ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 21, 2022) -- Rocky River closed out its regular season with a loss in Great Lakes Conference crossover play. In a battle of third-place teams from the GLC East (Valley Forge) and GLC West (RRHS), the Pirates were held to 189 total yards. The Patriots defeated the host Pirates 34-7.
Running back Shane Warden was the lead edge of a powerful Valley Forge (7-3) running game that had the Rocky River defense on its heels for much of the night. Warden rambled for 220 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. He was the scorer on three of four Patriot scores over a 19-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters that proved as dominant and key in a game the Pirates (4-6) controlled early.
The River Raiders had a lead until the 10:42-mark of the second quarter. That lead was built on the Pirates coming up with an Aiden Andrako fumble recovery on a mid-first-quarter Patriot miscue. Andrako would come up big on both sides of the ball in what marked his and 16 other seniors' final game at the Gridiron in the Heart of River.
Andrako would log a team-high 10 tackles in the contest. The standout defensive end's fumble recovery was followed three minutes and five plays later by a long Julian Patti pass that found the outstretched hands of tight end Stan Heuler some 25 yards down field. Heuler hauled in the pigskin and powered his way into the end zone to put River up 7-0 at 1:53 of the first.
Thirty-seven minutes-and-53 seconds later, that 7-spot would still be on the scoreboard as the Rocky River's lone tally of the game.
The Patriots marched down the field in 10 plays in the next drive of the contest. They tied the game 7-7 when running back Ben Farson ran through a big, right-side hole from 9 yards out. That score -- at 10:42 of the second -- would be joined on the visitors' side of the scoreboard seven minutes later -- after a River turnover on downs -- when Warden threaded his way 38 yards to paydirt on a shifty run for his first TD of the night.
The Sons of Blackbeard nearly countered with a score on a long pass before halftime, but a fumble at the end of that play -- just a yard away from the end zone -- kept the Valley Forge lead intact when the two sides went into halftime.
A banged-up Buccaneer squad was behind the chains most of the way in a second half controlled by the Patriots. Valley Forge scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the fourth. Defensively, the visitors almost pitched a perfect 12-and-out over four Pirate possessions. Rocky River was forced to punt in all four. Three of those drives were three-and-outs. A fourth drive consisted of four plays and event that drive produced negative yardage.
For the game, the Patriots held the Pirates to a 2-of-9 mark on third downs; Valley Forge converted on 5-of-7 opportunities.
River's final yardage tally marked its lowest since playing Valley Forge on Sept. 2. That game -- also at home -- saw the Pirates fall 27-7. The Maroon & White were held to a season-low 154 yards in that one. So, peg the Pirates as glad to be done with the Patriots in this NFL-esque 2022 slate that saw the two programs clash twice.
With its Friday win at Rocky River Stadium, Valley Forge has now won five of the last six meetings between the two programs. The Patriots now lead the all-time series, five games to four.
Elsewhere in the league's crossover series, Holy Name defeated Elyria Catholic 42-25 in the GLC Championship Game. The Green Wave succeed the Pirates as conference champions.
CANNON FIRE ...
FROM THE BUCS SCORE: In the passing game, Rocky River went 7-of-12 for 89 yards. Julian Patti's first-quarter touchdown pass marked his 11th of the season. The catch marked Stan Heuler's sixth score of the season. Heuler and Mack Massad each had two receptions in the game. Massad also had a highlight special-teams moment: he logged a 75-yard punt in the fourth quarter. ... The River run game was paced by by Johnny Bebie (eight attempts, 58 yards) and Nick DiSalvo (9-59). ... On defense, Rocky River was led by Andrako and Josh Mommers, with 10 tackles each. Charlie Fadel, Andrew Lang, and Jack Perry registered 8T, 6T, and 5T, respectively. ... The Pirates closed out their regular season averaging 20.6 points per game on offense; they allowed 23.3 PPG defensively.
ON DECK: Rocky River has qualified for the DIII Buckeye State playoffs. The Pirates are the No. 15 seed in the 16-team DIII Region 10 bracket. The Maroon & White will travel to No. 2 Tiffin Columbian on Oct. 28. ... Rocky River has now qualified for the OHSAA playoffs each of the last three years.
by Skip Snow
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