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It was senior night here at Pat Catan Stadium and the Euclid Panthers received the ball to get this one under way. It was a short-lived possession as after just three plays the Panthers punted.
Just like the Panthers, Strongsville didn’t make much of their opening possession. They could only muster one first down before giving it right back to Euclid.
Euclid would be forced to send the punt unit onto the field once again on their second drive. However, Will Dasher dashed into the backfield to get his hands on the attempt giving the Mustangs great field position.
The drive would start at the Panthers 45-yard line, but it would not lead to points. The Mustangs tried some trickery, faking a field goal from the 23-yard line but Jamal Jefferson Jr. was not fooled as he jumped the pass and kept points off the board.
The Panthers took over but would once again go three and out. Jerome Williams charged into the backfield to get a sack on third down stopping the Euclid drive.
After a slow start on offense, the Mustangs were looking to finally put points on the board. It seemed as if they did as Xavier Belvin powered it in from one yard out but there was laundry on the field. A holding penalty negated that score and brought up third and goal from the 11-yard line. That didn’t matter for the Mustangs as Harsh Patel found Logan Brown in the end zone for the score. After a successful extra point, Strongsville led 7-0 with 8:50 left in the half.
The Panthers would once again be forced to punt, giving it right back to the Mustangs. Eight plays later, Patel would find Brown again for a score. This time from four yards out. With 2:42 left in the half the Mustangs led 14-0.
Strongsville’s defense would get a stop once again on the ensuing drive. Stacey Solomon would jump the Robert King pass putting the offense right back on the field. It was a very opposite result for the Mustang offense this time as Patel’s pass would be intercepted by the Panthers giving them the ball at the Mustang 19.
On the last play of the half Robert King would connect with Marquise Hall on a screen and he did the rest. He took it 20 yards into the end zone as time expired to put the Panthers on the board. A failed two-point attempt made this contest 14-6 heading into the break.
The second half began just like the first half did. Both teams punting the football. Strongsville got the ball for their second drive of the half and continued to use the running game. Xavier Belvin would cap off the 12-play drive with a 4-yard run to extend the lead. He carried the ball 11 times for 70 yards on that drive alone to make the score 20-7 Mustangs.
Euclid got the ball back looking to cut into the lead but were forced to punt again. The defense held strong though and got it right back to the offense. However, on just the second play of the Panther drive Michael Ison would get a strip sack and Joe Stevens would pounce on it. The Mustangs had the ball at the Panther eight-yard line looking to put this one away. No touchdown would be scored but a 19-yard field goal by Vincent Roncone would push the lead to 23-6 with 7:18 left in the game.
Euclid would go on its first sustained drive of the game taking it into the red zone. It would not result in points as a fumbled snap would be recovered by Liam Lally and with just 1:13 on the clock this ball game was over.
Xavier Belvin was the workhorse tonight for the Mustang offense. He would carry the ball 36 times for 174 yards and a score to give his team a 23-6 victory here on senior night.
Players of the Game
Strongsville Mustangs- Xavier Belvin 36 carries 174 yards 1 TD
Euclid Panthers- Marquise Hall 91 total yards 1 TD
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
None
2nd Quarter
8:50- #15 Harsh Patel 11-yard pass to #88 Logan Brown. #53 Vincent Roncone PAT Good
2:42- #15 Harsh Patel 4-yard pass to #88 Logan Brown. # 53 Vincent Roncone PAT Good
0:00- #18 Robert King 20-yard pass to #4 Marquise Hall. 2PT No Good
3rd Quarter
3:03- #4 Xavier Belvin 5-yard run. #53 Vincent Roncone PAT No Good.
4th Quarter
7:18- #53 Vincent Roncone 19-yard field goal Good
