ROCKY RIVER — Alumni Field at Lutheran West High School resembled a dirt auto racing track more than a football field after Friday night’s game between the host Longhorns and Keystone Wildcats.
Before the Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Patriot Athletic Conference) could celebrate their 24-16 win, which snapped a two-game losing streak, they had to get one final play from their defense. Keith Jones intercepted Longhorns quarterback Brad Watson with 1:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Jones’ interception turned the tide against Lutheran West (0-7, 0-4 PAC), which took possession late with Jacob Theobold’s interception of Wildcats quarterback Stephen Renfrow in the end zone. Theobold’s interception put a stop to the Wildcats’ 19-play drive that lasted from the 1:48 mark of the third quarter to the 3:20 mark of the fourth.
"That drive was huge," Clarico said. "We didn’t end it with a score. We would’ve liked to. I wouldn’t have had to sweat it out as much in the end. Basically, we were able to keep the ball for a lot of the fourth quarter. I think Lutheran West had some things figured out and they were able to get their offense going."
"We just wanted to beat them," said Keystone senior Jimmy Reid. "It feels amazing. This is the only team I haven’t beaten. We’ve beaten Buckeye. We’ve beaten Wellington. We hadn’t beaten Lutheran West and it feels great to be a part of that."
Now the task for both teams is focusing on this Friday night and not the past. Keystone goes to Brookside before hosting Wellington and playing at Medina Buckeye. Lutheran West will do battle with Clearview and ends the season with Oberlin and Columbia.
"We have to take care of Brookside," said Clarico. "We’d really like to continue playing well, string a couple wins together here and see how it falls out. Maybe, we’ll get lucky at the end of the year."
"I can’t be prouder of this team and the effort they give every single week," said Lutheran West coach Dave Geye. "I’m hoping and praying for them that it turns into a victory here pretty soon."
Despite the slippery, shifty field, Keystone senior running back Corry Sprouse ran for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
"Corry’s a heck of a football player," said Clarico. "It doesn’t matter what the conditions are, he’s strong and he’s fast. He’s a game-breaker. Over 200 yards in these conditions is unbelievable."
Sprouse scored his first touchdown by following his left tackle past the line of scrimmage on second-and-11 from Keystone’s 39-yard line. Once he was past the first line of defense, Sprouse made a cut and finished off the 61-yard score.
Downfield blocking by receivers prevented the opposite cornerback and safety from rotating over in help defense.
"The line just kept pushing and we just kept going," said Sprouse. "Those are touchdown blocks. Those are key."
"Corry was sliding through there, but our line was pushing," Reid said. "It was slippery, but they were coming out here giving all they had. They knew they were facing the same conditions we were."
Sprouse tacked on a second touchdown with a 7-yard effort midway through the second quarter. Sprouse took a pitch out to the right and broke three tackles in the backfield before getting into the end zone.
More Ohio preps stories
2. Harbin Rankings: One more Friday night in the books, one more week closer to the Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoffs. In the latest computer points system, Cleveland St. Ignatius is No. 1 in Division I, Region I, while powerhouses like Lakewood St. Edward, Mentor, Youngstown Boardman, East Cleveland Shaw and Euclid are on the outside looking in.
3. Wounded Shamrocks: The Dublin Coffman football program was dealt a big blow when it learned that junior quarterback Cole Stoudt would be out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg. Stoudt had the ‘Rocks at 7-0 heading into Friday’s game with Hilliard Davidson.
4. Gilmour gets W
: The Gilmour Academy Lancers’ tough year took a positive turn with a 33-18 win over Cardinal Stritch last weekend. John Harper carried the ball 35 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Kyle Gladieux led Stritch with 158 yards and two touchdowns.
5. Running for fun: The Black River Pirates know how to run the football and do so quite well. In a 33-0 win over Brookside last week, the Pirates gained 392 rushing yards, including 171 from Jacob O’Connor and 141 from Neil Jones.
Top performers
* Charles Gresham of Heath High School ran for a school-record 404 yards and six touchdowns against Columbus Academy. Heath improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-State League, while Columbus Academy dropped to 5-2 and 3-1.
* Maple Heights’ Devonte Ransom ran for four touchdowns in a 32-16 win over Lorain Admiral King.
* Nate White scored three touchdowns on six carries in Toledo St. John’s 51-22 City League victory over Libbey. White gained 80 yards on the ground.
Looking ahead
* Dublin Coffman at Hilliard Davidson football, Friday night. Colton Caldwell will lead the ‘Rocks offense in the absence of Stoudt. This game could not only determine the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship, but will have a big effect on the Division I, Region III computer points come next Tuesday.
* Maple Heights at Mentor football, Friday night at 7 p.m. Maple Heights was a small school looking for respect when they played Mentor under then-head coach Jeff Rotsky a few years ago. Now, the Mustangs are searching for victories and computer points, something Mentor Coach Steve Trivisonno is also hoping to gain from hosting the Mustangs.
* Elyria at North Royalton volleyball, Thursday evening. At least a share of the Northeast Ohio Conference title will be on the line when the Pioneers travel to face the Bears. Elyria lost to North Royalton in a five-set affair (16-25, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22, 9-15) in late September.
Matt's minutes
Last Friday night featured a lot of rain and mud for those high schools not fortunate enough to play on artificial turf. While playing in the elements is part of the charm of high school football and outdoor sports in general, everyone involved, including officials, coaches and players, have to adjust to the conditions.
To alleviate some of the problems at Lutheran West, the officials moved the ball to the hash marks with a semblance of grass peaking through the mud and would hand the ball to the center rather than placing it on the ground. While it was a unique strategy I had never seen before, it made the game a lot more smooth than others in the Northern Ohio area.
Kudos to the officials for recognizing the conditions and helping everyone avoid watching a rugby scrum on every snap.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports show host for WOBL and WDLW.
