Team

Niles

Record	Div.	Conf.
2/8	Div. III	All-American Conference Red Tier

Team

Girard

Record	Div.	Conf.
9/2	Div. IV	All-American Conference Blue Tier

By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

GIRARD

Thursday’s Niles-Girard football game was a wild opening-night affair that featured pretty much a little bit of everything.

Fortunately for the Red Dragons, it was a high school game that featured a whole lot of Tyler Srbinovich.

The Niles junior threw for four touchdowns and 207 yards and rushed for another 138 yards and a touchdown as the Red Dragons rallied in the first half for an explosive 50-41 road win over backyard rival Girard.

“This game was huge, we had a rough season last year and we had a lot of doubters this year,” Srbinovich said. “Girard is a tough team, and we came in and did what we had to do.

“This was a huge statement game for us.”

In a back-and-forth first half, Srbinovich teamed up with wide receiver Marlon Pearson for three scoring strikes in the pivotal second quarter.

The spark offset a 28-point quarter by Girard, and sent the Red Dragons into the locker room up 36-28. Though their lead was threatened, the Dragons never looked back.

“The line got the push we needed, they made things happen and the backs and receivers just fed off of their energy,” Srbinovich said.

Srbinovich’s play overshadowed an impressive performance by Girard quarterback Mark Waid. Playing in his first varsity game, the freshman threw for 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 79 yards.

Girard wide receiver Collin Harden pulled in 12 receptions for 171 yards.

“Opening night, I wouldn’t want it any other way than us and Girard in a shootout, I’m just glad we came out on top,” Niles coach Brian Shaner said. “Both teams played their hearts out. This was just a great Thursday night football game.”

Early on, Niles made a statement on both offense and defense in building a 13-0 first quarter lead. The Red Dragons took the opening possession and marched 75 yards on eight plays, capped by a Steven Mintz 20-yard run.

On Girard’s second possession, Niles defender Joe Lewis forced a fumble in the Girard end zone, then fell on the ball to give Niles a two-touchdown advantage.

However, Girard answered with three straight touchdowns to take a 21-13 advantage midway through the second quarter.

The Red Dragons responded with a Srbinovich-to-Pearson 51-yard strike.

“Girard never backed down,” Shaner said. “The momentum kept going back and forth. But when Girard gained all the momentum, we stepped it up. This is a different team than it was a year ago.”

After the Indians took the lead on a Waid 15-yard run, the Srbinovich-to-Pearson connection hooked up two more times to give the Dragons the lead for good.

Pearson also made a huge defensive play in the fourth quarter. After Girard scored a touchdown to cut its deficit to 43-41, Pearson swatted a pass away on a two-point conversion attempt that could have tied the game.

Shaner wasn’t surprised at Srbinovich’s all-around performance.

“Tyler has a great arm, if he was 6-foot-1 everyone would know who he is,” Shaner said. “He showed everyone tonight he has a great arm and a great head for the game.

“He’s a player.”