ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- November games mean something special in high school football. And courtesy a dominant, rain-soaked 42-6 first-round playoff victory over Toledo Rogers on Friday, Rocky River has earned itself a November game date.
The Pirates (8-3) scored early and often, piling up 21 points in the first quarter and 21 more in the second of a contest that marked the fourth home playoff game in program history. Senior running back Tommy Bebie scored on a 62-yard run on Rocky River's first play from scrimmage. Bebie scored from 37 yards out on his second carry of the evening, and with 99 yards on two carries, was on his way to a prodigious 218-yard game despite the Pirates running only 33 plays in a rout accompanied by a running clock throughout the second half.
Bebie would only have 10 carries on the night. Nearly every one of them came on a handoff from quarterback Braedon Spies and included gaping vistas of green carpet ahead on a night dominated by the River line. From left to right along line, the Pirates got swashbuckling, road-grading work from Aiden Andrako, Jackson Hermann, Evan Merk, Charlie Sobol, and Aidan Coyne. Angles were created and gaps were forged. And Bebies were fired through them.
Tommy Bebie rushed 10 times for 218 yards. He scored on 40% of his runs, and his four touchdowns on the night upped his season total to a program-record 20. Brother Johnny Bebie logged eight carries for 51 yards. Spies registered 20 yards on three carries; he and Johnny Bebie each had one TD run. Spies went 2-of-3 for 22 yards through the air.
A night with big plays turned in by the linemen and running backs also featured one of the finest catches of the season -- an off-balance, one-handed interception by Spies on Rogers' first possession of the evening. The early onslaught also featured a fine, medium-depth onside kick by Mack Massad recovered by the Pirates (Parker Hartup).
The Rams (4-6) avoided a shutout with a mid-fourth-quarter touchdown pass. Overall, the River defense had two interceptions (Spies, Trent Delventhal) and forced a pair of three-and-outs. And Rogers managed only one drive of more-than-17 yards. Delventhal, Tommy Bebie, Patrick Lange, Andrako, and Aiden Konet all recorded four tackles in the game.
Rocky River scored on 6-of-6 possessions in the first half. The Pirates punted in each of two second-half possessions.
The Maroon & White leveraged their defense into a sizable advantage in field position throughout: the Rams' average drive start was at the 26-yard line; the Pirates' was at the 45.
And now Rocky River leverages its Week 11 victory into a home game in Week 12. On Friday, the Pirates will host Buckeye in a DIII Region 10 quarterfinal battle. The Pirates and Bucks are slated to lock horns and match wits in a Rocky River Stadium tilt at 7 p.m.
Friday. Under the lights. In November.
And the Double-R is looking to make it a November to remember.
CANNON FIRE ...
A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: The Pirates tallied an even 300 rushing yards against the Rams. The performance marked the team's third 300-yard rushing game of the fall. ... With his 218 yards Friday, Tommy Bebie has now rushed for 1,550 yards this season. In River history, only Mike Milano (1,678 yards in 2003) and Dameon Crawford (1,590 in 2016) have rushed for more in a single season. Bebie heads into Friday's game looking to become the fourth Pirate to run for 3,000 yards in a career. His career total through Week 11 sits at 2,913 yards. The program record is 3,248 yards (Milano, 2002-04).
33 FEET AND A CLOUD OF DUST: Bebie has clocked a per-attempt average of 11.1 yards this season. He has tallied multiple rushing scores in five games; three of those were four-TD efforts.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: Rocky River has allowed just 18 points over its last two games combined. The Pirates have allowed just 17.6 points per game in 2021. They've yielded just 15.8 PPG over the last two seasons combined. Over that stretch, River has held opponents to 10 points-or-less seven times.
POSTSEASON PLUNDERS: With Friday's win over Rogers, Rocky River is now 3-1 all-time in home playoff games. The 2021 season postseason marks the eighth playoff appearance in program history (2006-07, 2009, 2014-15, 2018, 2020-21). River is 4-7 in 11 all-time playoff games.
by Skip Snow
# # # RR # # #