STRONGSVILLE – The finest season in Eastwood football history continued in impressive fashion on Friday night as the No. 1 ranked Eagles ran roughshod over No. 2 Canfield South Range in a state final four tilt.
Bolstered by an incredibly stingy defense, Eastwood stayed undefeated (14-0) and handed the Raiders (13-1) their first loss with a 21-7 victory in a Division V state semifinal before a crowd of 2,461 at Strongsville's Pat Catan Stadium.
The Eagles chewed up clock and churned out 204 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns. Eastwood's defense also shut down a prolific Raiders offense.
Eastwood sophomore Jaden Rayford carried the ball 40 times and rumbled for 160 yards. The 6-foot-2 and 190-pound back scored on runs of 2 and 3 yards.
“It's a big confidence booster when they know it's coming and they just can't stop you,” Rayford said. “You keep getting good pushes and they can't stop you. Going into next week, if our line keeps blocking like it has and we keep running the ball hard, we have a chance to come out with a state title.”
While the Eastwood offense was slicing and dicing with 55 of 56 plays on the ground, the Eagles defense forced three turnovers with a fumble recovery and two interceptions. Eastwood also forced the Raiders to turn the ball over on downs on three occasions.
Eastwood will play for the first football state title in program history next week. The Eagles will play No. 3 ranked Wheelersburg (14-0) at the 3 p.m. on Friday in Canton.
“Obviously it's great when all the hard work pays off,” Eastwood first-year coach Craig Rutherford said. “I'm excited for them and for this week and everything it brings and means to the community.”
South Range came into the game with 3,503 rushing and 1,969 passing yards. But the Eagles limited the Raiders to 174 total yards (147 passing and 28 rushing). Senior QB Aniello Buzzacco had rushed 1,305 yards and passed for 1,848 yards with 41 TDs. He finished with 147 passing and 7 rushing.
“That's a special offense,” Rutherford said. “Our defensive line was getting a great push. They played their best game and our linebackers were in the right spot. It wasn't just one guy making all the plays. It was a group effort. We pushed those running backs back. We wore on them. Being able to stop them on fourth down, demoralizes them. Doing that builds momentum and morale.”
Lineman Dalton Andrews, a standout on both sides of the ball, said the offense and defense worked in cohesion.
“We go back and forth – the offense goes off the defense and the defense goes off the offense,” Andrew said. “Both are equally important. Without our run, we couldn't go as far as we have and our defense held them to seven points.”
The Eagles stuck the dagger with an 18-play, 85-yard drive (all on the ground) that took 8:18 off the clock late in the third quarter and into the fourth.
“That is how our offense has played all year. We don't mind driving the ball and take the time off the clock,” Rutherford said.
The Eagles, which built a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, attempted just one pass.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Eastwood converted on a fourth and 5 play at the Raiders 29 yards line. QB Jake Pickerel picked up 18 yards on the key play. Two plays later Rayford scored on a 3-yard run for a 21-0 cushion.
“We thought that was our best play. They were definitely keying on Rayford there. They jumped on Rayford there and he was able to run around the end,” Rutherford said.
Rayford rushed for 74 yards and scored on a 2 yard run in the first half.
Eastwood grabbed a 7-0 lead after an impressive 11-play, 57-yard drive - all on the ground – on its first possession. Rayford scored on a two-yard plunge with 5:34 left in the opening quarter. A 17-yard run by Ceyleon Damron set up the initial TD.
The Eagles then recovered a fumble to set up their second score. Eastwood seized a 14-0 lead with 1:06 left in the first quarter when Damron scored on a 2-yard romp.
South Range coach Dan Yeagley said Eastwood was the toughest team the Raiders have faced – on both sides of the ball.
“We tried. We gave it everything we had. It was tough,” Yeagley said. “We did what we could. But they are a very good team. We've seen some good backs and offensive lines, but that mix of both of them … makes it tough. Their defense set them apart too. Their defense is very fast and very physical.”
The Eagles yielded a late 63-yard TD pass. But Eastwood defensive back Cory Coffman sealed it with an interception with 3:31 left.
“Our guys didn't miss a beat and just came out and made the next play,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford said getting the early lead allowed his team to wind down the clock with the running game. “We just kept the ball on the ground. We kept churning out first downs. ,” he said.
Rutherford said Rayford had his best effort of the season.
“He's a tough running back and he ran harder than in any other game,” he said.
The Eagles forced a three and out on the Raiders first possession of the game and led 14-0 after one quarter. The Raiders then converted twice on fourth downs on their first possession of the second quarter. But the Eagles defense bent but did not break.
Eastwood tallied 86 total rushing yards in the first quarter (all on the ground) and scored two rushing TDs. The Eagles then ran just five offensive plays (14 yards) in the second quarter.
Eastwood's defense held the Raiders to just 92 yards in the first half (64 rushing).
But the Eastwood defense rose to the occasion again, stopping the Raiders for the third time on a fourth down conversion attempt. South Range had the ball at the Eastwood 14 and came away with no points.
Andrews said the run has been a true team effort.
“It's very exciting,” Andrews said. “I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. I've been with these guys my entire life and for coach to step up to lead us all the way to state is a great feeling. To be able to be the first team to go to state is a great feeling.”
Contact Mark Monroe at mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354, or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.
First Published November 25, 2017, 2:36 a.m.
