CANNONBALL COMING; RAIDERS MAKE SPLASH IN SECOND HALF TO BEAT BELLAIRE

CANFIELD, OH – On a cold November night, it took a while to get the motor running for South Range, but like a dependable ride-once the motor heated up, the Raider offense was a well-oiled machine. Down 7-2 at halftime, South Range scored 28 unanswered in the second half to move on in the OHSAA Playoffs.

Bellaire struck first on the first drive of the game with a five-yard touchdown run. Their drive took nearly seven minutes off the first-quarter clock. South Range got on the board late in the first quarter, as Corey Kougher sacked Bellaire’s quarterback, Jake Heatherington, in the endzone for a safety, cutting the Big Reds lead to, 7-2. Both teams then continued the defensive battle in the second quarter as the halftime score was, 7-2, in Bellaire’s favor. The second half was a completely different game for the Raiders as they came out firing on all cylinders. Patrick McCabe scored the first touchdown for South Range in the third quarter on a five-yard run. Michael Patrone then hit Trey Pancake on a 49-yard touchdown pass, making the score 16-7 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter was all Raiders as Patrone hit Dylan Dominguez on a 31-yard touchdown strike. Dominguez closed out the night with a 38-yard touchdown run, as the Raiders won tonight, 30-7.

South Range was led through the air by Michael Patrone with 14 completions on 22 attempts for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Raiders were led on the ground by Dylan Dominguez with 16 carries for 122 yards and 1 touchdown. South Range’s top receivers were Trey Pancake with 2 reception for 56 yards and a touchdown, Ian Toy with 3 reception for 39 yards, and Dylan Dominguez with 1 reception for 31 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders were paced on defense by Luke Blasko with 7 tackles and Corey Kougher with 6.5 tackles and 2 sacks.

With the victory, South Range will advance to the next round where they will meet up with #1 seed, Kirtland.

POSTGAME SOUND: Coach Dan Yeagley