by The Elyria Pioneers (5-5) went on the road to take on the Wadsworth Grizzlies (6-4) in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. The Grizzlies dominated all day long, winning 44-13.
The key players for Wadsworth were Luke Fischer, Kyle Figuray and Aaron Keating.
Fischer looked comfortable in the postseason. He threw 12/16 for 258 yards and three touchdowns. His favorite downfield target was Keating who had 4 catches for 125 yards and two scores. Figuray had 91 yards on 22 carries, but the highlight was his three touchdowns.
For Elyria the stars were Lance Glover and Brian Todd Jr.
Glover was the only real star on this team. He had 23 carries for 113 yards and one touchdown. Todd only had one catch for three yards, but he drew three pass interference penalties which helped move the offense.
The Pioneers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. Their first drive did not go well after two short plays and a sack by Luke Ryder.
The Grizzlies faced a fourth down early on their drive as well. Two offsides penalties saved their drive and gave them the inaugural first down of the game. On their next set of downs, they were facing a third and 23 until Luke Fischer found Will Stack on a crossing route behind the linebacker that the wideout took 52 yards for a touchdown. Wadsworth led 7-0 with 7:37 left in the first quarter.
Two penalties and a high snap forced Elyria forced to punt the ball. With the punter Darius Atley ‘s feet in his own end zone, the long snapper rolled the ball the whole way to him. Atley didn’t have time to try and punt and had to take a safety. Wadsworth led 9-0 with 6:01 in the quarter.
On the next drive for the Grizzlies the offensive line dominated. They marched down a short field and Kyle Figuray was able to find a hole right up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown. Wadsworth now led 16-0 with 4:45 left in the quarter.
The Pioneers were struggling to get anything to get them going. They failed to pick up a first down once again and punted.
Wadsworth got the ball and continued to have their offense soar. Fischer connected with Davis Nye for a 49-yard catch on a vertical. Figuray found the end zone for the second time on a run he bounced out to the right. They led 23-0 with 11:48 in the second quarter.
Lance Glover finally got something going for the Pioneers on their next drive. He had rushes of 22 and 16 to get them in the red zone. After a good Grizzly stand the Pioneers sent Tim Rader out for a 26-yard field goal. He hit right down the center and Elyria was finally on the board 23-3 with 8:37 left in the half.
The defense picked up as well on the next drive. They stuffed the offense to nothing, and Adrian Williams got a strip sack, though he couldn’t recover the fumble. Wadsworth had to punt for the first time.
After a pass interference and some more good runs by Glover, the Pioneers were back in the red zone, and they kicked another field goal. Rader hit the 30-yarder to make the game 23-6 with 3:51 left in the half.
The Grizzlies offense picked back up on the next drive. Fischer found Aaron Keating for a 32-yard gain. Figuray found a hole to punch in his third touchdown from 3 yards out. Wadsworth led 30-6 with :46 seconds left in the half.
To start the half the Grizzlies couldn’t do anything. They had to punt early in the possession. The Pioneers got the ball and thanks to two controversial pass interferences calls, Glover was able to take a run 18 yards for his first touchdown. The Pioneers were trailing 30-13 with 8:00 left in the third.
The Grizzlies wasted no time making up the ground. He found Keating on a fly route for a 50-yard touchdown. Wadsworth led 37-13 with 5:18 left in the third.
After the Pioneers were forced to punt, the Grizzlies kept their foot on the pedal. Fischer was able to find Keating again on a 25-yard fade. Wadsworth led 44-13 with :52 seconds left in the third.
The fourth quarter was quiet with a running clock. Wadsworth used their backs and Elyria let their seniors get their last snaps. The lone highlight of the half was a 69-yard carry by Steven Gilbert on the last play of the game.
The season will come to an end for Elyria after going 5-5 on the season. Wadsworth will continue in the playoffs against the winner of the Medina vs. Strongsville game.
