by The North Ridgeville Rangers played host to the Wadsworth Grizzlies in a highly anticipated second round playoff matchup. It was the Grizzlies who came out on top 21-10 and are moving on. Despite the Rangers dominating time of possession and consistently stringing together long drives, they came up short in many great scoring opportunities. The Grizzlies defense came through in a ton of big moments and is the main reason why their season is still alive.
The Rangers had a strong opening drive, headlined by a 40-yard pass from Cole Miller to Landen Knepshield. The Grizzlies defense did hold strong in the redzone and held the Rangers to a field goal. It was another good start for the Rangers on their next drive, but the offense again stalled and ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Cooper Gray gave the Grizzlies a 7-3 lead when he broke free for a 45-yard touchdown. On the Grizzlies next drive, a pass interference call on 4th down and 13 kept the possession alive. That allowed them to add to their lead when Gavin Madigan made a great juggling touchdown reception. Wadsworth would take a 14-3 lead into halftime.
The Rangers defense came through with a big play right out of halftime, forcing a fumble on Cooper Gray that was recovered by Brett Lienerth. Just as it looked like North Ridgeville was primed to score and get back into the game, disaster would strike. A fumbled exchange between Cole Miller and Zack Barnhart was scooped up by Jacob Earnest and returned 88 yards for a Grizzlies touchdown.
The big turnover put Wadsworth up 21-3. Zack Barnhart then got the Rangers a much-needed touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-10. The turnovers then continued to come in bunches. Another fumbled exchange from the Rangers gave the ball back to the Grizzlies. On the very next play Grizzlies quarterback Brysen Hall was intercepted by Lienerth.
After the interception, the Rangers again would get the ball deep into Grizzlies territory only to end up being stopped on 4th down. On their next possession they drove into scoring range and sent out Austin DeShazo for a field goal try, but the kick missed wide right. It was another frustrating result for North Ridgeville, as they consistently put together long drives only to end up coming up short. That would be the last chance for the Rangers to get back into the game.
Player of the Game: Jacob Earnest 1 FUM REC 1 DEF TD
