The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Playoff-bound Euclid earns GCC share
Coming off a tough loss to rival Mentor in Week 9, Euclid was eager to get back onto the field and claim a share of the GCC championship.
The Panthers left no doubt on a rainy Oct. 27 at Shaker Heights, thoroughly dominating on both sides of the ball on the way to a 40-0 victory.
Euclid’s GCC co-championship with Mentor is the 16th conference title in program history, and the first since 2015. Ranked No. 3 in Division I, Region 1 entering the game, the Panthers will be returning the the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and 18th time in school history.
The Panthers’ defense controlled the game from the start, limiting the Red Raiders to 22 total yards and 1 first down. Euclid sacked Shaker Heights quarterbacks four times, and had five other tackles for lost yardage.
The Euclid offense, meanwhile, exploded in the second quarter for 26 points. Junior QB Dion Valentine completed 9 of 13 passes for 202 yards and touchdowns to four receivers.
“We needed a bounceback. We didn’t play our best football (last week),” Euclid coach Jeff Rotsky said. “You want to rally (going) into playoff football. Now, it’s 8-2 and it’s our second championship in four years, and it’s our fourth straight playoff appearance. So, I’m very proud of these kids, it’s a great bunch of kids and I’m just real blessed to coach them.”
Euclid (8-2, 6-1 GCC) saw its second possession end in an interception in the end zone by Shaker’s Julian Fuller.
The Red Raiders fumbled back to the Panthers two plays later, and Michigan State-bound senior Brandon Wright made them pay with a 6-yard scoring run to give Euclid a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
The Panthers scored four more times in the second quarter. Valentine connected for scoring passes of 8 yards to freshman Claishon Ivory, 19 yards to senior Treshawn Luton, 45 yards to senior Titus Jackson, and on a screen pass that Wright took 94 yards to the house, giving the Panthers a 33-0 halftime lead.
Euclid held a yardage advantage of 265 to minus-18 at the half, as the Red Raiders did not get traction against a swarming and ball-hawking Panthers’ defense.
“We dominated by practicing hard all week,” Euclid senior linebacker Sean Jackson Jr. said. “We knew they wanted to finish their season off right. We scouted them all week, and we knew what we were going to see out here today.”
The mention of a GCC championship and fourth consecutive playoff appearance elicited an exuberant expression from Jackson, who tilted his head back and let out a loud “Whooooo!”
The second half was played with a running clock, and junior fullback Aric Hodnett scored on the next play after Ivory returned a punt to the 1-yard line in the third quarter for the final margin.
“Coach (Bernard) Russ does an amazing job, I mean he’s just a great DC,” Rotsky said of his defensive coordinator.
“We have a very blessed staff here. We played their tendencies very, very well, and we’re a physical defense. When you play hard, and you play well, and you play physical, you have a chance.”
Rotsky, who was not sure who the Panthers’ playoff opponent would be immediately after the game, mentioned having “a couple guys banged up” and expressed hope that they would be ready for the playoffs.