by Eastlake North was home to a rambunctious crowd this Friday night as the Rangers opened up their season against the Garfield Heights Bulldogs to kick off the 2021-2022 football season.
The fans had every right to be excited as North won comfortably 22-15, with the Bulldogs scoring a garbage time touchdown with 1:53 left. It was not a perfect game from start to finish for Eastlake as they had some fumbled snaps and were getting called for several penalties. But, they took advantage of Garfield Heights’ missteps in the third quarter to pull away.
Junior outside linebacker, Dylan Hargas, scooped up a fumble off of a handoff and took it back 64 yards for six points right at the end of the third quarter. That expanded the Rangers lead by two touchdowns.
Another error that hindered the Bulldogs chances for coming back happened with 6:54 remaining in the third. As the punter was getting ready kick the ball away, he kneeled down which gifted North with great field position on Garfield’s own 15 yard line. North did not punch in it for a TD but, they did come away with three more points.
A standout for the orange and black tonight was senior wide receiver and defensive back, Dom Marciante. He was all over the field on both sides of the ball. In the second quarter backup freshman quarterback for the Bulldogs, Taevion Ciganko over threw his receiver towards the left side of the endzone and Marciante tracked it down and made a diving catch to intercept the ball at the 1 yard line.
He also had a couple of tackles for loss with four total. On the offensive end he was a jack-of-all-trades catching and running the ball and even having some solid punt returns.
Star senior offensive lineman for the home team, Ryan Baer was interviewed after the team’s first scrimmage against Kirtland on August 7 about how it felt for his guys to get some reps in against an opponent. He replied, “We have shortened numbers this year… I was really impressed with my guys coming out and adjusting to the speed of the game.” Ryan also had to make some changes to his game as he is currently playing center since their starter is injured. But Ryan’s optimism about his teammates being ready to play came to fruition tonight as the Rangers did what they needed to do in order to secure this win.
As for the visiting squad, the Bulldogs seemed a little out of sorts tonight. The team came out for warm ups showing a lot of energy and spirit before kickoff but, that did not totally translate to their play on the field. Like North, they were flagged for several penalties, including the kneel down on the punt, the interception, and the fumble that led to the scoop and six that effectively put the game out of reach.
All of these miscues led to some frustration for the blue and white as senior tight end and defensive lineman Airrick Jackson kicked Ranger quarterback Zach Rummel after he was tackled and still on the ground.
Hopefully the Bulldogs can turn things around next Friday as they travel once again to face Cleveland Heights at 7 p.m. The 1-0 Eastlake North Rangers go on the road to Mentor, Ohio to face the Lake Catholic Cougars on September 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Dom marciante