ROCKETS GET TO SILENCE SPRINGFIELD

By Eric Hughes 

LOWELLVILLE OH- Lowellville defeats Springfield, 27-13, to clinch back-to-back MVAC titles.

Lowellville got off to a fast start, as Tino Rivera-Ocasio capped off their opening drive with a 9-yard touchdown run. Matt Lucido made the PAT to give Lowellville an early 7-0 lead.

Lowellville struck again in the second quarter, as Michael Ballone threw a 67-yard touchdown pass to Braylen Dabney to give the Rockets a 13-0 lead.

Lowellville’s defense stood tall and held Springfield scoreless in the first half, but gave up a 12-yard touchdown run by Springfield star running back Dante Gentile in the final seconds of the third quarter. Kasen Kosek made the PAT to cut the deficit to 13-7.

Lowellville’s offense struggled to finish drives for most of the second half, but their defense buckled down and gave Michael Ballone the chance to score two rushing touchdowns on back-to-back drives late in the fourth quarter to give the Rockets a 27-7 lead with 52 seconds left to play.

Springfield’s offense was able to gain some momentum going into the playoffs, as Kolten Ruark threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Sean Guerriero on the final play of regulation.