by Coach Wells would go on to explain the feeling he gets when the two teams play later in the season and when playoff seeding starts to become a factor:
I personally wouldn’t have it any other way. Those are the types of games players live to play in, coaches want to coach in and fans love to watch. A rivalry game with playoff implications on the line, it doesn’t get any better!
Having a crowd that is so into the outcome of a game means everything to our players. They love and thrive off of the support that they see, hear and feel before during and after the game.
Their game in 2014 is the stuff of legend, as it went double overtime. Bay Village running back Nick Best had the game of his life, setting school records with 42 carries for 376 yards, including a thrilling 2-point conversion to win it in double overtime.
Bay Village coach Ronnie Rutt looks back to that magical moment:
One of the things that made Nick special was his will to win. He had a way of getting the team motivated and believing that there was no way we were going to lose to our rival. We have had some great environments for this rivalry the last several years. Both fan bases travel well for this game each year. I will never forget back in 2014 when we won at home in double OT on a two-point conversion and our student section rushed the field. It was an amazing environment.
Coming into the 2018 matchup, Bay Village was looking to stay unbeaten as they traveled to Rocky River during week six. The Rockets remained unbeaten with a 21–16 victory in a tightly contested game.
Multitalented Connor Shell did it all for Bay Village that evening. The senior captain finished with 126 yards rushing on 22 carries, scoring 1 touchdown. He also blocked a punt and scored on an interception. Shell was excited about the result, and he talked about it after the game. “Our line dug down on those last couple of drives and picked me up after I fumbled. I knew it was going to be close because it is a rivalry game so you can throw records out. We dug down and it was the biggest win of my tenure here. A bang for sure!”
Bay Village relied heavily on the running attack all night long and attempted just 5 passes the entire game. Quarterback Logan LaMere went 3 of 5 for 53 yards, but all 3 completions were crucial to keep scoring drives alive.
Rocky River played well and was never out of it. The key threat to the passing attack of Michael Finnegan on this night was wideout Christian Dean, who compiled 83 yards on 7 catches. Also getting open at will was Owen Bebie, who pulled in 5 catches for 40 yards. Finnegan would throw for 171 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 of 29 passing.
Rocky River coach Wells had this to say about the performance of Shell and Rockets, who had been tough to contain over the year: “Through my years in this rivalry, Bay has had some tough players to plan for, Shell, Nick Best, Nick Buttari just to name a few. Each one of these players had their own unique skill set that posed challenges for us to game plan against.”
Rocky River received the opening kickoff and went right to work with a fast-paced, no-huddle attack. A ten-play, 70-yard drive resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Owen Bebie to give River the early 3–0 lead less than four minutes into the game. Christian Dean had 4 catches on the drive for 45 yards.
Bay Village wasted no time in responding to the Rocky River strike, answering quickly. A drive that started on the Rocky River 46-yard line was capped off with an Andrew Veverka touchdown run. The four-minute, nine-play drive saw all running plays and nothing through the air. Four different Bay Village players toted the rock on the drive.
The ensuing Rocky River drive fizzled out, and Bay Village capitalized by blocking a punt and taking over at the River 34. On the block was Connor Shell. Bay Village couldn’t capitalize, and they missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt a few plays later.
The Rocky River momentum was short-lived. Connor Shell picked off a Finnegan pass and returned it 14 yards to score. Shell was making his presence felt early and often in this one. A quarter and a half into the game, Shell had a blocked punt, an interception for a touchdown and nearly double-digit tackles. Shell had also carried the ball 7 times at that point.
With less than three minutes to go in the first half, the Rocky River Pirate attack had a lot of yards to pick up, and they did exactly that. They used an exciting combination of rushes with Daishaun Hill and Ross Hartman to get deep into Bay Village territory. They elected to go for it on fourth and goal from the 2 with nineteen seconds left. The gamble paid off with a 2-yard Hartman touchdown run, cutting the lead to 14–10 at the half.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, neither team had scored in the second half when Rocky River took over in their own territory. A promising drive was soon snuffed out after crucial penalties and sacks that took them out of field-goal position. River had driven to inside the Bay Village 30 when 3 straight sacks and 2 personal fouls created a fourth and 43.
It would cost Rocky River big. On the next drive, Bay Village used a long, methodical drive to ice the game. An 8-yard touchdown Shell sprint put it away for good. A last-second Rocky River touchdown proved to be too little, too late.
Coach Rutt touches on the importance of the game being later in the year, and also the night his star player Conner Shell had:
I do enjoy the game being later in the year. At this point both teams have developed into who they are as a team. We get good film to study and it makes for a good meaningful football game.
Connor was a tremendous football player. He did it all that night. I remember him being gassed at times during that 2018 game but he just kept fighting and wanted to be the one with his hands on the ball to carry us home at the end of that game. Also, that pick six was a huge play in that game.
Despite the loss, Rocky River ended up joining Bay Village, as both made playoff runs. In fact, the Pirates knocked off top seed Clyde in the opening round. Coach Wells reflects on that special group of Pirates:
That group was special! A lot of them played varsity as freshman and sophomores and 2018 was a special year. While we did lose to Bay that year, we were able to go into the playoffs and upset the number 1 seed Clyde on the road for one of the biggest games in the history of our football program. That group, which also included freshman Tommy Bebie and Braedon Spies, was so fun to coach, they loved playing with and for each other.
In 2019, the Pirates had a very young team led by Tommy Bebie at tailback and Braedon Spies at quarterback to go with senior receiver Cristian Dean. They started off extremely well, 5-2, heading into the game against Bay. It looked as through River would get a chance to turn the rivalry back in their favor, as they carried a lot of momentum into that game.
It wasn’t meant to be for the Pirates, despite playing at home for the second straight season. The Bay Village Rockets excelled in all three areas of the game to put away archrival Rocky River, 34–17, in the Pirates Cove.
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You can read more about this rivalry, and the best rivalries in Northeast Ohio High School Football right here.
Excellent article! I played for RRHS in the mid 60’s graduating in 65. My senior year we won the SWC Championships in football, wrestling, baseball, and track. The biggest game or match was always against the Bay Rockets. I was fortunate to captain our championship team. I was named Cleveland Press Star twice and also named to the Plain Dealer Dream Team. Those were the best of times and I have many exciting conversations with my nephew Dave Zastudil about the rivalry. I played fullback and remember those games like they were yesterday. Thank you for writing about the most important game both schools played.