by Story by Brandon Miller
Wellington, OH- The Brookside Cardinals and head coach Sean O’Donnell traveled to Wellington to take on the Dukes and head coach Rob Howells in a Lorain County League gridiron clash. The Cardinals came into this contest with a 3-1 record with their only loss coming at the hands of the Huron Tigers back in week two on the road. The Dukes on the other hand are looking to get into the win column as they came into this contest with an 0-4 record and only averaging 13.5 points per game on the campaign. The Dukes walked away victorious for the first time in 2023 by a score of 34 to 14
The defenses came to play tonight as the game started off with Cardinals defense forcing the Dukes to turn the ball over on downs. On the ensuing possession by the Cardinals senior quarterback Ben Montgomery threw an interception to Dukes senior defensive lineman Nolan Sasack for a five-yard pick six and after the extra point by sophomore kicker Alex Frenk, the Dukes led 7-0. This lead did not last long as on the ensuing kickoff the Cardinals tied it up when senior Brennen Gainer took the kick 80 yards to the house and the game was tied at 7 after the converted extra point by junior Noah Adkins. The Cardinal defense came up clutch again as Montgomery picked off junior quarterback Landon Wright. The Cardinals capitalized on this interception when Gainer once again came up big on a fourth down conversion with a nifty reverse scramble. This conversion would lead to a 15-yard touchdown scramble by Montgomery and after the completed extra point by Adkins the Cardinals took a 14-7 lead. This score would lead us to the end of the first quarter with the Cardinals leading 14 to 7.
The Dukes would open the second quarter with a touchdown when junior wide receiver Baron Turner Jr rushed 47 yards to the end zone to tie the game after a successful point after attempt by Frenk. After a Cardinal punt, junior wide receiver Johnnie Kinter rushed for 21 yards with the entire cardinal defense on his back for a third down conversion. The Dukes converted on a fourth down when Turner Jr caught a pass to keep the drive alive. Unfortunately, for the Dukes, they turned the ball over due to a fumble which was recovered by junior Nick Arra for the Cardinals. This would lead to a punt and halftime with the score deadlocked at 14 a piece.
The Cardinals got the ball to start the second half and right away Montgomery was intercepted by junior defensive back Grant Kehl. The Dukes capitalized on this turnover when junior fullback Will Sipos-Sutton busted through the line for a 28-yard carry to put his team in enemy territory. Sipos-Sutton found paint from two yards out and Frenk converted the extra point to put the Dukes up 21-14. The Cardinals converted their own fourth down when Montgomery passed the ball to senior Lincoln Barnhart but despite this conversion the offense stalled and had to punt it away anyway. The Dukes capitalized when Wright connected with Turner Jr for a big 73-yard touchdown pass and after Frenk connected the extra point, the Dukes increased their lead to 28 to 14 to close the third quarter.
The Cardinals started the fourth quarter with a punt, and this led to a 3-yard touchdown pass from Wright to Kinter, but the extra point was no good and the Dukes led 34 to 14. The Cardinals attempted to make a comeback when Montgomery connected with Barnhart for a 54-yard completion on third down. Despite this conversion., the Cardinals had to turn the ball over on downs and the drive stalled. The Dukes tried to put the Cardinals away for good when Sipos-Sutton rumbled 52 yards to put the Dukes back into striking distance. Unfortunately, they tried a field goal but it missed so they turned it over on downs. The Cardinals got the ball back but fumbled and the Dukes recovered to end the game.
Next week the Wellington Dukes travel to Clearview to take on the 3-1 Clippers whereas the Cardinals of Brookside will try to get back into the win column against the 2-3 Firelands Falcons at home.
