by GRAFTON, Ohio – Tonight’s contest was pure cinema! The air was thick with tension right up until the final whistle. The packed home crowd was left stunned by an evening of relentless back-and-forth action. The Rangers and Middies traded blow for blow all night long, though the Rangers would end up coming out on top, squeezing out the win, 28-24.
It was evident right away that this game was going to be physical right from kickoff. A personal foul by the Rangers on the Middies’ opening kick return led to an altercation and a 15-yard penalty, setting the tone right away that neither team was planning on backing down. And they did not disappoint! Two personal fouls on Midview’s opening drive gave them a 30-yard boost, allowing them to be in great field position. Though they couldn’t break through the Ranger defensive line, they got far enough down the field that they converted a 25-yard field goal, bringing the score 3-0 in favor of Midview.
However, the Rangers fired right back on the next drive. 6’5″ Ranger quarterback Cole Miller broke loose and ran the ball for a 59-yard touchdown, barely evading the Middie defense. After the extra point conversion, the Rangers would go up 7-3.
Opening the second quarter, Midview capped off a solid drive with an eight-yard carry by Marcus McMahon, giving the Middies their first touchdown of the night and bringing the score to 10-7.
But the Rangers didn’t let that slide. On the next drive, they faked a handoff and quarterback Cole Miller threw a dart to senior receiver Dylan DeShazo for a first down. Miller went on to launch a 34-yard missile into the endzone, which was caught again by DeShazo! The Rangers took the lead, 14-10. The game would remain scoreless for the rest of the first half.
Through the first half, it was a battle of the quarterbacks. Midview’s Shay Williams completed 10 of his 16 passes with one interception for 126 yards. For the Rangers, Cole Miller landed 4 of his 6 passes for 84 yards with a touchdown, plus a 59-yard keeper and score.
Opening the second half, the Rangers weren’t able to score and turned the ball over to Midview. Midview took advantage of the low morale, and after two first downs, McMahon barreled through the defense for a 35-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 17-14 in favor of Midview.
The Rangers retained possession and answered back with a 27-yard pass from Miller to DeShazo, finding him in the endzone again. After converting the kick, the score was 21-17 in favor of North Ridgeville.
Although there were numerous offensive plays for both sides up to this point, the final quarter turned into a defensive battle. Opening the last quarter of the night, the Middies shut down the Ranger rush attempt on 4th down, and they gained possession on North Ridgeville’s 45-yard line.
After another 15-yard penalty on the Rangers, the Middies looked to be in great position to fight back and score, but Williams’ pass would be intercepted by the Rangers’ defensive back Brian Strippy, and the Rangers got the ball right back on their own 32.
North Ridgeville looked to make it a two-possession game, but fumbled the ball and turned it back over to Midview, putting them at the Ranger 36-yard line. After a pair of first downs by Marcus McMahon, which were good for 12 and 15 yards, they set up with 5 yards to go, and McMahon plowed through the defense for a touchdown. The score was now 24-21 in favor of Midview.
On the next drive, a highlight-reel worthy spin move and keeper by Miller gave them a 22-yard boost down the field. After a broken pass on 3rd and 10, Miller attempted to rush the ball for a first down, but Midview forced a fumble and took back possession at their own 49-yard line. After a couple of dry possessions, both teams looked to have slowed down a bit.
Ridgeville took possession of an impressive kick return by Carter Clark, who put them in a great position at their own 49. Quarterback Miller ran the ball again, this time good for 24 yards. However, things looked grim for the Rangers after a penalty set them back 10 yards. On 4th and 20, Miller completed a crazy 41-yard Hail Mary heave to DeShazo! They came up just one yard short of the endzone, and after a failed handoff attempt, they lost two yards. On the very next play, Miller ran the ball through the Middie defense and into the endzone for the final touchdown of the evening.
The Rangers then kicked the ball off to the Middies, who stopped it at their own 49-yard line. With just 39 seconds to go, they were in a great position. A 13-yard pass to Zachary Wallace brought them to the Rangers’ 38-yard line. Another personal foul on the Rangers gave the Middies a 15-yard boost, setting them up at the 23-yard line with 21 seconds to go.
McMahon carried the ball for 13 yards, for a first down at the 10-yard line. However, a facemask call on North Ridgeville gave Midview another five yards with 15 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, a false start flag on Midview moved them back to the 10-yard line with a five-yard penalty. They were unable to work their magic and score a touchdown.
North Ridgeville’s player of the game was senior receiver Dylan DeShazo, who had eight receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rangers’ quarterback, Cole Miller, had quite a night as well, completing 9/18 passes for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also showed off his talent at running the ball under pressure, carrying 121 yards and scoring the Rangers’ other two touchdowns.
For the Middies, their player of the game was once again their star running back, Marcus McMahon, who put up an impressive effort, despite the team falling short. He carried the ball 29 times, good for 172 yards and three touchdowns.
Middie quarterback Shay Williams also had a good night, connecting on 14 of his 28 passes for 157 yards. Zachary Wallace also had a good game, with 93 receiving yards.
In what was, by far, the craziest high school football game I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching, Midview ultimately fell short to North Ridgeville in this four-quarter frenzy, giving them their 3rd loss of the season. Meanwhile, North Ridgeville grabbed their 5th win of the season. Midview is now sitting right at .500 with three wins and three losses, and North Ridgeville continues their strong season with five wins and just one loss.
