The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Second half stall dooms Titans
Lorain matched Euclid score-for-score before falling off at end
EUCLID » For two and a half quarters at Euclid Community Stadium, visiting Lorain stood toeto-toe with the Panthers, but the fierce pass rush of the hosts eventually wore down and did the Titans in despite a spirited effort. Euclid ran off the last 21 points of the game to break a 2121 third-quarter tie and prevail, 42-21.
The teams traded touchdowns up through Lorain junior Daylin Dower punching in his team’s third score with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter.
The Titan defense stood tall at the end of the second quarter, stopping the Panthers from the 1-yard line on the last play of the half, leaving the game tied at 14-14.
But Euclid took control for good midway through the third quarter, as its offense was virtually unstoppable in the second half and its defense relentless throughout the contest.
“We have a really young offensive line, and I thought we’d struggle a bit,” Lorain coach Dave McFarland said.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of the kids. We gave them a dogfight, and I thought we cam out and represented our community really well.”
— Lorain coach Dave McFarland
“I couldn’t be any prouder of the kids. We gave them a dogfight, and I thought we came out and represented our community really well. They’re a better football team than we are right now.”
The Panthers wreaked havoc in the Titans backfield all night, sacking Lorain QB Jordan Jackson nine times, and dropping receivers for losses on bubble screens on five occasions. But Jackson made a good accounting for himself, connecting on 17 of 25 pass attempts 254 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Tyshawn Lighty had an outstanding night for the Titans, grabbing six passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.
But the struggles of the young Titans line against the fierce onrush of the Panthers resulted in -16 yards rushing for the night, after sacks are factored in.
“We knew coming into the game that they were a real good football team,” McFarland said. “But they’ll make mistakes, and we want to be real disciplined. I thought we were a pretty good football team, which gave us a chance.”
Lorain (1-1) answered an early Euclid score with a 69-yard catch-and-run connection between Jackson and Lighty in the first quarter. Jackson capped a 60-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run to answer another Euclid score in the second, and then stopped the Panthers at the goal line to keep the game tied at half. Euclid was hit with 10 penalties in the first half, which aided the Titans’ cause.
“(Our pass rush) was a difference in the game, and I thought we threw the ball real well,” Euclid coach Jeff Rotsky said. “We got agter their quarterback, who’s a great athlete just like the Glenville quarterback was, and we started to run the ball in the second half and wear them down.”
Euclid will host St.Ignatius on Sept. 7, while Lorain will travel to Elyria on Sept. 8.