The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Pirates surge
It took a quarter, but Perry then found its rhythm on both sides of the ball.
A rushing attack led by Brayden Richards and Aiden Lefelhoc was too much for Riverside to stop.
The Pirates defeated Riverside, 26-6, on Aug. 20. Perry moved to 1-0, while the Beavers fell to 0-1.
The first score of the game went to the Beavers as Brady McKnight took the ball around the edge from a yard out to make it 6-0 Riverside in the first quarter. The first few offensive possessions saw the Pirates unable to generate a lot of yardage while the defense struggled to stop the Beavers’ drives.
Despite the struggle to find their rhythm, it didn’t faze Coach Bob Gecewich. He knew his team would find a way into the lead.
“There was a lot of trust in yourself as a player and trust in your teammates,” Gecewich said. “We preached that a lot, and eventually there’s that big bust and there’s that big play.”
That swing came from an 86-yard scramble by Richards midway through the second quarter to get inside the Beavers’ 10-yard line. Richards scored two plays later on a three-yard run up the middle to take the 7-6 lead.
“Riverside was blitzing a lot of guys,” Gecewich said. “Our offensive line did a good job of picking those guys up. All the guys that got the ball did a good job with it. You look at that first touchdown, we put three running backs in there and told them to be unselfish and go block for him and that unselfishness was on display all night.”
Richards added another rushing touchdown from two yards out in the third quarter to make it 13-6 Pirates. The running by Richards then opened up lanes for the running backs, and allowed for the Pirates to control the game from the ground.
“When we get that running back going and are able to get five yards every play, it’s hard to stop,” Richards said. “You hear the fans and see the green in front of you, and it’s a great feeling knowing that you just made a big play for your team.”
The Pirates added another score in the third as Richards found a wide open Jaden Hacking for a 25 yard touchdown pass, after receiving a short field thanks to a sack by Jadynn Anderson. A Brock Sivon fumble recovery put the icing on the cake to seal the win.
The Beavers struggled to find answers on both sides of the ball.
Riverside struggled to find an answer for the adjustments that Perry made, and Coach Dave Bors knew this would be a learning experience for his team.
“It was a lot of execution stuff,” Bors said. “We need to learn to get through this stuff. Guys are growing up with every play and to get to those positions, you need to fight through. As long as we take this loss, and then get better from those situations, we’ll be better as the season goes on.”
Both teams will be back on the field Aug. 28. Riverside looks to get it’s first win as it hosts Amherst, while Perry attempts to move to 2-0 when it travels to Kenston.