ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- It was a sultry August night in Rocky River, and it didn't take energetic throngs of River and Midview football fans long to get warmed up. And the side sporting maroon had plenty to cheer about, because it also didn't take long for the Pirate offense to start clicking and mobilizing digits on the Rocky River Stadium scoreboard. Scoring their most single-game points in nearly five years, the Pirates defeated the Middies, 56-24, on Friday.
Rocky River (1-0) piled up five rushing touchdowns on the night, and a talented contingent of seniors came up big in pacing the nonconference win on both sides of the ball. The Pirates scored TDs in 5-of-their-first-7 possessions in the contest.
Seniors Tommy Bebie, Patrick Lange, and Braedon Spies came up with big performances on both sides of the ball, as the Sons of Blackbeard tallied their most points in a game since Sept. 16, 2016 (65 vs. Trinity). Bebie bolted for 153 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 10 carries. On defense, his "PG-13" jersey seemed to be everywhere Midview wanted to be. Bebie clocked a team-high 10 tackles, including one sack, and was instrumental in the River defense holding the Middies to a 3-of-12 performance in converting third-downs.
Lange was also omnipresent on defense, coming up with seven tackles, including one for a loss. The linebacker-tight end also caught a pass and figured prominently in a highly effective blocking performance by the Pirate line. Spies was 8-of-14 for 188 yards in the air, and he ran the ball 11 times for 62 yards. He threw for two scores (both to junior tight end Stan Heuler) and ran for two more, the 12th and 13th rushing TDs of his career.
The Rocky River defense also scored a touchdown (junior safety Johnny Bebie on a 70-yard interception return). Save for one or two misfires, the Pirates were tremendous in the defensive backfield. Senior cornerback Tommy Vacca was the lead pest on a night that saw River defenders come away with six pass break-ups. Vacca was in on one of those PBUs and was a blanket on many a Middie who found himself as anything but open.
The Detroit Road Buccaneers -- winners of 7-of-8 home openers since 2014 -- got big plays from their receiving corps. Junior wide receiver Mack Massad logged a 57-yard reception, and Heuler came up with a wonderful TD catch
on River's fourth score of the evening. All along, the Pirates got superior line-work from junior Aiden Andrako, senior Jackson Hermann, junior Evan Merk, senior Charlie Sobol, and senior Aidan Coyne.
Rocky River's exploits in Friday's opener have seventh-year Head Coach Josh Well and Pirate fans everywhere hoping that this team is warming up for something special.
CANNON FIRE ...
ON DECK: Rocky River will host Firelands in another nonconference home game next Friday. The Pirates and Falcons will clank swords and exchange cannon fire in a 7 p.m. battle at Rocky River Stadium. ... The home game against Firelands will give the Sons of Blackbeard a chance to extend an impressive trend. River is 22-9 (.710) at home since 2015. ... With its Friday performance against Midview, Rocky River has now scored 102 points over its last two home openers.
SPEED DEMON (DEACON): Friday's 153-yard performance marked the eighth 100-yard rushing game of Tommy Bebie's career. The verbal commit to continue his football career at Wake Forest University ran for 529 yards and nine TDs in five games last season. Dating back to Oct. 23, Bebie has averaged 134.3 rushing yards per game over his last four contests.
SOLEMN SALUTE: Friday's national anthem was preceded by a moment of silence for 1991 Rocky River High School graduate Ronn Meredith, who passed away suddenly on Sunday. Meredith was a team captain and all-Southwestern Conference lineman on a SWC championship football team in 1990. He was a founding member of the Marooners and an ardent supporter of scholastic and youth sports in the area. (Editorial note: Ronn was also a thoughtful and skillful coach in multiple sports. He was a big supporter of this little corner of coverage for Rocky River Athletics. And he was a good friend. And if Cannon Fire does 21-gun salutes, Ronn gets one. Along with a tip of the Double-R cap on this writer's head.)
by Skip Snow
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