Friday, August 25, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006 Dana Rose and Bryan Flory scored on long TD runs to lead the Blue Devils. By ERIC HAMILTON VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT LEETONIA — Lisbon High running back Dana Rose is no ball hog. He's more than willing to sit out a play or two because he knows that good things can still happen when he's on the sideline. "It's nice to have someone else who can run the ball so well," said Rose, speaking of teammate Bryan Flory. "Sooner or later, one of us is going to break it open. It's just a matter of which one." Rose and Flory both ripped off long touchdown runs in the third quarter of Thursday's 2006 season-opener at Leetonia, helping Lisbon rebound from a 14-0 deficit to earn a 30-21 victory in the Blue Devils' first visit to the Bears' new stadium. The backfield duo combined for 223 yards and three touchdowns on just 21 total carries, including Flory's 55-yard score and a 60-yarder from Rose in the third period. Rose's jaunt proved to be the game-winner, as it put Lisbon ahead 23-21 after three quarters. "Our line did a great job up front," said Flory. "The holes were there so it was just a matter of us hitting them. Dana and I switching off keeps us fresh and makes it tougher on the defense." Looked good early Leetonia's defense looked good early, causing a Lisbon fumble on the Blue Devils' opening drive. The Bears, known for their Wing-T offense with an emphasis on the running game, opened things up offensively. Leetonia showed an effective passing attack with 138 yards through the air, including two scores. After the Lisbon turnover, the Bears' offense took advantage, scoring in just four plays, highlighted by a 69-yard bomb from Corey Raushenbach to Jake Kruegel. The scoring toss gave Leetonia a 14-0 advantage after its first two offensive series. But Lisbon's ground attack went to work, scoring on a 5-yard run by quarterback Steve Tsilimos. Rose added a two-point conversion run to cut the deficit to 14-8 at the half. The teams traded touchdowns in opening the third quarter and another scoring toss from Raushenbach to Kruegel put Leetonia back in the lead at 21-15. Taking the lead But with just 30 seconds remaining in the third stanza, Rose burst through the line on a counter play and cut back to his right for a 60-yard scoring jaunt. Tsilimos added the conversion run to give Lisbon the lead at 23-21. On its next possession, Leetonia marched down to the Blue Devils' 24, where it faced a critical fourth-and-2 call with 3:36 remaining in the game. But after a timeout, Rose dropped Leetonia running back Jon Williams for a loss to end the threat and preserve Lisbon's second straight Spaghetti Bowl victory. "I told the kids we'd see what they're made of in the second half and the responded," said Lisbon coach Jim Tsilimos. "I'm proud of our offensive line and our skill people. But defensively, we looked like a deer in headlights at times. We have to get better if we're going to win games. "We knew Leetonia had some good skill kids and we tweaked some things to adjust and we did better in the second half. It's just nice to start with a win over our rival. We just need to keep getting better."