ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 14, 2022) -- Friday was a bit of a Senior Night gone sideways for the Rocky River Pirates. A banged-up Buccaneer squad fell victim to a few miscues and a powerful Great Lakes Conference West Division foe, as the Pirates lost to the North Olmsted Eagles 56-14.
The visiting Eagles registered 35 unanswered points in the first half. For the game, they leveraged three Rocky River turnovers in the most efficient manner possible -- on a trio of scoop-and-scores. Rocky River got out of running-clock purgatory in the game's third quarter, when sophomore Josh Mommers threw for one score and ran in another. But the Pirates would garner just 266 total yards on the night; their margin of defeat would be the program's largest in a single game since Nov. 9, 2018 (56-7 loss to Norwalk) and largest in a regular-season game since Oct. 7, 2011 (42-0 loss to North Ridgeville.
North Olmsted (6-3, 4-1 GLC West) lapped Rocky River (4-5, 3-2) in the third-down department. The Eagles were successful on 7-of-9 attempts; the Pirates came through on 3-of-10. The end result of that mix was a tired Raider defense, one the Eagles scored upon in each of five possessions on the night. On those possession, the visitors were powered by the strong running of senior running back Jared Kelley and the frequent aerial connections made by senior quarterback Xavier Balson and junior wide receiver Collin Wilson.
Mommers, senior Stan Heuler, and juniors Trent Delventhal and Andrew Lang were solid defensively, making five, four, three, and three tackles, respectively. Seniors Parker Hartup and Aiden Andrako also logged impactful performances on defense. But all too often, River's tackles were some eight, 15, or 20 yards downfield. Yard markers were marched were too frequently on a dominant night for the North Olmsted offense.
The River offense had its moments: Mommers collecting career firsts with his arm and legs; Heuler hauling in his fifth touchdown catch of the season on Senior Night; Nick DiSalvo toting the pigskin 20 times for 80 yards; senior Mack Massad logging 5.3 yards per carry on a handful of attempts and providing solid work in Rocky River's punt game. But they were moments running against the grain on an ever-tilting playing surface. And far as attaching glowing numbers to the senior effort, the contest registered somewhere between a punt and a turnover.
In this corner, those numbers that define greatness and valiant comebacks and mark time and progress are often the currency for buying our way through the narrative of a game. But other parts of the high school athletic experience can be observed.
Like senior lineman Evan Merk making a path for a strong Mommers run late in the game. Like Massad showing heart, hustle, and guile on multiple units, including River's onside-kick group. Like Andrako, Heuler, and Charlie Fadel battling in the trenches and not yielding at the end of drives -- even ones not going the Pirates' way. Examples all of the best forward pass on display when a program has something good going: the pass forward of accountability, tenacity, and tradition.
And that's from a group that has earned respect in winning 25 games over the last four season. And a GLC championship last fall. With hard work and Brotherhood-of-the-Pirates attitude displayed in the spring and summer, far from the glow of stadium lights on Fridays in the fall.
The score on this particular autumn Friday wasn't so great. But what we saw was ... and there is plenty of which to be proud in a horde of Greybeards comprised of Aiden Andrako, Johnny Bebie, Charlie Fadel, Parker Hartup, Stan Heuler, Ali Karar, Aidan Konet, Mack Massad, Jack McBride, Evan Merk, Owen Patton, Joey Reich, Demis Salivares, Frank Valencic, Rees Vaughan, Marshall Walker, and Zach Wilson.
As for stories of swashbuckling rallies from defeat, stay tuned: the Rocky River Pirates and their 17 seniors will look to bounce back in an Oct. 21 home game against Valley Forge. Count the Sons of Blackbeard out at your peril.
by Skip Snow
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