NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (Sept. 22, 2023) -- Breaking news for Rocky River alumni: Monday opens Homecoming Week at Rocky River High School. On Friday evening, the Pirates gridiron squad will play in its annual Homecoming Game, with the Double-R hosting its neighbors from across Clague, the Westlake Demons. The kickoff in what figures to be, if current weather holds as is forecasted, chamber-of-commerce fall conditions is slated for 7 p.m. And RR alums, you are going to like what you see.
The 2023 Rocky River Pirates will return home next week after back-to-back road games. And back-to-back road wins. (Overall, the Buccaneers have gone-back-to-back and belly-to-belly, winning three straight.) The most recent of those was a masterful rout at North Olmsted Friday. In what marked the team's Great Lakes Conference West Division opener, the River Eleven were once again throwin' and flowin' as they cruised to a 40-3 win over the Eagles.
Senior quarterback Julian Patti continued his swashbuckling aerial command, and the River offense hit the 40-point mark for a fifth time in six games. The Pirate defense did not allow a touchdown, and the team's all-around efficiency came in retribution of a 2022 loss to the Eagles. In that game (a 56-14 NOHS win on RR's Senior Night game, Oct. 14), the River Raiders were undone by three Eagle scoop-and-scores amid numerous other Pirate miscues. The 42-point loss marked the Pirates' worst in a regular-season game in 11 years.
In Friday's return game at North Olmsted High School, there were few River miscues. There were barely any missed passes, even. Patti went 24-of-32 (75%) in directing Rocky River's passing game. The senior signal caller logged his third straight 300-yard game and his fourth of the season with 314 yards versus the Eagles. Patti threw five touchdown passes, also hitting that mark for a fourth time this season.
Behind four TDs in the second period, Rocky River (5-1, 1-0 GLC West) went into Friday's halftime leading 34-0. A second-half running clock motored the contest to the finish line from there, with the Pirates trading three points for six the rest of the way.
Three of Patti's paydirt tosses were carried across the goal line by senior receiver Ryan Ricketti, who now has 39 receptions for 630 yards this fall. Nick DiSalvo (6-44) and Oran Grieve (5-89, TD) were Patti's other most frequent co-conspirators Friday. As has been the case since mid-August, the Sons of Blackbeard continued to crank out explosive plays with impressive regularity.
On the ground, the offense banged out 9.3 yards per carry. DiSalvo (10 carries for 94 yards) was the lead edge of that attack, and his exploits included his 11th rushing TD of the season.
For the game, Rocky River clocked 121 yards on the ground and 314 through the air (435 total).
Defensively, the Pirates were led by Josh Mommers and Colin Slomka, who each recorded six tackles. Ricketti added four stops and had two pass break-ups.
That defense now heads back to the Pirates' home port, a safe harbor on Detroit Road the Buccaneers will look to defend in a key match-up against a 5-1 Westlake team that also won its GLC West opener Friday. That defense of Double-R home turf will come in front of Pirates past returning to their campus wearing the Maroon & White colors of their own high school years.
Those River alums are going to be impressed with the current horde of Pirates. Before that game, go ahead and pick a king and a queen if you want. That and 10 yards will just barely get you another set of downs. The rest of the night this River team is going to be a royal pain for the Demons to try and beat.
CANNON FIRE ...
Q FACTOR: With his 314 yards Friday, Julian Patti moved past 3,000 career passing yards, becoming just the sixth Pirate to do so. Patti heads into the Westlake game with 3,111 career passing yards. ... Patti has amassed 27 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. His 27 TDs mark the most for a River quarterback in a single season since Matt Lowry threw 37 in 2014.
RY-RY, THE PASS-CATCHING GUY: With his performance Friday, Ryan Ricketti now has 39 receptions for 630 yards and 11 TDs in 2023. Ricketti's yardage marks the most for a River receiver since 2018 when Cristain Dean had 711. The senior's TD total marks the most in a RRHS season since 2014 (Evan Nugent 15, Patrick Connors 14).
by Skip Snow
# # # Pirates # # #