Reserve rallies to win, 29-15

The Blue Devils scored two fourth quarter TDs to beat Wellsville.

By JIM FLICK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BERLIN CENTER — The Western Reserve High football team scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns Friday to defeat visiting Wellsville, 29-15.

When the fourth quarter began, Wellsville (1-3) held a 15-14 lead but soon succumbed to a Western Reserve (2-2) rally led by quarterback Shane Ewing.

Ewing scored the game’s final two touchdowns on runs of 20 and 14 yards. He led all rushers, gaining 189 yards on 20 carries, and completed 4 of 11 passes for another 39 yards.

Also contributing significantly to the Blue Devils’ win was running back Jason Lude, who gained 37 yards on 13 carries.

Western Reserve’s two-back attack trumped the Tigers’ largely one-back offensive effort, which rested largely on running back Jeff Hanselman, who carried the ball 32 times for 132 yards. Five other backs occasionally carried the ball for Wellsville, but between then gained only yards.

“We’ve been down, but we were able to play well against a team many people picked to win our division” the Inter Tri-County League (Tier Two), Western Reserve coach Mike Kopachy said after the game.

“We’ll do whatever works,” he remarked, adding that many of his players made remarkable efforts Friday. “We had 180-pounders blocking their 300-pounders and doing a good job.”

Reserve scores first

Western Reserve started the game with a spirited effort. The Blue Devils took the opening kickoff and marched 58 yards into the end zone in just nine plays. Sophomore running back Paul Arditi scored the game’s first points for Western Reserve.

Jason Lude extended the Blue Devils’ lead to 14-0 when he dived into the end zone in the second quarter, capping a drive that featured Ewing’s 16-yard pass completion to Matt Kalbfell.

But Wellsville cut Western Reserve’s lead to 14-7 when Zane Carter caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brenton Coven.

Wellsville takes lead

In the third quarter, Wellsville scored its second touchdown when Coven scored on a 1-yard run. Wellsville took its only lead of the game when kicker Bubba Dowling threw a pass to Todd Wright for a two-point conversion.

But Wellsville’s 15-14 margin only set the stage for Western Reserve’s fourth quarter deluge, which was led by Ewing’s long runs. With rain falling, he ran the ball through Wellsville’s defense. Three times in the second half he ran for 20 yards or more. His last run of the day measured 14 yards, and ended only when he entered the end zone for the game’s final touchdown.

The game was halted near the end of the first half due to lightning. With a little over two minutes remaining in the half, lightning flashed and officials cleared the field. The game was halted for more than 40 minutes.