by Twinsburg, Ohio – The Twinsburg Tigers forced four turnovers on the way to a 21-7 win over North Royalton at Twinsburg Tiger Stadium Thursday night.
Twinsburg came into Thursday night’s matchup ranked 9th in Division II, Region 5, according to JoeEitel.com. North Royalton came in 13th in Division II, Region 6, according to JoeEitel.com.
On the first drive of the game, junior quarterback Dylan Fantone tossed a 39-yard touchdown to senior JD Okuma. The extra point was good, and the Tigers led, 7-0, with 8:39 left in the first quarter.
North Royalton responded on their drive, getting to the Twinsburg 35, but the Tiger defense came up with a big play as RJ Ruffin recovered a fumble on defense.
JD Okuma came up with an interception. The Tigers would cap their ensuing drive with a six yard rushing touchdown from senior Lucas Kienzlen, increasing the lead to 14-0.
The Tigers looked to add to their lead, but an interception by North Royalton senior Nicholas Piazza thwarted those plans. The score remained 14-0 at the half.
In the third quarter, North Royalton recovered a surprise onside kick attempt, but punted the ball after a three-and-out. North Royalton would follow up with a defensive stop of their own to force a Twinsburg punt. Senior Rob Herndon came up with the first of his two picks on the ensuing Bears drive. The Tigers would add to their lead thanks to a three-yard touchdown run from Lucas Kienzlen, leading 21-0 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.
North Royalton got an interception from senior Tyler Bowles and a return deep into Twinsburg territory. They capitalized on the drive, as junior quarterback Nolan Klingbeil tossed a seven-yard touchdown to Nick Piazza. The ensuing point after cut the Twinsburg lead to 21-7 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.
The Bears also came up with a huge stop to open up the fourth quarter, getting the ball back on downs. They would move to the nine-yard line, looking to cut their deficit to one score. However, as they did all evening, the Twinsburg Tiger defense came up with a big stop, getting the ball back on downs.
They drove down to the North Royalton 18, but came away empty handed due to a missed field goal. On the ensuing drive, Rob Herndon came up with his second interception of the game, all but locking it up.
In total, the Tiger defense forced four turnovers (one fumble recovery and three interceptions).
Twinsburg improves to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in the SL National. The Tigers host Brecksville next Friday, October 24th, to close out the regular season.
North Royalton drops to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in the SL National. The Bears host Hudson to close out the regular season next Friday, October 24th.
Extended highlights below:
