Cle. Glenville comes back in 2nd half to topple Fitch

The Tarblooders rallied with their big-play ability.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
AUSTINTOWN -- Raymond Fisher scored two touchdowns, one on an electrifying 94-yard kickoff return, as Cleveland Glenville overcame a 21-8 halftime deficit to defeat Fitch 29-21 in a Division I football playoff game Saturday at Falcon Stadium.
"This was a great ballgame tonight. We made a couple of mistakes, but I thought we played an excellent game overall," Fitch coach Neal Kopp said.
"Cleveland Glenville is an excellent football team, but we knew that going into the game," Kopp added. "It's difficult for me to put into words right now, but the school and community is proud of this football team and their accomplishments this season. Glenville became a better ball club by playing us tonight."
A year ago, the Falcons (9-2) were denied a playoff berth when Warren Harding eliminated them on the last weekend of the season.
Fast start for Falcons
Making their first playoff appearance since 1992, the Falcons looked like postseason veterans on their opening drive of the game.
Senior quarterback John Mang orchestrated a 16-play, 74-yard drive after the opening kickoff, covering the final 3 yards by himself. When Mike Eliseo added the conversion run, the Falcons took an 8-0 lead with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tarblooders (10-1) showed the near packed house their big-play ability as Daven Jones caught a 9-yard scoring strike just four plays later. When Arvell Johnson hit Jacoby Stone with the conversion toss, the game was knotted at eight apiece heading into the second quarter.
A 4-yard run by Eliseo at the 3:02 mark and his 45-yard touchdown scamper with 38 seconds before intermission increased the Falcon lead to 21-8. But on the ensuing kickoff, Fisher darted 94 yards into the end zone almost untouched to cut the Falcon lead to 21-14 at intermission.
"The kickoff return prior to intermission was a big momentum swing," Kopp said. "Not making our fourth-down conversions late in the game was also costly, but when we had to go back into our stacked-I formation due to injuries, that changed our strategy as well."
First Glenville lead
When Nelson hit Fisher with a 28-yard scoring strike with 13 seconds remaining in the third period, the Darren Gibbs conversion run gave the Tarblooders a 22-21 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
Curtis Smith then scored on a dive from a yard out, and the Tarblooders built a 29-21 advantage with 1:41 remaining in the game.
On the game's final drive, the Falcons drove to the Glenville 30-yard line, but Mang's pass was intercepted by Fisher as time expired.
The Falcons held a 65-44 advantage in plays run from scrimmage and racked up 253 yards offensively, 221 coming on the ground.
The Tarblooders had 243 yards of total offense, with all but 60 coming though the air.
Eliseo had a game-high 129 rushing yards, while Nelson was 9-of-15 for 183 yards passing and two touchdowns for Cleveland Glenville.