who finished the night with multiple big receptions and two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. Lipinski shared the ball well before his final snap as he also found his second string receiver, #3 Anthony Paolucci, for a remarkable 31 yard touchdown. The Explorers also found success on the ground, as the wrecking ball running back Reno Ferri finished his night with two touchdowns and over 100 yards rushing.
Despite an impressive offensive showcase, tonight’s player of the game for Hudson actually comes from the other side of the ball as it’s awarded to junior linebacker, #9 Carter Markey, who electrified his homecoming crowd with 3 tackles and a pick 6.
Markey wasn’t the only Hudson linebacker to practice their receiving skills however, as senior #28 Aidan Rengers and senior #15 Trent Smith both intercepted a pass from Kayden Austin themselves.
#7 Kayden Austin, a freshman who’s listed at receiver took the reps at quarterback today for the Bears, and the results were to be expected.
The young receiver did what he could to breath life into the North Royalton offense, as he showcased some truly impressive elusiveness on the ground and some remarkable field vision that allowed him to gain yards on the ground when he had space to do so. He struggled mightily through the air, but finished with under 100 yards and three interceptions.
One target served as a security blanket of sorts for the young quarterback targeted his running back room almost exclusively, working through progressions and finding easy completions with a dominant defensive line in his face.
The difficult hand dealt to the young quarterback is why I’m handing freshman #7, Kayden Yarina tonight’s player of the game for North Royalton. Despite his struggles, Yarina showed a remarkable level of tenacity and heart as he fought to keep the Bears in the game. Yarina used his legs effectively, read the field well from a receivers perspective, and was able to fit the ball in some tight windows while under pressure. Many of Yarinas throws appeared to be off balance, yet he put mustard on every single one of them, and gave his receivers a chance to make a play, which at the end of the day, is all a quarterback can do.
Both teams are back in action next weekend as the Hudson Explorers look to remain undefeated as they travel to Nordonia to take on the Knights, while the North Royalton Bears will lick their wounds at home as they look to get back on track hosting the Wadsworth Grizzlies. Both games kick off Friday at 7:00.
Players of the Game
Hudson: #9 Carter Markey, junior linebacker
North Royalton: #7 Kayden Yarina, freshman quarterback
