by Article written by Sidney Hampton of Lakewood High School
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Parma, OH –
On Thursday night, the Valley Forge Patriots hosted the Amherst Comets at Byers Field for their home opener. The Patriots came out on top 44-15 over the visiting Comets. Although this win was a great team effort from the entire Valley Forge team, three key players specifically stood out in the Patriot’s victory: Senior fullback Shane Warden, Junior halfback Ben Farson, and Junior halfback Elijah Williams.
Shane Warden had a noticeable veteran presence on the field with his confidence in handling the ball. Shane had a large 61-yard run as well as a 10-yard touchdown run all within the first quarter. Warden continued to contribute throughout the rest of the game, with countless shorter runs up the field.
Ben Farson’s hustle was unlike any other player on the field. Playing both offense and defense, Farson showed nonstop hustle. Ben opened up scoring for the Patriots with a 21-yard touchdown. He returned a kickoff for 80 yards to open up the second half and had another strong 55-yard run later on in the game. Junior Elijah Williams showed great athleticism in his speed and shifty footwork.
On defense, Williams caused the only turnover of the game at midfield with his interception. On offense, Williams had a 21-yard touchdown, and a 63-yard run to close out the third quarter. The kicker for Valley Forge, Riley Hein, was also a very consistent asset to the Patriots offense. His persistent accurate field goals and extra points gave stability to his team and increased their score.
Though Amherst struggled to put points on the board, two players displayed the heart and grit of Comet football. Sophomore quarterback, Cole Norris, and Junior running back Bishop Fryson.
The Comet quarterback exhibited a very versatile way of playing with his success consistently running the ball. Norris was able to connect to Landon Fellenstein for a 5-yard touchdown pass as well as a pass for a 2-point conversion to Mason Fisher.
Bishop Fryson showed his heart and hustle for his team through his numerous short runs. The junior continued to play hard despite the score as he scored the final touchdown of the game to push the comets into double digits.
In the first quarter, both the Patriots and the Comets came out flat. After multiple 3-and-out possessions for both teams, Shane Warden got the ball rolling with his 61-yard run which led to Ben Farson’s 21-yard touchdown. Another touchdown by Shane Warden and an unsuccessful 2-point conversion attempt left the score at 13-0 favoring Valley Forge at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Valley Forge continued to dominate the game, with Elijah Williams interception and the touchdown by quarterback Dan Kiewel resulting in a score of 20-0. The third quarter began with an 80-yard run from Valley Forge’s Ben Farson. Later on, Riley Hein secured a 24-yard field goal and Connor Pozniak ran for a 54-yard touchdown.
Ben Farson and Elijah Williams each pushed the patriots downfield with a 55 and 32-yard run respectively. The Comets began to gain momentum with the completed pass to Mason Fischer for a 20-yard gain and a 5-yard touchdown pass to Landon Fellenstien. In the fourth quarter, Sophomore Eddie Michalski secured a touchdown for Valley Forge before Bishop Fryson closed out the game with his 1-yard touchdown for the Comets ending in a final score of 44-15.
Fortunately, for the Valley Forge Patriots they end their 2 game losing streak from last year and start out the new season with a great home win. For me, the player of the game was Shane Warden through his consistency, toughness, and at the end of the day his ability to make plays.
Moving forward, Valley Forge takes on the North Ridgeville Rangers at home on Thursday, August 25, while Amherst hits the road for another away game against Buckeye on Friday, August 26.
