NICK DOES THE TRICK

CANFIELD, OH- Senior tailback and inside linebacker Nick Smyczynski sat down at Cocca’s Pizza in Canfield to discuss his senior season. Smyczynski had a great game against St. Thomas More, including a touchdown in the final quarter. Nick talks about that moment at the goal line and how it was so special to him to score a touchdown at the varsity level. He also discusses his favorite part of football and what got him into playing when he was seven years old. To learn more about senior Nick Smyczynski, check out this player profile brought to you by:

 

 

A GOOD WAY TO GEDDES GOING

GARRETTSVILLE OH- some people say that the position of quarterback is the hardest position to play in all of sports. Whether you agree with that or not, one thing that is indisputable about playing the role of quarterback is you can’t do it without being a leader. That’s why it is so incredible that Garfield junior Eric Geddes has stepped in and immediately taken the reigns for this traditionally winning program. Stepping in the shadow of a guy like Brody Swigonski can be tough, but Eric says while Brody was in Garfield, he learned everything he possibly could from him. Eric understood that you can’t lead a team unless someone leads you first. He could have easily ignored his opportunity to learn from Brody and just went in on nothing but his own attributes, but Eric is smarter than that. Now, number 7 is leading the G-Men to another impressive season. Garfield is 6-1 with their only loss being by 1 point to the first-ranked team in the state in Division VII Warren JFK.

In an offense that doesn’t throw a ton, Eric makes the most of each opportunity. He has 229 passing yards on the year with 3 touchdowns.  In the offense, you have to be able to run if you want to play quarterback. Geddes is one 6 G-Men that have run for over 100 yards so far on the season. Some things Geddes does best goes beyond the stat sheet. He makes all the reads at the line of scrimmage and then makes split-second reads on their option plays. The offense doesn’t succeed if Eric doesn’t make the right decisions. He is the one that gets the ball going.

Eric took the time to hop on a video chat with Anthony Hartwig this week to talk about what it’s been like taking over as quarterback. They also discuss the success of this program, pouring energy into two sports at Garfield, and much more. Check out the latest Garfield Football Player Profile only on YSN!

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TAKE IT TO THE CROUSE

BOARDMAN, OH- One of the best-kept secrets for the last 4 years has been Raider pass rusher, and pass catcher- JD Crouse.  The big-framed, high-octane standout has quickly developed into a staple of the South Range game plan.

Through seven games, Crouse has racked up the most tackles on the team at 36- and nearly half of them (16) are tackles for loss.  On the other side of the ball, JD has the second most receiving yards to go with his three touchdowns from the tight end position.

While Crouse is hardly sneaking up on opponents anymore, he definitely draws attention from coordinators on both sides of the football and must be accounted for any time he has cleats on the field.

We caught up with the senior standout to discuss the season so far, as well as what he expects to be doing in the future!  All that and more on this week’s edition of South Range Player Profile: Take it to the Crouse.

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BEAVERS OFFENSE ROLLS AGAIN

CADIZ OH- The Beavers picked up another blowout victory, dominating Buckeye 8 opponent Harrison Central by a final of 65-7

After Beaver Local forced a punt on the first drive of the game for the Huskies, Caleb White took a hand-off 99 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and the Beavers were off to a 7-0 start. Harrison Central then fumbled on their first play the ensuing drive, and it was another 1 play TD drive for the Beavers, as Austin Cline threw his 1st of 3 TD passes on the day, this one to Dylan Ferguson from 24 yards out and in the blink of an eye it was 13-0 Beaver Local. They added a 31 yard FG from Kaleb Mays, a safety on special teams, and a 3 yard TD run from Hayden Beebout to get it to 25-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Huskies finally had an answer to start the second quarter, as Hayden Cassidy hit Parker Hutton for an 18 yard score to cut it to 25-7. Beaver Local went out and responded though, as Cline hit Ferguson again for a 53 yard TD to push the lead back up 32-7. 

 

Cline’s 3rd TD pass of the day was a bit of a scramble drill where he found White in the back of the end zone from 10 yards out which made it 38-7 at the break. The second half was all defense for Beaver Local, as they had three straight pick sixes to push the lead up to 58-7. Caden Foster, Tyler Prideau, and Keaton Heddleston all registered interception returns for a TD. Taylor Johnston then ran one in from 3 yards for his 3rd TD in 2 games to put the cherry on top of a 65-7 victory. It was tied for the largest offensive output this season for the Beavers, and their third 60+ point offensive performance of the season.

 

The Beavers move their winning streak to 5 games, as they will head into their home matchup with Indian Creek at 5-2.

