by | The North Royalton Bears fought hard but ultimately fell short in a back-and-forth showdown against the Padua Bruins, dropping a heartbreaker 35-28. In a game filled with big plays and dramatic swings, the Bears’ late rally came up just short as they dropped to 1-5 on the season while Padua improved to 4-2.
The game started with Padua establishing their ground game early. After a stalled opening drive by the Bears, Padua’s Rod Love powered his way to a first and goal at the Bears’ 6-yard line, eventually punching it in for an 8-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 7-0 in the first quarter. The Bears responded with some explosive plays of their own. Joe Calarco electrified the crowd with an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown, only to see it called back due to a holding penalty. Undeterred, North Royalton marched down the field with a mix of strong runs from Cam Saul and a clutch 4th-down conversion by Mannix Wasco. On 2nd-and-goal, quarterback Joe Kinney hit Nin Piazza on a slant for a touchdown to tie it at 7-7. Padua answered quickly, but a costly personal foul stalled their next drive, allowing the Bears to take over on their own 19. A heavy dose of Saul and Wasco powered the Bears down the field, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown run by Wasco to put North Royalton up 14-7 at halftime. The second half saw momentum shift dramatically. After a blocked punt by Padua, Love broke free for a 21-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14-14. The Bruins recovered an onside kick immediately after and quickly took the lead with another Love touchdown, making it 21-14. Despite falling behind, the Bears fought back. Kinney found Calarco for a 47-yard touchdown bomb, narrowing the gap to 28-21. But Padua continued to lean on their star, Love, who added another score to make it 35-21 late in the fourth quarter. With time running out, the Bears refused to quit. Kinney connected with Calarco again for a 47-yard touchdown, bringing the Bears within seven at 35-28. However, after an unsuccessful onside kick attempt, Padua was able to run out most of the clock. North Royalton had one last chance, but with 98 yards to go and only seconds remaining, the Bears couldn’t find the end zone one last time. Despite the loss, there were standout performances across the board. Cam Saul ran for over 100 yards, and Joe Calarco racked up more than 135 receiving yards with two crucial touchdowns. Roman Gambino and Steven Wilhelm also made big plays on defense to keep the Bears in the fight. In the end, it was a tough loss in a game that saw the Bears battle until the very end. They’ll look to build on this effort as they continue their season. |
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