YOUNGSTOWN Rayen blanks Wilson to take second place in City Series

The Tigers scored three first-half touchdowns.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Rayen School football team scored early and its defense shut down Woodrow Wilson in an 18-0 victory Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
With the win, the Tigers (4-5, 2-1) clinched second place in the City Series.
Rayen drove 45 yards in six plays for their first score. A 31-yard run by Phil Morgan was instrumental in the drive.
Morgan scored on a 2-yard run with 7 minutes, 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Three minutes later, the Tigers scored again when Keith Ratliff found Gerald Perkins for a 19-yard touchdown pass. The scoring situation was set up by a pass interference call on Wilson.
The final Rayen score came after Eric Brown's interception at the Rayen 49. One play later, Rayen's Ratliff rambled 51 yards for an apparent score, but a holding penalty brought the ball back to the Tigers' 44.
Then, 5-foot-7, 165-pound freshman Dwayne Smith took over, running for 14 and 18 yards, with a roughing call in between. He finished off a five-play drive with a 1-yard run with 1:50 left in the first half.
"With three of our starters injured, we used some young people and had good early results to get the victory," Rayen coach Pete Lymber said.
Lymber lauded Ratliff, Morgan, Smith and Brown on offense and Smith, freshman cornerback Ryan Wallace and defensive end Sean Ewing on defense.
"I did what I had to do to put pressure on their quarterback," said Ewing, a junior who had seven solo tackles and two sacks.
Rayen running backs ran for 170 yards, with Ratliff leading the way with 54 yards.
Wilson (0-9, 0-2) had 112 yards on the ground with seven first downs, three of them by penalty. The Redmen's deepest penetration was to the Rayen 25 late in the fourth quarter.
"I commend the kids because after being down 18-0, they came out and played hard, but we just have to play a complete game," Wilson coach Dan DiGiacomo said.
Senior tailback Ryan Bailey, who also played quarterback, was the game's top rusher with 85 yards on 16 carries.