ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 27, 2022) -- News and notes following Rocky River's loss to Valley Forge on Oct. 21 and heading into the Pirates' Friday playoff game at Tiffin Columbian ...
GAME 10: Rocky River (4-6) was bested by Valley Forge 34-7 in a Great Lakes Conference crossover week battle of third-place teams from the West (RRHS) and East Divisions (VFHS). Patriots running back Shane Warden was the lead edge of a powerful Valley Forge (7-3) running game that had the Rocky River defense on its heels for much of the night. Warden rambled for 220 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. The Pirates were held to 189 total yards.
NOTING THE OFFENSE: Rocky River's lone TD -- tallied in the first quarter -- was on a 32-yard pass from quarterback Julian Patti to tight end Stan Heuler. In the passing game, Rocky River went 7-of-12 for 89 yards. The River run game produced 100 yards on 26 carries (3.8 average). ... Patti's first-quarter touchdown pass marked his 11th of the season. That catch marked Heuler's sixth score of the season. Heuler and wide receiver Mack Massad each had two receptions in the game.
NOTING THE DEFENSE: Rocky River was led by defensive end Aiden Andrako and Josh Mommers, with 10 tackles each. Charlie Fadel, Andrew Lang, and Jack Perry registered 8T, 6T, and 5T, respectively.
NOTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter Mack Massad cranked out a season-long 75-yard effort in the fourth quarter. For the season, Massad owns an average of 41 yards per attempt on 25 punts. He has put 13 inside the opponents' 20-yard line, and that's a new Rocky River record, passing Braedon Spies (class of 2022) who clocked 12 such punts in 2021.
SEASON AVERAGES: For the season, Rocky River has scored 20.6 points per game while yielding 23.3 PPG. ... On offense, River has averaged 153.7 rushing yards and 131.5 passing yards per game (284.2 total yards per game). ... In the turnover department, the Pirates have logged 12 takeaways against 12 giveaways (plus-0).
SERIES VS. VALLEY FORGE: With its Friday win at Rocky River Stadium, Valley Forge has now won five of the last six meetings between the two programs. The Patriots lead the all-time series, five games to four.
ON DECK: Rocky River has qualified for the DIII Buckeye State playoffs. The Pirates are the No. 15 seed in the 16-team DIII Region 10 bracket. The Maroon & White will travel to No. 2 Tiffin Columbian on Friday (7 p.m. at Frost-Kalnow Stadium in Tiffin). ... Rocky River has now qualified for the OHSAA playoffs each of the last three years. The 2022 postseason marks the ninth playoff appearance in program history (2006-07, 2009, 2014-15, 2018, 2020-22). River is 5-8 in 13 all-time playoff games.
SCOUTING THE TORNADOES: Columbian is 8-2 this season. The Tornadoes led the Sandusky Bay Conference in scoring, at 39 PPG; they have allowed 19.6 PPG. ... In Week 10, Columbian earned a 41-0 win over Norwalk. That game marked the fourth time this season, the Tornadoes had yielded 8 points or less. ... Rocky River and Columbian are meeting on the gridiron for the first time.
by Skip Snow
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