Team

South Range

Record	Div.	Conf.
13/1	Div. V	Independents

Team

Columbiana

Record	Div.	Conf.
6/4	Div. VI	Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference

By Greg Gulas

sports@vindy.com

NORTH LIMA

Phillip Arsuffi scored four touchdowns and had a hand in generating 228 of South Range’s 366 total offensive yards.

In the end, however, it was a senior placekicker who stole the show.

Ethan Witmer’s 35-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining gave South Range a 33-32 victory over Columbiana on Friday in an Inter-Tri County League Tier One game.

“After we recovered the onsides kick and started to move the ball, I was just trying to calm myself down on that last drive,” said Witmer.

“All I wanted to do was get mentally prepared. Without a doubt, that was the biggest kick of my career. I just try to do what I can to help the team because they are always there for me,” Witmer said.

With the Raiders trailing 32-24, Arsuffi scored his fourth TD from 26 yards away with 1:35 remaining to make it 32-30.

The two-point conversion try fell short, leaving the Raiders with only one option — an onsides kick.

Witmer’s kickoff was perfectly executed as David Peterson recovered the ball.

“I just dove into the pile and started digging for the ball. I was lucky enough to secure it,” said Peterson.

The Clippers (2-2, 0-1) drew first blood on the game’s opening drive as Nick Roncone caught a 13-yard pass from Austin Barbato.

Arsuffi then caught scoring strikes of 62 and 5 yards from quarterback David Buzzacco to give South Range (3-1, 1-0) a 14-7 advantage.

Roncone added his second score at the 8:30 mark of the second frame to knot the score at 14, but Witmer’s first field goal of the night from 27 yards away gave the Raiders a 17-14 advantage at the 3:14 point of the quarter.

Columbiana’s Mardell Halas then caught a 49-yard scoring strike from Barbato just 27 seconds later, giving the Clippers a 20-17 lead at intermission.

“This was an excellent football game; small town football between two great communities,” said South Range coach Dan Yeagley.

“We survived a few miscues of our own but that is a team out there. We lifted each other up when we needed to,” Yeagley said.

Barbato’s 1-yard run21 increased the Clippers’ lead to 26-17 but Arsuffi’s third touchdown of the night, this one from 6 yards out cut the Columbiana lead to 26-24.

Roncone’s third score of the night at the outset of the fourth quarter made it 32-24.

“We’re banged up but we just battled and battled and battled tonight,” said Columbiana coach Bob Spaite.