South Range rushed for 446 yards in a 68-6 win over the Tigers.

By ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NORTH LIMA — Finding themselves in an unfamiliar spot on the bench for the entire second half of Friday’s game against Newton Falls, South Range seniors Steve Bensinger and Charlie Lengyel needed something to do to pass the time.

They were hungry, but there was no food. There was a game going on, but they weren’t needed. So, they decided to play with insects to entertain themselves.

“We were playing with grasshoppers,” said Lengyel.

“Don’t say that,” barked Bensinger.

“I’m just saying …,” responded Lengyel.

Maybe they were working on their comedy act, too.

All kidding aside, there was nothing funny about how well South Range played. The defense grabbed five interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. The offense rushed for 446 yards. Eight different players had at least 35 yards rushing.

Home opener

The Raiders built a commanding 42-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 68-6 victory in their 2007 home opener on Friday night. The win was a school-record 25th straight regular season triumph and the 13th consecutive at home (South Range is 27-2 at home since 2002).

“It was nice to get a rest, but we’d rather be out there playing in a game that goes down to the wire,” said Bensinger, who scored on a rushing touchdown, a 55-yard interception return and a fumble recovery in the end zone.

“It was nice to see the young kids go in there and kind of follow in our footsteps.”

After South Range scored on two of its first three possessions to seize a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, Newton Falls used some trickery to fight back.

On fourth-and-10 from the South Range 45, the Tigers converted a fake punt as upback Brian Sole connected with starting quarterback Tamir Grogan for a 25-yard gain to keep the drive alive.

Newton Falls drove all the way down to the Raiders’ 4 and faced third down and goal. That’s when the momentum shifted in a big way.

Lengyel picked off Grogan’s pass and raced 99 yards for the score to turn a potential 14-7 game into a 21-0 contest.

“I was just glad we stopped them from scoring there,” said Lengyel, when asked about his school-record return.

“Our defense prides itself on not letting anyone in the end zone. We just want to keep that tradition up.”

Coach’s record broken

The 99-yard interception return broke the 97-yard return by current South Range assistant coach Brian Less, set in 1986 against McDonald.

“Coach said 21 years was enough for him to have it and he was glad to be here to see it,” said Lengyel.

South Range scored three more times in the 28-point second quarter, including a pair of TDs by Bensinger.

The first came when the senior recovered a Raiders’ fumble in the end zone on a running play from the Newton Falls’ 2. The second was his interception return that made it 42-0 at the half.

“Momentum is huge in football and Charlie’s interception was a huge play,” said South Range coach Dan Yeagley.

“They were marching down and got close to scoring, but our kids pulled together and stopped them. Everyone did a super job, including all the young kids we had in there tonight.”