The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bay blitzes Rocky River
Bay and Rocky River have had some memorable clashes in years past, but it was all Rockets this time.
The Rockets showed just why they are ranked No. 1 in Division II as they throttled their rivals on the road, 4-0, in a Great Lakes Conference matchup at Rocky River Stadium on Sept. 11.
Bay (7-0, 3-0 GLC) controlled the matchup from start to finish as they married an aggressive offense with a stout defensive front. The combination tallied 25 shots on the night while Rocky River managed one in the first half and finished with two.
It was a frustrating reality for Rocky River coach Kevin Zerbey as he gathered his players in after the valiant effort.
“When you want to talk about what the No. 1 team in the state looks like, it looks like that,” Zerbey said. “Their touch was excellent. They really didn’t want to give us the ball, and so, they moved us around.”
Bay blitzed Rocky River (4-3-1, 2-2 GLC) and goalkeeper Connor O’Toole for six shot attempts in the first 10 minutes. It was a harbinger of things to come as they continued the attack throughout the night while controlling possession.
O’Toole finished with 12 BAY 4, ROCKY RIVER 0
saves in the loss.
The Rockets aggressive style triggered trouble as Bay team captain and senior Aiden Bozak received the ball at the 25-yard line and sent it rolling into the center net, putting them on the board with a goal in the 19th minute.
“It just fell to me and I had to read the bounce and then I just put it right through past the goalkeeper,” Bozak said.
Bay continued to pressure the Pirates’ defense, adding another goal in the 30th minute as senior captain Kyle Cusimano found the net with a nifty move and a soaring shot past O’Toole.
It was the first of two for Cusimano, who tacked on another minutes into the second half, walking his way through the box and finding the open hole for the score to make it 3-0.
The senior is just one of 13 players who have scored goals for Bay this season.
“It’s been awesome, especially this whole season,” Cusimano said. “We have a lot of kids that can score. Anyone on our team can score from anywhere, so that makes us a big threat from up top.”
While their offense is lethal, their defense is just as impressive. Bay smothered Rocky River in the midfield, cutting off play after play, frustrating their rivals into backwards possessions. It’s a middle line that includes Bozak, sophomore Danny Kruzer, junior Matt Decapua and newcomer Brock Pickett, and one that Dougherty thinks is the best in the business right now.
“It’s exactly what Cusimano said, our midfield kind of rivals anyone in the state. There not too many teams in the entire state that are going to be as good as us in that midfield.”
Dougherty is especially excited to welcome Pickett to the Band of Brothers.
“We picked up Brock Pickett as a center midfielder, and he is just a monster,” Dougherty said. “You pick up a junior that is really a seasoned player, and played in the national championship out in club soccer, so he was playing out in Vegas all the way until late July.”
Rocky River’s offense struggled to muster three or more passes in a possession, but found a golden opportunity in the 52nd minute as senior forward Andrew Fry was taken down in the box, triggering a penalty kick against newly-inserted Bay goalkeeper Nolan Sooy.
Playing his first varsity game in goal, Sooy came up with a huge save as he stuffed the ball to the right side.
It was just another ball that bounced Bay’s way.
“Giving up that penalty kick, you know, it sucks, but Nolan came up huge.” Dougherty said. “That’s his first game that he has ever been in goal for us at all. Nolan has not spent a minute in goal. Tony (Vangelos) has been our goalkeeper pretty much the whole way through. We put Sooy in there and he comes up with a beautiful PK save, which shows that we are still looking at what is the right mix for Bay.”
Rocky River emptied its bench with 15 minutes left to play in the game, and ultimately conceded another goal 12 minutes later as Connor Bozak found Kruzer in the 77th minute.
Zerbey knows this game was more about evaluating his team than an ugly home loss against his rival.
“For my guys, the returning guys have had less experience than any group we have had in the last six to seven years,” Zerbey said. “We are still feeling our way through some things and figuring out what we are. We’re still figuring out what kind of team that we can be.”
Coming off a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Revere on Sept. 7, the Rockets will continue their brutal schedule as they host Division I powerhouse, No. 5 Akron Hoban on Sept. 17. Rocky River looks to improve as they travel to Holy Name on Sept. 14. RB Jaheim Atkinson, Jr., Elyria: One way to keep your opponent from scoring is to run the ball and possess the ball. That’s just what Elyria did in ending its 15-game losing streak with a 7-6 victory over Bedford. Atkinson carried the ball 29 times for 140 yards as the Pioneers kept the ball away from the high-powered Bedford offense. For the season he has rushed for 277 yards.
QB Chase Christensen, Sr., Clearview: In a 46-0 drubbing of Vermilion, Christensen was nearly perfect, completing 14 of 17 passes for 155 yards and three touchdowns of 15, 1, and 8 yards. He also scored on runs covering 18 and 6 yards, gaining a total of 63 yards on four rushes.
QB Anthony Guercio Jr., North Olmsted: The Eagles put up 46 points against Westlake, with Guercio leading the way. The first-year starter (he started at DB as a sophomore) completed 12 of 18 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns covering 3 and 64 yards. He also rushed for 81 yards and four scores on 13 carries. His touchdown runs went for 12, 5, 2, and 40 yards.
QB Ben Higgins, Sr., Wellington: The Dukes ended an eight-game losing streak last week with a 24-6 victory over Ashland Mapleton. Higgins completed half of his 14 attempts for 100 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 34 yards on 7 carries. For the season he has completed 20 of 34 passes for 382 yards and five touchdowns.
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QB Travis Monken, Sr., Westlake: It’s been a struggle for first-year coach Dan LaRocco and the Demons, but one bright spot has been the play of Monken, the son of Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken. In last week’s loss to North Olmsted the senior completed 20 of 37 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown. The week before in a loss to Rocky River, he completed 17 of 28 passes for 196 yards.
RB Nick Perusek, Sr., Avon:
Last week’s 52-28 victory over Lorain was a fairly typical outing for Perusek. He carried the ball 12 times for 131 yards and two scores, including a 74yard scamper. He also caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown.
QB Ethan Surdock, So., Midview: It’s difficult to imagine a 10th-grader getting off to a much better start. Last week in a 30-14 victory over North Ridgeville, he completed 16 of 22 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns covering 49 and 20 yards. The 49-yarder was a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half that gave the Middies the momentum to go on to victory. In week 1 he completed 16 of 28 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns.
QB Danny Zeh, Sr., Avon:
Much of the preseason talk about Avon centered around Perusek and the running game, especially with the graduation of three-year starting quarterback Ryan Maloy. But Zeh has stepped in nicely and the passing game hasn’t missed a beat. Against Lorain he completed 15 of 25 passes for 216 yards and three scores. For the season he has hit 31 of 49 attempts for 349 yards and four TDs.