Comets, Rockets and Bulldogs all win big

Khennedy Scagliozzo scored four TDs for Amherst in its win over North Ridgeville and Bay and Olmsted Falls also dominated their opponents.

Week 3 is officially in the books and Amherst is undefeated. Yes, that Amherst.

For the first time since 2010, Amherst has started off its season 3-0. Its latest victory, a 28-7 rushing onslaught over Southwestern Conference foe North Ridgeville on Sept. 8 at home, seems to only further prove that these Comets are here to stay.

“I’m happy for the players and the community and being able to start off 3-0. We have a lot of football left. We got to just worry about one week at a time and getting better each week as we move forward,” coach Mike Passarrello said.

Passerrello, coming off a six-year stint with Firelands, has seen the hard work of the offseason pay dividends, as the Comets are tied for first place in the SWC with a showdown at conference heavyweight Midview (3-0, 2-0 SWC) on Sept. 15.

It was the Khennedy Scagliozzo show, picking up right where he left off last week, barrelling into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run to start the second quarter. The junior tailback, who continues to draw attention around the Morning Journal area, had 33 carries for 197 yards and four touchdowns.

“Our offensive line has really worked hard in practice and in the weight room.

“They really opened up the holes and got our run game going. As I kept getting the ball, the offensive line opened up holes, and I just got hot with it,” Scagliozzo said.

Passarrello admitted Scagliozzo reminds him of his former player, Firelands’ Nick Denney.

“Yes, he does, in many ways. They also have different skill sets and in many different ways. It’s really nice, Khennedy is a great kid, a great teammate, and he is just a hardnose football player,” Passarrello said.

He tallied a pair of three-yard touchdowns, along with a 35-yard and seven yard score.

Not to be overlooked was Scagliozzo’s running mate, Joey Tomaro, the junior often takes a second fiddle to Scagliozzo, but found his groove in the open field, tallying 13 carries for 124 yards.

The rushing tandem, which combined for 321 yards, was in full throttle, spelling out a long night for North Ridgeville coach Luke Durbin and his Rangers (0-3) squad.

“Yeah, I thought they really dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Durbin said.

“That is something that doesn’t typically happen to us. We’re going to have to take a long, hard look at it,” Durbin said.

North Ridgeville hung tough with the Comets in the first half, as both teams struggled to find their offensive momentum.

While the Comets took off rolling, North Ridgeville struggled to get their ground game going. The Rangers had their chances though, driving within the red zone a few times, but every time North Ridgeville seemed like they would break through, a Comet was there to deny them, including a second-quarter interception by Hunter Parker in the end zone.

Steinmetz finished 16of-25 for 267 yards and one touchdown, which occurred midway through the fourth quarter, finding Forrest Croxton for a nine-yard score.

Durbin highlighted it as one of the few positives on the night and hopes to build off the passing game heading into their matchup against BereaMidpark on Sept. 15.

“It gave us a chance. That’s the best we have executed passing all year. Obviously, we will work on the run game and get that going. That is what we are known for, and we were able to do that Week 1,” Durbin said.

“We’ll build on the passing game in the future and hopefully be more two-dimensional.”

In the postgame huddle, Durbin delivered a fiery, but passionate speech to his team about losing.

“Don’t get used to this! Don’t ever get used this,” Durbin shouted.

While North Ridgeville is still in search of their first win, Scagliozzo’s undefeated Comets are soaring high and confident into their showdown with the Middies.

“This whole week we have to prepare with our offensive line and our game plan. It’s going to be a good game,” Scagliozzo said.

“I’m happy for the players and the community and being able to start off 3-0.” — Mike Passerrello, Amherst coach