Lake County Sentinel
Wickliffe exercises Halloween demons defeating Springfield Local in a thriller 17-15
BY TIM SHIRER
SPORTS EDITOR
(WICKLIFFE, OH) - Friday night at Wickliffe Memorial Stadium the Wickliffe Blue Devils (8-2) hosted the Springfield Tigers (7-3) in the first round of the OHSAA football playoffs. The last time Wickliffe played on Halloween was 2020 and it turned out to be nightmare as they lost a playoff game to Norwayne. Friday night was a different story as the Blue Devils held on to defeat the Tigers 17-15 in a Halloween thriller.
In a battle of running attacks the Blue Devils got on the board first. Wickliffe stopped the Tigers on downs after they received the kickoff. The Blue Devils took over at the Wickliffe 42. Six plays later, aided by three encroachment penalties against the Tigers freshman Eli Fitch scampered 32 yards, breaking two tackles to give Wickliffe a 7-0 lead with 3:20 left on the first quarter clock after senior Drew Rossman hit the extra point.
The Tigers responded on their next drive putting together an eight play 80-yard drive capped off by 54 yard TD run by sophomore Alex Caldwell to give Springfield and 8-7 lead after the Tigers converted the 2pt try with 7:54 left on the second quarter clock.
After the Tigers took the two point lead the Blue Devils responded with an 11 play 68-yard drive that stalled at the Springfield 2-yard line. Wickliffe took a 10-8 lead when Rossman kicked a 19 yard field goal with 1:02 left in the 2nd quarter.
With the score of 10-8 at the start of the third quarter Wickliffe had the momentum as they received the opening kickoff.
It didn’t take the Blue Devils long to further their momentum after taking possession of the kickoff at their own 22. Two plays later Fitch darted 63 yards for a touchdown to give Wickliffe a 17-8 lead with 11:06 left in the third quarter. The lead was now nine in favor of Wickliffe, but the game would remain close until the end.
The Tigers closed the gap to within two points with 2:21 left in the third quarter after Wickliffe committed a false start and then turned ball over on downs and Springfield took possession of the ball at the Wickliffe 26-yard line. Six plays later Caldwell took the ball in for his second TD of the game from four yards out after Springfield freshman kicker Grady Page kicked the extra point.
The next two Wickliffe drives ended in punts. Both times the Tigers drove and set up for field goals in an attempt to take the lead. The first attempt with 5:25 left in the contest was blocked by Blue Devils senior Ralph Jackson.
The second attempt came with just :18 left on the game clock from the 11-yard line, a 28-yard attempt. Gage set up on the right hash mark with heavy wind gusts, but the wind was at his back. The conditions were tough, and the freshman pulled the kick to the right of the uprights, and the Blue Devils had secured the victory with just 11 seconds left on the clock. Blue Devils sophomore quarterback Dom Porcello took a knee giving Wickliffe it’s first playoff win since October 24th, 2020.
The offensive statistics were as close as the score as the Blue Devils outgained the Tigers 246 to 221.
The Blue Devils outgained the Tigers on the ground 223-176 led by Fitch who carried the ball 20 times and racked up 180 yards and both of Wickliffe’s TDs.
The Tigers did outgain Wickliffe through the air 45-23 but also passed eight times while the Blue Devils attempted only four passes.
The game was definitely a defensive battle. Wickliffe forced two fumbles recovering one.
The Blue Devils, after winning their first home playoff game in five years, will travel next week into the belly of the beast which is Kirtland to take on the 10-0 Hornets who had a first-round bye this week. The Hornets defeated the Blue Devils at Wickliffe in week six 42-0. Game time on Friday will be 7 pm.
tshirer@lakecountysentinel.com follow Tim on Twitter @TBBucsTim or follow us on Twitter @LCSentinelcom
POSTED 11/01/2025 00:33
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Wickliffe sophomore quarterback hands off to freshman running back Eli Fitch in Wickliffe's 17-15 win over Springfield Local Friday Night. . Photo by Tim Shirer
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