*Contributed By YSN’s Michael McKenzie

WARRIORS PROVE TOO MUCH FOR MARLINGTON

ALLIANCE OH-

After a back and forth first quarter where the Warriors only led 14-13, West Branch was able to pull away and defeat EBC rival Marlington 53-16 on Friday night.  The win pushes the Warriors record to 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in the EBC.  It also sets up a key matchup with co-league leader Alliance next Friday.

The Dukes got on the board first with a field goal with 9:42 left in the first quarter, but it only took on minute for the Warriors to answer as Dru DeShields ran the ball in from 34 yards out to give West Branch a 6-3 lead.  Marlington would take the lead at the 7:02 mark on a 51 yard touchdown pass, but again West Branch responded this time with a four yard touchdown pass from DeShields to Anthony Perry.  Marlington would round out the scoring in the first quarter with another short field goal making the score 14-13.

The rest of the game was all Warriors, as West Branch scored 22 second quarter points to Marlington’s three to take a 36-16 lead into the half.  West Branch shut out the Dukes in the second half while tacking on 17 more to reach the final score.

Offensively, the Warriors were led by Boston Mulinix who had 117 yards on the ground on only eight carries.  DeShields added 110 yards rushing, also on eight carries to go along with 16-20 in the air for 173 yards and two touchdowns.  Perry led the receiving core with 77 yards on seven catches and two touchdowns, while Christian Martig had five catches for 51 yards.

Defensively, West Branch picked off three Duke passes.  Intercepting passes were Garin Harlan, Jack Flickinger, and Jackson Simmons.

Joey Jackson led the Warrior special teams with 131 return yards including a 51 yard return.

West Branch will travel to Alliance next week to take on the Aviators at Kehres Stadium on the campus of Mount Union.  The Aviators have an equal 6-1 record and have also won six straight.

*Contributed by Ryan Wolf at wbathletics.org

FALCONS OUTMUSCLE STRONGSVILLE

STRONGSVILLE OH-

Coming off a loss in Week 6, The Austintown Fitch Falcons looked to bounce back on the road in Week 7. Going from Division 2 Massillon Washington to Division 1 Strongsville, Fitch had the goal of getting back to the run on offense, while putting up better defensive stands. Going into the first possessions, one thing was made very clear, a defensive battle was to be expected. With The Mustangs showing poise and confidence in their red zone and goal line defense against a dangerous, quick-striking, Austintown offense. Forcing fumbles near the goal line, Strongsville was able to create key turnovers that stalled multiple drives by The Falcons. However, Fitch was able to break through on a 21 yard connection from DeShawn Vaughn Jr. to Dominic Perry to help put Austintown up 7-0. The touchdown by Perry marks three consecutive games where the receiver has scored. 

After giving up the initial touchdown, The Mustangs were able to get in field goal range and cut their deficit to 4 points, 7-3. Back and forth defensive stops by both teams ensued, with Fitch not helping themselves in the penalty game. Getting themselves behind the chains on offense numerous times, Strongsville made them pay for key mental mistakes. DeShawn Vaughn Jr. showcased why he is not just a threat when he is behind center, grabbing his third defensive interception of the season to set Fitch up before the half. Running it back on offense, Vaughn went to Dan Evans III immediately following his pick to put The Falcons up 14-3. 

A second half shutout by the Austintown defense set up three more scores in the second half to help Fitch seal their sixth victory of the season 35-3. The Falcons (6-1) will face their final road test of the regular season, traveling to Wadsworth (5-2) to battle The Grizzlies. 

Scores by Quarter

Q1: Fitch 7 – 0 Strongsville

Q2: Fitch 7 – 3 Strongsville

Q3: Fitch 7 – 0 Strongsville

Q4: Fitch 14 – 0 Strongsville 

Final: Fitch 35 – 3 Strongsville

Stats (Fitch)

Passing-

DeShawn Vaughn Jr. : 16/17, 231 YDS, 4 TD. 

Rushing-

Jamell James: 16 CAR, 94 YDS.

D.J. Williams: 14 CAR, 98 YDS, 1 TD.

DeShawn Vaughn Jr. : 12 CAR, 82 YDS. 

Receiving- 

Dan Evans III: 9 REC, 100 YDS, 2 TD. 

Dom Perry: 2 REC, 55 YDS, 1 TD.

Cam Smith: 2 REC, 35 YDS, 1 TD. 

Jayden Eley: 1 REC, 21 YDS.

Jamell James: 1 REC, 16 YDS.

Donovan Bell-Sullivan: 1 REC, 4 YDS. 

