By JOHN HARRIS

sports@vindy.com

STRUTHERS

Priming for the playoffs, Struthers rolled to a 41-14 victory Friday night over a desperate Lakeview team that needed a win to remain in the postseason chase.

Struthers (9-1) enters the playoffs next week riding a seven-game winning streak and a red-hot quarterback.

Senior A.J. Musolino, who will attend Kent State next year, ran for three first-half touchdowns as the Wildcats built a 28-7 lead at intermission.

Musolino, who passed only eight times and rushed 10 times for 100 yards, directed a ball-control attack that rushed for over 300 yards.

“He’s the heart and soul of what you want a high school football player to be,” Struthers coach Curt Kuntz said.

Lakeview (6-4), which had its three-game winning streak snapped, entered the game knowing that a loss would likely end its season. The Bulldogs, however, never led as their high-powered attack sputtered against Struthers’ defense.

“They’re a really good football team,” Lakeview coach Tom Pavlansky said. “What they really do well we’ve had trouble with all year.

“It’s been big the last four weeks,” he said. “If we were more on edge or more anxious than we were last week, shame on us.”

Struthers’ ability to control the ball on the ground held Lakeview at bay.

As a result, what was expected to be a close and exciting game turned into a surprising runaway for Struthers.

“They won the toss and took the ball. We were able to get a stop and do our thing and control the clock a little bit at a time,” Kuntz said. “They have a great offense. We needed to get up on them early and make them one-dimensional.”

Lakeview quarterback Zach Rogers completed only 12 of 25 passes for 112 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

Struthers, who scored a touchdown in each of its four first-half possessions, grabbed an 8-0 lead after stopping Lakeview on fourth-and-2 and taking over at its 40.

Nate Richards’ 2-yard touchdown run capped a six-play, 60-yard drive with 6:51 remaining in the first quarter for the first score of the game.

After Lakeview missed a short field goal on its second possession, Struthers drove 80 yards for its second score. Musolino crashed over from the 1 to make it 14-0.

The first half followed a familiar pattern.

Lakeview’s offense drove between the 20 yard lines but couldn’t capitalize. Struthers, meanwhile, capitalized on every opportunity.

Musolino turned in the play of the game when he rumbled through multiple tacklers to complete a 41-yard run that made it 20-7 with 6:52 remaining in the first half.

“He makes everybody better around him,” Pavlansky said. “He’s probably the best player in the area.”