LAKEWOOD, Ohio – For the first time since 1997 and just the fifth time since 1965, the Rocky River Pirates have earned back-to-back shutout victories. Following a 40-0 win over Normandy on Sept. 24, the Pirates clocked a 31-0 victory over the Lakewood Rangers on Friday night.
Rocky River (3-1, 3-1 Great Lakes Conference) was solid on both sides of the ball and in special teams on what was a crisp evening under the lights at Lakewood Stadium. The gridiron battle between the two foes separated by a mere 3-1/2 miles of cross-valley traffic marked a renewal in a series that had seen just 13 tussles in the previous 103 years. The 2020 Battle of the Bridge marked the first in the series since 2014. For this particular contest, forgive the pun and adjust the pronunciation: call it the Bridge of Spies.
Junior signal caller Braedon Spies registered 219 total yards (121 rushing, 98 passing) in the game, setting up two scoring drives with his legs and finishing off another with his right arm. The rushing performance marked the first 100-yard game of Spies’ career. On Friday, he churned out big plays, and the defense made them stick.
After a first-quarter Rocky River fumble at its own 28, the Rangers edged 25 yards closer to the Pirate end zone before attempting a 20-yard field goal. Lakewood was attempting to get on the scoreboard first, but the Ranger attempt was blocked. And that block – at the 3:21-mark of the opening quarter -- came after a stout River defense had been faced with Lakewood first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. Momentum to the visitors from the west side of the Detroit Avenue Bridge.
The game was scoreless through the end of the first quarter, but Rocky River’s momentum got a further jolt when Spies rushed for a 60-yard gain early in the second stanza. Running back John Bebie powered into the end zone on a 2-yard run to finish off the drive and give the Pirates a 6-0 lead. A successful two-point conversion – on a Spies to Evan Merk pass – lifted the River lead to 8-0. Bebie’s touchdown was logged at the 10:53-mark. The versatile sophomore would score again, in a different fashion, less than six minutes later.
That score – vaulting Rocky River to a 14-0 lead – came on a 57-yard interception return. After an interception by Merk at the 2:11-mark, the Pirates were able to add to their lead with a 28-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mack Massad. A 17-0 River lead would make its way to halftime. But just barely: the host Rangers nearly scored on the final play of the second quarter. A 55-yard Ranger Hail Mary died at the Pirate 1, and the Rocky River shutout bid remained intact.
The Detroit Road Buccaneers pulled off an impressive 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the second half. A 36-yard scamper by Braedon Spies keyed the drive which was capped off by a 1-yard Bebie run. The 75-yard march ate up seven minutes-and-22 seconds of clock time and would prove to be the lone score of the third quarter.
A fourth-quarter Spies-to-Stan Heuler TD pass put a lid on the game’s scoring and initiated the 30-point-margin running-clock rule. The Spies-Heuler connection was part of a 9-of-14 evening for the Pirate passer. His most frequent target was senior David Rosenberg, whose three catches for 35 yards were key contributions to productive drives. For a fourth game this season, Spies’ line in the box score was clear of any interceptions.
Jon Bebie finished the game with 65 rushing yards on 21 carries. With his three TDs overall, Bebie has now scored a team-high seven this season. The River run game has now cranked out 334 yards (and 4.9 yards per carry) over the team’s last two games.
The staunch Pirate defense was led by the efforts of seniors Sam Fuchs and Matthew George, who each tallied seven tackles in the contest. Bebie and Rosenberg logged five tackles each. Junior Patrick Lange recorded four tackles, including two that were stuffs behind the Lakewood line. Lange added a pass break-up. Sophomore Jack McBride registered his first career sack.
And it was a night loaded with big performances from McBride’s mates in the prospective class of 2023. From Bebie-to-Massad-to-Merk-to-Heluer, each of Rocky River’s 31 points was scored by a Pirate sophomore.
Up next for the super sophs and the rest of the Rocky River Pirates? Playoff time. River will host Lexington in the first round of the 2020 OHSAA DIII Tournament. The Pirates and Minutemen will kick off Friday at 7 p.m.
CANNON FIRE ...
BRIDGE MIX: Friday’s Battle of the Bridge marked the first game between Lakewood and Rocky River – now Great Lakes Conference foes – since Oct. 3, 2014. The Rangers lead the all-time series, 8-5-1, but the Maroon & White have now won four straight meetings dating back to 2012. River’s 2012 victory – a 21-12 triumph on Sept. 28 – came after a 71-year hiatus in the series. Rocky River and Lakewood had played 10 times between 1922-1940. … Friday’s 31-0 game marked the seventh shutout – the second by the Pirates – in the now-15-game series.
ROAD WARRIORS: With Friday’s win, the Pirates are now 2-0 on the road this season and 5-2 over their last seven games away from Rocky River Stadium.
DIALING IT BACK A WEEK: John Bebie ran for 175 yards in last week’s win at Normandy. That marked River’s best single-game rushing performance since Sept. 15, 2017, when Dameon Crawford (class of 2018) ran for 202 yards against Holy Name. The Pirates ran for 246 yards at Normandy – that marks a single-game best since the same 2017 date against the Green Wave (278 yards). … John Bebie has scored TDs in four different ways in 2020 – on the ground (four rushing TDs), on an interception return, on a punt return, and on a kickoff return.
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Prior to this fall, the last time Rocky River pitched shutouts in back-to-back games was in 1997 when the Pirates closed out the season with a 34-0 win over Westlake and then a 9-0 victory over Bay. … River has allowed just 48 points over its first four games. That’s the program’s best defensive four-game start to a season since 2011 (36 points allowed).
by Skip Snow
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