by The North Ridgeville Rangers looked to remain unbeaten as they played host to the 0-2 North Royalton Bears. The Rangers achieved that goal with a 31-0 shutout of the Bears. With heavy rain fall all night, it was bound to be a defensive battle. The Rangers defense had yet another stellar effort, getting their second straight shutout. On offense, they relied heavily on the ground game, led by Zack Barnhart with 66 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
The Bears first drive ended due to a clutch 3rd down sack from Nolan Gill of the Rangers. The Rangers then had a prime scoring opportunity, driving all the way inside the Bears 10-yard line. However, they would come up empty after quarterback Cole Miller was stopped just short on fourth down. The ball ended up right back in the hands of the Rangers after the Bears fumbled and it was recovered by junior defensive tackle Ashton Cassetto. That led to the first touchdown of the game, a 1-yard run by Zack Barnhart.
North Ridgeville got another big defensive play when Brett Lienerth intercepted Bears quarterback Joe Kinney and returned it down to the 28-yard line. Austin DeShazo then knocked through a 27-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 Ranger lead. That would be the score going into halftime. It was a dominant defensive half for North Ridgeville, forcing 2 turnovers and holding the Bears to 1 pass completion.
North Royalton’s first drive of the second half ended in disastrous fashion, as the Rangers blocked their punt and took over possession near midfield. That would lead to another Rangers field goal attempt, but this time DeShazo’s kick missed wide left. On the Bears next drive, Kinney was picked off by Carter Clark. Clark almost returned the interception for a touchdown but was brought down at the 2-yard line. Zack Barnhart then made it 17-0 Rangers with his second rushing touchdown of the night.
In the fourth quarter the Rangers continued to pull away. Quarterback Cole Miller found Charlie Steinmetz deep down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown to make it 24-0. On the Bears next drive, Kinney would be intercepted by Rangers linebacker Tyler Peregord, who returned it for a pick-six. It looked like the Bears were primed to score their first points late in the 4th quarter, but the Rangers defense had one last stand in them and forced a turnover on downs. The Rangers won by a final score of 31-0 and improve to 3-0 on the season.
Player of the Game: Zack Barnhart 66 Rush Yards, 2 TD
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