by Ravenna, Ohio – The 109th edition of the Ravenna-Kent Roosevelt rivalry took place on Thursday evening at Portage Community Bank Stadium. It finished Saturday afternoon, with Kent Roosevelt emerging victorious, 28-20.
Daniel Sanders got the scoring started with a 54-yard touchdown run to put the Ravens in front, 7-0. Kent Roosevelt got a huge turnover on a fumble recovery from junior linebacker Carter Foreman. The Riders would capitalize as sophomore wide receiver Jaiden Portis scored on a ten-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good, tying the score at 7.
Jaxon Kelly had a kick return that set the Ravens up with good field position. They would ground and pound all the way to the end zone, as Daniel Sanders scored for the second time, putting Ravenna up, 14-7.
The Riders started in Ravenna territory after a good kick return from Tyrel Ellington. But a bad snap forced Jack Smith to run scramble. He was stripped of the ball by Jaxon Kelly, and after the ball bounced around some, Mateo White came up with it.
Roosevelt responded by forcing another turnover, as Jaden Dennison forced a fumble, and Anthony Helton recovered.
On third down, Jack Smith found Tyrel Ellington for a big gain to put the Riders in the red zone. Smith would find Lincoln Wade for a ten-yard touchdown toss to tie the score.
The Roosevelt defense stepped up once again, forcing another Raven punt. It didn’t take long for the Riders to capitalize, as Jack Smith threw his second touchdown of the game to Jaiden Portis from 55 yards out. After the PAT conversion, Roosevelt led 21-14 at the half.
Just before the second half was set to kickoff, lightning was spotted, and the teams had to clear the field. Due to the lengthy weather delay, the teams came to a mutual agreement to postpone the game until Saturday afternoon at 4 pm.
Once play resumed, senior tailback Daniel Sanders scored for the third time on the ground, from 39 yards out. However, the extra point was missed, and Roosevelt maintained a 21-20 lead.
The Rough Riders would add a score in the fourth quarter when Jack Smith found Theo Maccarone for a four-yard touchdown toss. The PAT was good and the lead stood at 28-20 with 8:52 to play.
Kent Roosevelt’s defense picked up where they left off Thursday night, coming up with another pair of turnovers. James Lewis picked off a pass in the third quarter, and Jaden Dennison had a fumble recovery late in the fourth to ice the game.
Kent Roosevelt, now 1-0, hosts Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy on Friday, August 25th.
Ravenna, now 0-1, travels to Mogadore on Friday, August 25th.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jack Smith (Sr.) (Kent Roosevelt)
The senior signal caller threw for over 300 yards and three scores.
Extended highlights here:
