A FIELD GOAL IS ENOUGH FOR HOWLAND

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- Sometimes it’s not about how much you score, but when you score. That was a true statement for Howland on Friday night as they scored a 4th quarter field goal to win 3-0 over East.  Freshman Jack Litton was the kicker that played hero for the Tigers.

Nick Leasure made up a bulk of the Howland offense running for 120 yards on 17 carries Howland outshined East on offense 182-63.  Both teams struggled to throw the ball with a combined 14 yards passing between the teams.

It’s a big test ahead for Howland in Week 8 as they will host Chaney. East also has a  tough task ahead as they’ll host Canfield.

 

LISBON HAS LATE BURST TO VICTORY

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WELLSVILLE OH- It was an offensive of shootout on Friday night as Wellsville welcomed in Lisbon. It was back and forth for the first three quarters, but in the final frame Lisbon scored 21 unanswered points to win 57-26.

Trevor Siefke had a good day tossing the rock going 14-21 for 181 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 8 times for 59 yards. The Blue Devils out gained Wellsville 336-274.  The Lisbon defense forces 4 interceptions. Austin Dailey had 2 of them one of which was returned for a 100 yard touchdown, Siefke added a pick to his stat sheet, Ryan Carpenter also picked the ball off.  Dailey was Siefke’s favorite target. He finished with 8 catches and 72 yards.

Isaiah Greathouse led Wellsville in rush yards with 15 attempts and 50 yards.  He also had a 66 yard kick off return for a touchdown.  Gavin Kountz went 5/12 through the air with 108 yards and 2 total touchdowns.

Lisbon will look to win again next week as they return home to host Leetonia.  Wellsville will have to hit the road traveling to United.

RAIDERS SLAY THE DRAGONS ON HOMECOMING

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CANFIELD, OH- On what seemed to be a perfect night for football in Northeast, Ohio on Friday night proved to be exactly that for South Range, and senior Billy Skripac as well with a 55-0 victory over Niles in Week 7.

Skripac’s night started out by being crowned Homecoming King prior to kickoff.  Then it was the cool and savvy performance of Skripac and his teammates that would put the rest of the YSN Family on notice.

South Range’s first drive lasted two plays as Skripac would scamper 40-yards off the left side to find the painted turf, and put the Raiders up 6-0  The next drive Billy would go over the top to find JD Crouse to go 81 yards to go up 13-0.  Not wasting any time in the first quarter, Blake Ewert would have an impressive run from 31-yards away to add 6 more to the score and make the game 20-0 to finish the first stanza.

To open the second period, Skripac would hook up with Ayden Leon just over a minute into the frame.  Leon would find space and good blocking from 39-yards away to push the lead to 27-0.  Tyler Remish would put his hand in the pile on the next possession when he bulldozed his way into the endzone from 10 yards out to extend the lead to 34-0.  Skripac would finish the half’s scoring with an 18-yard strike to JD Crouse in the back of the endzone to push the lead to 41 at the break.

The mercy clock would begin, and the Raider offense would keep rolling when Dylan Smesko would punch in a score from 20 yards away with 2:41 to go in the third quarter.  In the final frame, Aidan Dominguez showed shades of his older brothers when he raced 67 yards into the endzone with just under ten minutes to go in the game.

South Range would rack up 536 yards on offense compared to Niles’ 62.

The Homecoming King Billy Skripac was a perfect 6 of 6 passing with 3 scores and 217 yards, as well as 2 rushes with 49 yards on the ground.  Blake Ewert was the leading rusher for South Range with 101 yards on 7 totes with a score.  Dominguez finished with 80 yards on five carries, and Dyland Smesko had 38 yards on two tries.

Defensively, Brady Crumbacher and Chris Colucci led the way with 4 tackles, apiece.  Tyler Remish ended with 3 tackles, and Luke Gehring had 2.5 stops for the Raiders.

For Niles, Joe Smith paced the Dragons with 20 yards on 16 carries.  Anthony Budak finished 7 of 17 for 35 yards through he air.

South Range will hop on Route 11, and travel to Jefferson next week with a perfect 7-0 record heading into the Falcon’s Nest.

JFK PROVES HOW GOOD THEY ARE

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LIBERTY, OH- Warren JFK came into week 7 looking to keep their great season going with a win over a really strong Rootstown team. The Eagles knew it would be a tough matchup as the Rovers came in with an outstanding run game. The JFK defense played a huge role in the game as they came away with 4 turnovers. JFK went into halftime up 14-0 and looked for a way to keep the Rovers in check, but get their offense going. Thomas Easton and Caleb Hadley led the Eagles in the second half on offense, racking up more points as the defense forced Rootstown to pass more and that was what gave JFK the pathway to a shutout victory over Rootstown, 33-0

For JFK, Hadley went 6/11 for 148 yards and 2 TD’s. Aidan Rossi came down with a 61 yard receiving TD and Lamarcus Provitt added a 17 yard receiving TD from Hadley. Hadley also added 8 carries for 61 rushing yards and a TD. Easton had 14 carries for 74 yards and a TD

JFK will move to 6-1 on the season going into week 8 as they will travel to St. Thomas Aquinas Friday night.

 

MINERAL RIDGE MAKES STATEMENT ON THE ROAD

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NORTH JACKSON, OH- The battle of the 5-1 teams between Mineral Ridge and Jackson-Milton looked to be a must-watch matchup coming into week 7. But the Rams had other ideas. The game was scoreless after the first, but Ridge’s Ian Erb changed the direction of the game by punching in two touchdowns on the ground to help the Rams go up 14-0. The BlueJays found some source of life with a Alex Schiavi to Ashton Green 77-yard passing touchdown to cut Ridge’s lead to 14-7. After that resurgence by Jackson-Milton, The Rams would control the rest of the play on both sides of the ball with steady offense and forceful defense to lead them to a demanding 42-7 victory over the BlueJays.  

Erb led the way for Mineral Ridge with 3 rushing touchdowns on the night

Looking forward, Jackson-Milton will move to 5-2 and will travel to Waterloo to take on the Vikings. Mineral Ridge moves to 6-1 on the season as they will travel to Sebring to take on the Trojans.

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller

URSULINE BATTLES TO THE END BUT FALLS SHORT AGAINST STVM

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YOUNGSTOWN, OH- It was a battle of the Irish on Friday night at Stambaugh Stadium, as St. Vincent-St. Mary came down to Youngstown to continue the non-conference rivalry with Ursuline. These two programs have matched up 11 times since 2011 after last nights ballgame. STVM had a nine game winning streak against Ursuline on the line, and some late turnovers bit Ursuline to end that losing streak.

Ursuline was able to get on the board first in quarter number one, as the left guard Michael Branch made every lineman’s dream come true with a 2 yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. STVM would answer right back on the next possession, with a 3 yard touchdown run from senior back Santino Harper, but St. Vincent-St. Mary missed the extra point to make it 7-6. On the next Ursuline possession, the Irish fumbled the ball on a speed option and STVM recovered. St. Vincent-St. Mary would take advantage of the turnover and took there first lead of the night with a D’Anthony Kelker 40 yard touchdown run. STVM converted on a fake field goal to make it 14-7 in the second quarter. To close out the first half, Ursuline went 99 yards down the field and capped it off with a 1 yard touchdown run by Christian Lynch. To end the half, it was tied up at 14.

In the second half, STVM took there second lead on a eleven yard touchdown run by the fullback Caden Spry. Once again, the Irish missed the extra point. On the next possession, Lynch picked up his second touchdown of the night to take a 21-20 lead. In the fourth quarter STVM drove from midfield down to the goal-line, where the quarterback Gabe Mansel sneaked it in. STVM was able to convert the two point conversion, taking a 28-21 lead. On 4th down and 20, STVM linebacker Luke Shenigo picked off Ericson and took it to the house to make it 35-21. Ursuline did not quit, as they came right back and scored on a Marc Manning touchdown reception from sophomore DC Ferrell. STVM would recover the onside kick and knee the football to win it 35-28.

St. Vincent-St. Mary has now won 10 consecutive meetings between the Irish, and improve to 5-1 on the season. Ursuline drops to 5-2, and will travel to Villa Angela-St. Joseph next week. We will have the live-stream on YSN, with kickoff starting at 7 P.M.

HUBBARD DEFENSE UP FOR THE TASK

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HUBBARD, Ohio – Nik Hendrix threw two touchdown passes, and both top backs would add 50-yard games as the Hubbard Eagles (5-2) blanked the Lakeview Bulldogs (3-4) in their 22-0 win on Homecoming night. Ben Wilcox and Xzander Owens each caught a touchdown pass, and Garland Warren rushed for another.

The Eagles would start their opening drive at their own 36 yard-line but took no time at all to get into Lakeview territory, picking up gains of twenty-five and fourteen on their first two plays from scrimmage. Five plays later and the Eagles would take a lead that they would never relinquish.