Defense-

Christian Latone: 3 TAK, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FF, 1 FR. 

Kylen Foster: 3 TAK, 1.5 TFL, 1 Sack. 

Josh Fitzgerald: 1 TAK, 1 TFL, 1 Sack. 

DeShawn Vaughn Jr. : 1 INT. 

Rocco DiFlorio: 3 TAK, 1 TFL.

Cam Smith: 5 TAK.

J’Allen Underwood: 4 TAK, 0.5 TFL. 

Kicking-

Josiah Berni: 5/5 XP.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

COWBOYS SHAKE OFF HARVEY

PAINESVILE OH- Chaney had no time to feel bad about suffering their first loss of the season last week. They had a tough road test ahead of them in Week 7 as they traveled to Painesville to take on the Harvey Red Raiders.  Chaney didn’t miss a beat though, they raced out in front and got a 33-14 win.

It was a tough first half for Chaney. They went in to the locker room with a deficit.  The fourth quarter is when the Cowboys separated themselves. A touchdown from Javann Freeman was followed up by a pick six from Jason Hewlett.  Chaney sophomore quarterback Matt Jones scored a pair of second half touchdowns as well. He ran one in from 20 yards out, and also was able to find Hewlett for a 19 yard score.
Chaney will stay on the road on Friday in Week 8 as they travel to Howland.

WILDCATS KNOCK JEFFERSON DOWN A PEG

STRUTHERS OH- Jefferson came in to Friday having an incredible season. Their 5-1 record had them set at 2nd in Division 4 Region 13. Struthers season was on the other end of the spectrum. They have been on the wrong end of plenty of endings they’d rather forget. Winning is a good way to clear bad memories from the mind, and that’s exactly what the Wildcats were able to do with a 42-14 thumping of Jefferson.

Struthers had control of the game from the kickoff. They dominated the first half on their way to taking a 28-7 lead into the locker room. Anthony Carter had a great day for Struthers, and his third quarter 3 yard score put the game out of reach and made it 35-7.  After Jefferson answered quickly, Carter struck again with a 53 yard touchdown run to take away any momentum the Falcons might have gotten.

Struthers returns home next week hoping to build off this big win. They’ll be hosting Niles in another NE8 battle. Jefferson must shake off the loss and prepare to host conference leading South Range in Week 8.

POLAND SILENCES THE DOUBTERS

POLAND OH- Poland has had a roller coaster of a season to say the least. They’ve had plenty of tough opponents on their schedule, and so far they’ve been hit or miss.  On Friday night against 5-1 Girard, it was all hit for the Bulldogs. They got a huge win over the Indians 21-19.

Girard tried to set the tone early with their ground game. They drove the ball well, and got on the board first with a 7-0 lead.  Poland would respond with a ground attack of their own. Danny Nitolli punched one in from 2 yards out to tie things up 7-7.  Both defenses were up for the task the rest of the first half.

Girard would find a opening to take back the lead in the third with a touchdown run from Michael Palmer. Palmer finished the game with 150 yards on 24 runs. After a fourth quarter stop on 4th down, Girard would add a field goal to go up 17-7.

Poland needed an explosive play, and fast. Enter Cole Fulton, he caught a screen pass and ran the ball 75 yards down the sideline for the quick strike offense.  Then, the Bulldogs recovered an onside kick to get the ball back. Nitolli would then run in another touchdown to give Poland their first lead 21-17.  Girard would add a safety, but couldn’t come up with a last game winning play.

Poland will continue NE8 play next week as they return to the road to travel to Lakeview.  Girard returns home in Week 8 to host Hubbard.

TIGERS CONTINUE TO GAIN TRACTION

ATWATER OH- Springfield has gone on a roll since their week 4 loss to Lowellville. After starting 0-4 on the campaign, the Tigers have banned together to refocus and lock in. On Friday they traveled to Waterloo and got their third win in a row 41-14.  It wasn’t a fast start for the Tigers, they only led 14-7 at the half. However, some adjustments in the locker room let the Tigers explode to 20 3rd quarter points.

Kolten Ruark finished the game with 2 touchdowns through the air and 46 yards.  Ryan Carcelli reeked havoc on the Waterloo defense running for 177 yards and a touchdown.  Dylan Sheely caught both of Ruark’s touchdowns as the Tigers leading receiver.

The Tigers are now 3-4 (3-1) and will continue to go through the MVAC on Friday as they travel to Western Reserve.  Waterloo is also 3-4 on the season and they’ll stay home in Week 8 hosting Jackson Milton.