Firelands suffers first loss in rugged contest

Buckeye and Firelands each entered their rivalry matchup on Oct. 13 undefeated. And each was state-ranked in its respective divisions.

They played like it, too, with

Buckeye prevailing, 25-22, in one of the more rugged high school football games you will see in Ohio.

With Firelands down, 25-14, and its undefeated season in jeopardy, senior Nick Denney broke free for an 18-yard rushing TD with 3:20 left. Blake Ruffner made the two-point conversion and the Falcons closed the gap, 25-22.

But for as many clutch plays as the Falcons defense made, Buckeye quarterback Adam Fauver made bigger plays, including the game-clincher on fourthand-6 on a play-action pass to the tight end for a first down with 55 seconds left.

Buckeye rushed for 288 yards, led by Fauver’s 204 and three TDs on 16 carries and 119 passing yards.

It was the Firelands’ (7-1) first

true test since its Week 1 win at Edison, and albeit a loss hurts, coach Ryan O’Rourke & Co. understand it isn’t the end of the world.

“I told them I’ve been there and this is how I lost to Mount Union my junior season,” O’Rourke said. “You’ve got to bounce back and learn from it. We’ll do that and we’re a resilient football team.”

The Falcons ran for 248 yards, led by Ruffner’s 114 yards on eight carries, and Logan Strader added 73 yards. QB Michael Bansek tossed for 88 yards on 3 of 11 passing.

“Blake Ruffner played out of his mind,” O’Rourke said. “He gave us carries that we know it’s in him, and to see that multiple times is truly special.”

Bansek got off to a hot start, connecting with Denney on a 60-yard passing TD with 9:48 in the first quarter.

But the Bucks’ defense harassed Bansek all night as well, pressuring him from every angle and rarely was there ever a time he had a clean pocket to throw.

Buckeye responded to the Falcons’ opening touchdown on its first possession, getting a 10-yard rushing TD from Fauver. The Bucks followed it up on their next possession, as wide receiver Justin Canedy hauled in a 49yard TD pass to lead, 13-7.

Firelands came up with huge stops defensively in the second quarter. It looked like Buckeye would blow open its lead early in the second after Fauver broke out for a 70-yard rush, but Bansek chased him down and punched the football loose, saving a touchdown and recovering

the ball.

Strader scored a 20-yard rushing TD on the next drive, but a holding penalty negated the score.

Toward the end of the quarter, the Falcons forced another fumble, recovered by Sean Lipscomb, to enter halftime down, 13-7.

After Fauver opened the third on a 32-yard rushing TD, Ruffner shook loose for an 83-yard TD with 3:52 left and cut the Bucks’ lead to 19-14.

At the end of the third quarter, Buckeye lost a fumble on a pitchout, recovered by the Falcons’ Landon Peterson.

But Firelands was halted on its ensuing possession, allowing Buckeye to capitalize when Fauver lowered his shoulder for a 14-yard rushing TD and a 25-14 lead with 8:24 left.

“This was one heck of a rivalry game,” Fauver said. “It was like a playoff game.”

“He’s a really tough runner,” O’Rourke added about Fauver. “You can’t run their system unless your quarterback is a tough kid. And we shot ourselves in the foot early on. We had to make some adjustments here and there, and you’ve got to look at the coaches first. That’s when I look at myself and try to understand that I’ve got to keep getting better. This is my first year as a head coach as a 26-year-old and people count on me to make the right decisions.”

How the Falcons respond to their first loss will reveal their playoff mettle and leadership. It’s something O’Rourke is anxious to find out.

“We’re going to talk about the resilience we have and how our goals are still in front of us,” he added. “I think they understand that they don’t want to end their season on a down note. I’m excited to see how they rebound.”