The teams would trade scoreless drives throughout the remainder of the first half, sending the game into the break 7-0. A scoreless opening drive for Hubbard and a beautiful punt to pin the Bulldogs at their own two yard-line would turn into a safety for the Eagles defense on Lakeview’s first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Hubbard would fail to convert on their extra possession, turning the ball over on downs at the Bulldog 4, but after forcing a three and out, the Birds would move the ball down the field and into the redzone again before Garland Warren would find paydirt from nine yards out.

Lakeview had no answer offensively tonight, turning the ball over on four separate occasions, their second to last setting the Eagles up for their final score of the night, on a Hendrix to Owens connection from twenty-one yards out.

WARREN WATCH

Garland Warren’s nine-yard touchdown rumble was the first of his varsity career. The 5 foot 11, 190-pound junior has seen a ramp up in touches since the start of the season. Warren’s nine carries was his second highest total of the year, while his fifty-five-yard game marks his career high. The bruiser has all the makings of a traditional Hubbard bell cow, something to keep an eye on as we head into the closing weeks of the season.

BIG PERFORMERS

HUBBARD: (13 penalties, 130 yards)

Nik Hendrix: 9-17, 164 yards, 2 TDs, 6 carries, 61 yards

Ben Wilcox: 15 carries, 62 yards, 2 catches, 26 yards, 1 TD, 3 defensive INTs

Garland Warren: 9 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD

Xzander Owens: 5 carries, 25 yards, 2 catches, 27 yards, 1 TD

LAKEVIEW: (1 penalty, 5 yards)

Boom Gillis: 3/13, 25 yards, 3 INTs, 12 carries, 16 yards

Andrew Brown: 2 catches, 26 yards

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

The Hubbard win is their fifth of the season over a team with a losing record. With a strong strength of schedule staring down four of those five victories, the Eagles are in almost a must win scenario against the Girard Indians if they are to hope for a home playoff game. A surging Struthers team may help the Eagles as well.

With three games left to play, the Bulldogs are faced with three tough challenges on their schedule. A win over one of the top teams in the conference will leave the Bulldogs with a chance to make the postseason for the first time since 2017.

UP NEXT

Hubbard: Following their first shutout since week 5 of last season, the Eagles will look to bring the same defensive prowess against the vaunted Girard offense. Pat Pearson and the Girard Indians (5-2) will host the Eagles on a two-gamelosing streak after winning their first five matchups by a combined total of 159 points.

Lakeview: Dropping their third game in a row, the Bulldogs are sub .500 for the first time this season, and the road doesn’t get any easier. Tom Pavlansky will make his return to Cortland with his Poland Bulldogs (4-3) this coming Friday, before Lakeview will end the season on the road inSouth Range (7-0), then at home against Jefferson (5-2).

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson.

LIBERTY COMES BACK TO STUN THE FLASHES

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WARREN OH- Liberty has been a snake bitten program this season. They have felt with injuries, cancelations, and tough losses. Coming in to Friday, they were just looking for something positive to happen to slingshot then into the final stretch of the season. They hit the road to take on Champion, and for much of the game that shot never came. However, down 14 with 7:35 to go in the game the Leopards stormed back and won 35-34.  A go ahead two point conversion made the Liberty faithful go bananas.

Champion struck first in the game as Nick Vesey took one 45 yards to the house to put the Flashes up 7-0.  After a defensive stop, Chamlion would drive down the field again and cap it off with a 3 yard Joey Fell touchdown. Liberty would respond with a monster 80 yard strike to Chris Cunningham to cut the Champion lead to 13-7.  Fell would find the endzone again though for the Flashes, this time through the air on a connection to Brett Channel.  Liberty would respond before the half with a Tyson Lawrence-Watson touchdown.

Fell would come out of the locker room and hit pay dirt for his third touchdown of the night to put Champion back up by two scores 27-13.  Chris Cunningham would strike again however with his second huge touchdown reception of the night to cut it back down to 27-20.  Fell would not be denied the next drive as he put in his fourth touchdown of the night making it 34-20 with 7:35 to go.

This is where the gun began for Liberty fans. Right after Fell’s score, Liberty’s Dwayne Moody ran back a kickoff return for a touchdown to get the Leopards right back in it.  Liberty then made a big defensive stop, got the ball back and marched down the field. With 25 ticks on the clock Moody caught a touchdown pass for what most assumed would be the game tying score. Coach Simon had other plans however, as he put the offense back on the field. A connection right back to Moody would seal the deal and give Liberty the 35-34 win.

