Lake County Sentinel
Beavers edge Rebels in a battle of running backs 35-28
BY JOEY SCHNEIDER
STAFF
(WILLOUGHBY, OH) - Friday night was a true battle between two teams looking to show what they are made of, as the Willoughby South Rebels hosted the Riverside Beavers at Harry E. Winters Stadium in Willoughby.
Both teams came into the game with 2-3 records. Those records seemed a little bit misleading with how young and talented both teams are on each side of the ball.
South struck first with a fake punt on a 4th and long extending the drive and was capped off by junior running back Jayden Hardy on a one yard touchdown.
South held tough on defense and extended their lead early in a wild second quarter off the foot of sophomore Mason Gumto with a 25-yard field goal.
Riverside's sophomore running back Kyndall McCaleb started to get to work as he put the Beavers on the board with a 14-yard rushing touchdown with 2:36 left in the half. South's Jayden Hardy would not be outdone, and 46 seconds later, Hardy would break away for a 71-yard touchdown of his own. South led 17-7 for less than a minute as McCaleb answered back for Riverside with a 61-yard rushing touchdown of his own, in what was a fast and furious, back and forth affair, which saw three touchdowns scored in less than a minute and a half.
South went into halftime leading 17-14, just as the rain started to fall heavily in Willoughby, and the bands started their halftime performances.
The Beavers came out strong in the second half. Kyndall McCaleb would again find the end zone on a one yard run giving Riverside their first lead of the game. McCaleb then scored again on a three yard dash with 1:52 left in the third quarter extended the Beavers lead to 28-17.
Jayden Hardy was quiet in the third quarter but exploded early in the fourth after bouncing to the outside and went down the sideline for a 50-yard touchdown keeping the Rebels within striking distance. South would go for two and converted on a pass from sophomore quarterback Luke Jensen to junior wide out Marquez Lashley. South trailed by only three, 28-25.
Riverside would take some time off the clock on a long drive that culminated in sophomore David Seibert taking the ball up the middle on a seven yard touchdown.
South never gave up and had a drive of their own that saw Mason Gumto cut into Riversides lead on a 23-yard field goal with 4:20 left in the game.
The Rebels tried their hardest to stop Riverside, but the Beavers kept their drive going on some tough running and hard hitting up front from their offensive line. They would run out the clock and earn the victory with a final score of 35-28.
South's Jayden Hardy and Riverside's Kyndall McCaleb had career nights. Hardy would finish with 25 carries for 210 yards and three touchdowns. McCaleb would have 25 carries for 217 yards and four scores. It was a battle between the young running backs all night long, and each player did whatever they could to try and give their teams the win.
Riverside's Jeremy Ishmael who is in his first year as head, said after the game, it's not just one player on either of the ball. "It's Donovan Conwell over here, it's West Wunderle, it's Brody Bunting up front, Cayden Calagar. The guys we have coming back from last year, then the new guys we've worked in, they all kind of took it on the chin defensively tonight, but when it came time, they responded."
Willoughby South drops to 2-4 on the season and will be on the road against the Chardon Hilltoppers, while Riverside improves to 3-3 and will be at home next Friday hosting the Eastlake North Rangers.
POSTED 09/27/2024 23:44
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Photo by Joey Schneider
