The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles rally in fourth, win in final seconds
Anthony Guercio rolled to his right with the game on the line and quickly realized he’d have to improvise.
There were seven seconds left in regulation of a Southwestern Conference football game Sept. 14, and the junior quarterback was low on passing options as the North Ridgeville Rangers had the goal line well-covered on secondand-goal from their 5-yard line. Guercio used his legs to keep the play alive, then threw a dart to wideout Langdon Kurtz in the back of the end zone, trimming the Ranger lead to 21-20.
Guercio followed by using a similar play to connect with Eric Wasen for a two-point conversion, and with one second on the clock, the Eagles led 22-21. They went on to win 24-21 when the ensuing kickoff was inadvertently tossed to the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Eagles (2-1, 2-0) rallied in the fourth quarter from a 21-6 deficit to earn their second win in a row against the Rangers (0-3, 0-2). A team that seemed to be in control for much of the game, which was restarted in the second quarter after bad weather postponed it Sept. 13.
“I think (the win) shows that we stick together and have a next-play-up mentality,” Guercio, who completed 16 of 31 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns, said.
Online: See photos from the game taken by Jennifer Forbus MORNINGJOURNAL.COM.
“In our locker room and in our huddle we just kept on chipping, and that's what we tell our guys, that you've got to come out here ready to play each play like it's your last, and that's what we did.”
Before the Eagles marched 48 yards in one minute to win, Guercio threw his second scoring pass of the day to Zachary Doucette from 11 yards out, then completed a two-point conversion throw to Robert Payne to make it 21-14 with 1:01 left. Gannon Graf followed with an onside kick that Samuel Capps recovered at the Ranger 48.
Defensively the Eagles, who were gouged by the North Ridgeville pairing of seniors Tyler Richmond (24 carries, 224 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Shane Swindig (20-80), finally tightened up in the fourth, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs to set up the rally.
“I thought our defense hung in there the whole time,” Eagles coach Tim Brediger said. “(North Ridgeville's) offense had some chunk plays, but I thought from last night to today our kids played better.”
For Kurtz (3 catches, 53 yards) and Wasen (1-14), a junior and sophomore, respectively, their two game-altering catches marked career highlights at the varsity level. Due to injuries, both were bumped up from the JV roster.
“We put a lot into our offense, and we've been moving the ball pretty well in practice this week,” Wasen said. “And I think we just got it done today…(Guercio) did an amazing job finding me. He always does an amazing job. Props to him.”
The Rangers led, 7-0, before storms postponed the game, and immediately got back to work, taking a 14-0 lead on Richmond's 82-yard keeper up the Eagle sideline midway through the second quarter. After Guercio threw a touchdown pass to Avery Jones to trim the lead, Richmond finished off a bruising 14-play, 50-yard drive with a one-yard score to push the lead to 21-6 with 2:19 to go in the third.
It was a career rushing performance for Richmond, who rarely left the field as both a linebacker and punt
“I think we just got it done today… (Guercio) did an amazing job finding me. He always does an amazing job. Props to him.” —North Olmsted's Eric Wasen
returner. Despite playing their best game of the season to date, the Rangers were unable to finish.
“There was about a fourminute span where they made plays and we didn't,” Rangers coach Luke Durbin said.
“They got an onside kick and kind of the perfect storm. They had a fourth down and we couldn't get them off the field (with 21 seconds left), had a blitz and didn't make a play. I just wish we handled the last five minutes better.”
North Olmsted will host Amherst on Sept. 20, and North Ridgeville will travel to Olmsted Falls.