ROCKY RIVER, Ohio – The Rocky River Pirates and Valley Forge Patriots are evenly matched on the gridiron. That much has been established over the last few years.
And it was certainly established – with a 41-yard lean toward the Valley Forge side – on Friday night when the Patriots defeated the Pirates, 24-21, in front of a massive crowd at Rocky River Stadium.
For a third straight year, the two sides were within 50 total yards of each other – Valley Forge out-gained River, 294-260, on Friday. The Pirates and Patriots have now split their last four meetings down the middle, 2-2. And the Patriots have taken the last two games by a combined four points.
In Friday’s near-even exchange of action on what was a chamber-of-commerce early-autumn weather night on the north coast, the first score of the game was perhaps the most important. That score came courtesy the right leg of Valley Forge senior kicker Chris Hein who knocked home a 41-yard field goal at the 3:33-mark of the first quarter.
On their ensuing drive, the Maroon & White committed a
midfield turnover. The visitors would turn that miscue into seven points on a
15-yard run by senior running back Mike Pappas early in the second. But River
would battle back.
Putting together an impressive, run-powered 80-yard drive,
the Pirates (1-1) marched down the field and scored a touchdown when senior
Owen Bebie went around the left side to reach the end zone from 5 yards out.
Valley Forge (2-0) would reestablish its 10-point lead before halftime with a
seven-play, 61-yard TD drive.
River countered – first with a big halftime show from the Rocky River Marching Band under the direction of Michael Komperda and then with a dozen-play, four-minute-and-34-second drive directed by sophomore quarterback Braedon Spies. The latter produced a 7-spot when Spies connected with senior tight end Zack Wagner on a pass from the 11 to about the 4-yard line. Wagner wriggled free from a would-be tackler and then writhed and powered his way past two more, seemingly willing the football across the goal line for the touchdown.
The big effort from the Pirate captain was the crowning play
on a fine drive turned in by the offensive line and by sophomore running back
Tommy Bebie. And it made for a 17-14 score at the 7:26-mark of the third
quarter. With Wager now on the other side of the ball, the Pirate defense
pulled off an emotional three-and-out, and the River offense went back onto the
field.
But Valley Forge sent the Pirate offense off the field in
quick order. The Patriots would get the football back on their own 29. The
drive they put together sent seven more points onto the Rocky River scoreboard
and shock waves into the latter minutes of the contest because it was a
defense-energy-sapping 15-play, eight-and-a-half-minute drive. The drive
included plays with a big push from the offensive line, a 13-yard run on a 3rd-and-10
and finally, a 6-yard dash to paydirt by Kentrell Marks.
The Pirates did counterpunch – with an eight-play, 60-yard TD drive of their own. Spies’ second touchdown toss of the game – a majestic 36-yarder athletically hauled in by junior receiver Joey Pike – brought River within three (24-21) at the 5:50-mark of the fourth.
And that’s when the Patriots went to work against a fatigued Pirate group which had just been keelhauled down the length of hash marks on a drive that lasted nearly three-quarters of a 12-minute period. Getting the ball at their own 25, the Patriots would collect a couple first downs, moving the chains and rolling the clock along the way. They converted on a big third down and then – at midfield – on an even bigger fourth down.
And of the 350 seconds remaining in the game at the time of
the Pike score, Valley Forge ate them all. The Patriots were successful in
running off the remaining time in a 10-play march toward the lake. And with the
clock hitting triple-zeroes, the Pirates were sunk.
For the game, both teams had 12 first downs. Rocky River
finished with 159 rushing yards. With Spies going 8-for-15 (53.3%), the Pirate
passing game added 101 yards. Valley Forge posted 254 and 40. Penalties and
late-down conversions were a near-even exchange. River was a minus-1 in turnover
margin.
The Pirates got solid work offensively from Wagner, Owen and
Tommy Bebie, wide receiver James Byall, wide receiver Matt George, center Ergi
Sulce, left guard Wesley Yuen and left tackle Joe Riedl. The defense was led by
Wagner, Bebie, Bebie, Byall, George, Sulce, Charlie Sobol, Connor Kashmarek,
Aiden Andrako and Sam Fuchs.
The game marked Rocky River’s 2019 home opener. Rocky River had won five consecutive home openers (2014-18) before falling to the Patriots on Friday.
CANNON FIRE …
SOLEMN SALUTE: Friday’s game was preceded by a moment of silence for 2019 graduate and three-year Football letterman Patrick Green. The two-time All-Ohio punter lost his life in an accident in June. The 2019 Pirates are wearing a green “PG 13” helmet sticker in remembrance of their fallen teammate.
CLOSE SHAVES: Rocky River is 3-4 over seven one-score games the last two seasons (2018-19). Prior to the 2018 season, River’s last one-score game had been a 14-10 loss at Holy Name on Oct. 30, 2015. From 2013-2017, the Maroon & White played in just six such games (three wins, three losses).
ON DECK: The Pirates will renew acquaintances with their neighbors to the south when they visit the Fairview Warriors. River and Fairview will clank swords and exchange cannon fire on Friday at 7 p.m. (Fairview Stadium in Fairview Park).
by Skip Snow
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