Champion won just about every statistic of the game outside of the final score. They put gained Liberty 404-330. They out ran the Leopards 297-55.  They forced 3 Liberty turnovers, and won the time of possession battle by over 11 minutes. Liberty’s big play ability erased all that though. Cunningham was a lightning Rod gaining 192 yards on 5 catches.  Tyson Lawrence-Watson threw for 272 passing yards.

Liberty will return home next week as they host Newton Falls. Champion will stay home to try to bounce back against Campbell. Both games can be seen on YSN!

LOWELLVILLE MAKES SWIFT WORK OF THE TROJANS

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Lowellville OH- The Rockets have had their best start to the season under coach Mamula and looked to continue their success Friday against Sebring in a MVAC Scarlet Tier rivalry week seven and Division seven matchup. The last time Sebring beat the rockets was back in 2015 by the final of 28-14.  They also beat them back in 2011 by the final of 31-14 and were looking for their third win of the 2000s against them under new coach Anthony Agresta. 

 

Unfortunately, the opposite happened for the Trojans as the first half was all Lowellville.  Vinny Ballone continued his perfect season with four touchdown passes, three were jet sweeps.  The first was to Brady Bunofsky in just two plays from 15-yards out and the next from 53-yards with Bunofsky breaking five tackles.  Later on, Ballone struck again, finding Braylen Dabney from 19-yards out and Ballone got his final touchdown from five yards out later on bringing his total to 39 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on the season.  

 

Mark Dubois also scored from seven yards out later on in the game.  The Trojans still showed that Sebring GRIT however when Braiden Yeater found Jahvian Cundiff in the back of the endzone for a two-yard touchdown.  The two point conversion was good but it wasn’t enough as the Rockets held on to improve to 7-0 on the season.  

Stats

 

Vinny Ballone- 211 passing yards, four touchdowns.  

 

Mark Dubois: seven rushing yards, one touchdown.  

 

Brady Bunofsky: 68 receiving yards, two touchdowns. 

 

Braylen Dabney: 19-yards and a touchdown. 

 

Braiden Yeater touchdown pass to Jahvian Cundiff

 

Up Next: 

Lowellville (7-0) looks to keep the undefeated season alive as they travel to Trumbull County to take on conference rival McDonald Blue Devils (2-5).  Sebring (0-7) will host Mineral Ridge (6-1).  Both games will be Friday at 7pm on YSN!!

 

*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*

WARRIORS STAY IN THE GROOVE

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NEWTON FALLS OH- The Brookfield Warriors hit the road in week 7 as they ventured into Tiger Town for the second time this season as they took on Newton Falls. Last time the Warriors took on a Tiger named team they came out on top 27-14. This time around the Warriors would play even better as they pitched their first shutout of the year. Brookfield’s defense played great all night forcing two turnovers, including one that ended up being a special team’stouchdown for the Warriors. They did not allow a single pass completion all night long and consistently forced the Tigers offense to stall out once they crossed the fifty-yard line. Christian Davis would take home player of the game as he picked up his second straight one-hundred-yard rushing game of the season and added a touchdown to his totals.

Newton Falls reached one-hundred-yards on the ground on twenty-nine carries with a long of twenty-five yards from Camryn Brainard. Defensively the Tigers had a solid day rushing Brookfield’s QB Donovan Pawlowski as they were able to grab him down for a sack and held up to under fifty percentthrough the air and allowed just one-hundred-and-fourteen yards and two touchdowns after letting him throw for over three-hundred in last year’s matchup.

Despite the passing struggles for the Warriors Donovan Pawlowski would grab a touchdown on the ground as he broke off a big one of seventy-four yards. Isaiah Jones from Brookfield also made a big play in the first half as he turned a screen pass into a fifty-eight-yard touchdown reception.

Brookfield forced the running clock at halftime and a quick second half allowed the shutout to remain intact as they beat the Newton Falls Tigers 33-0 in Tiger Town. Brookfield continues their march through the MVAC Gray Tier this season moving to (6-1) overall and (4-0) in the conference and now they have their targets now set on LaBrae next Friday back at home. The Tigers drop to (1-3) inside of conference play and (2-5) overall as they will look to bounce back on the road next Friday against the Liberty Leopards.

*Contributed By TSN’s Alek Koberna