Quarterback Jack Dawson helped the Raiders rally to defeat Mogadore, 26-21.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MOGADORE — It may seem absurd to be thinking about the playoffs on opening night of the high school football season.

But that’s the approach the South Range High football team took Friday on the road at Mogadore.

“We treated this game like a playoff game because Mogadore is a playoff-caliber team,” South Range coach Dan Yeagley said after a 26-21 victory. “We knew it would be tough to come here and compete with them at their place. They are a class act program and a great football team.”

After losing its 12-0 halftime advantage, South Range found itself trailing 15-12 with three minutes left in the third quarter against the 2006 Division VI state semifinalist.

But after having experienced some tense situations last season, South Range didn’t panic.

The Raiders countered with two quick scores from sophomores Nick Golec and James Nell to build a 26-15 lead and held off a late Mogadore surge.

Streak extended

“Our kids reached down for something extra and never quit,” said Yeagley, whose team has won 23 straight regular-season games.

“Our backs did a nice job and our offensive line played hard. We got a couple scores from some young kids and got a great team effort,” Yeagley said. “The heat was unbelievable, but our kids showed a lot of heart and played hard.”

Quarterback Jack Dawson was the standout on offense for the Raiders, accounting for 197 yards of total offense. The junior threw for 163 yards, including a pair of long touchdowns and added a rushing score.

Both his scoring tosses covered more than 40 yards as Chris Novak hauled in a 43-yard strike and Nell took a screen pass 67 yards for a score.

“We did some things well tonight, but we need to improve some things,” Dawson said. “We just tried to stay positive. Coach tells us that no play is as important as the next one. When we made a mistake, we just tried to get it done on the next one.

Early lead

Despite losing two fumbles and being flagged for several penalties in the first half, South Range built a 12-0 lead with two first-quarter touchdowns.

South Range chewed up 8 minutes, 29 seconds on the game’s opening series, marching 57 yards in 10 plays. Dawson completed the scoring drive with a 24-yard scamper up the middle on fourth-and-12.

Two possessions later, South Range needed just one play to take advantage of a Mogadore fumble. On the first play, Dawson hit Novak for a 43-yard TD score to put South Range ahead 12-0 after the first quarter.

The South Range defense played well in the first half, turning Mogadore away twice inside the 25.

Mogadore cut the deficit to 12-7 on its opening drive of the third quarter, moving 95 yards on nine plays. The series was keyed by a 65-yard jaunt by Ryan Brodie on the first play. Eight plays later, Cody Destro pounded in from 3 yards out.

Destro bounced off several tacklers and rumbled 28 yards for the score to give the Wildcats their first lead with 3:38 remaining in the third quarter. Pierce connected with Josh Bailes for a two-point conversion to put Mogadore ahead 15-12.

South Range battled back on the final series of the third quarter. Golec put the Raiders back on top, racing 13 yards for the score. J.C. Willison’s point-after kick gave South Range a 19-15 lead.

South Range scored on another long pass play as Nell hauled in a screen pass and raced down the sideline for a 67-yard touchdown.