by Medina held off a late North Royalton rally to win 35-27 in a back-and-forth matchup. The Bees attacked the air all game, while the Bears kept fighting until the final minutes.
Both teams opened the game with defensive stops before North Royalton quarterback Daniel Piper connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. Medina responded when quarterback Adam Barr connected on a 44-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 7-7. Barr later threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Bees a 14-7 advantage.
Medina extended its lead in the second quarter when Barr found Noah Brown for a four-yard touchdown. North Royalton answered with an eight-yard rushing touchdown from Piper, making it 21-13 at halftime.
Medina opened the second half with a 77-yard touchdown run by Cooper Sokolowski to extend its lead to 28-13. Barr then connected with Collin Gonzalez on a 13-yard touchdown pass, pushing the advantage to 35-13.
North Royalton refused to go away. Piper connected with Ryan Kinney for a 13-yard touchdown, and the Bears attempted a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful after a bad snap.
In the fourth quarter, Piper found Lincoln Lee for a six-yard touchdown pass before connecting with Kinney for a successful two-point conversion, cutting Medina’s lead to 35-27.
North Royalton had another opportunity to make things interesting, but Medina’s defense delivered a crucial stop at the two-yard line with under four minutes remaining. After North Royalton forced a punt and regained possession, the Bears looked to score again, but Medina’s defense came up with another big stop to seal the victory.
Final: Medina 35, North Royalton 27
Players of the Game:
Medina: Adam Barr —Barr threw four touchdown passes, connecting on scoring plays of 44, 15, 4, and 13 yards. His four touchdown passes helped the Bees build a 35-13 lead.
North Royalton: Daniel Piper — Piper threw three touchdown passes, including a 15-yard score in the first quarter, a 13-yard touchdown to No. 88 Kinney in the third quarter, and a six-yard touchdown to No. 1 Lee in the fourth. He also scored on an eight-yard rushing touchdown, accounting for four touchdowns as North Royalton rallied late.
