BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (Oct. 13, 2023) -- In a series nearly 90 years old, not too many Rocky River-Bay battles have been as big as this one. Two 7-1 teams undefeated in conference play (both 3-0 in the Great Lakes Conference West Division). North Coast neighbors with five-game win streaks in tow. Gridiron rivals likely headed for Buckeye State postseason play but fighting for positioning certainly and maybe for a tournament home game.
Add to that week-long build-up throngs of fans from both schools on a beautiful autumn evening, complete with rippled October clouds and an electric atmosphere filled with pulsing cascades of music from each marching band. Then cap it all off with seven ties and lead changes, dramatic plays on both sides of the ball, and an overtime session.
All ending in one last stand for a sometimes overlooked Rocky River defense. And one more win in a now-six-game streak for the victorious Pirates, who defeated Bay 28-21.
Rocky River's defense made an early impact, but the host Rockets fired back. The Pirates (8-1, 4-0 GLC West) forced Bay to punt on its first possession. Then they came up with an interception (Michael Worgull's career-first) on the Rockets' second possession. In between, the Double-R got its vaunted passing game cranked up, and the Pirates capped off a 70-yard drive with a 38-yard Julian Patti-to-Rowan McDougal touchdown pass.
McDougal's trip to paydirt marked the lone score of the opening quarter. But early in the second -- at the 9:46-mark, the home side leveled the score at 7-7 when Rocco Ereditario plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out. At the 1:54-mark of the second, quarterback Brendan Spellman powered into the end zone from 5 yards out, and that lifted Bay (7-2, 3-1) to a 14-7 advantage. River went into halftime trailing by that same score.
A staunch Rocket defense was winning the trench skirmishes through the first 24 minutes, and that threw the Pirates off schedule on multiple series. But the River offensive line battled back, and as he often does, running back Nick DiSalvo came through with an impactful score. DiSalvo's 15th rushing touchdown of the season was a Boeing score at 7:47 of the third. The TD knotted the score in the War by the Shore. Each side had 14 points in a game that had 19 minutes and 47 seconds remaining.
Bay's ground attack made for a quick answer and Spellman again bulled his way through would-be tacklers inside the River 10: he scored on an 11-yard TD romp at 4:14 of the third. River rebounded with a receiver on the run just 90 seconds later. A handoff to Ryan Ricketti at the Pirate 26-yard line developed into Ricketti breaking through multiple tackles on a sprint all the way to the end zone. That touchdown -- and subsequent extra point -- sent Rocky River and Bay into the fourth quarter tied 21-21.
There are not adequate statistical records on the yardage of every season TD scored, but Ricketti's touchdown marked his 15th of the season. He's had a play of at least 26 yards in every game this season and perhaps a half-dozen TDs of 50 yards or more.
The home side appeared to be headed to unknotting the score on its next drive, but the Buccaneer defense denied the Rockets in the red zone when River stopped Bay on a 4th-and-1 at the Pirate 5-yard line. Any freeze-frame from the 12-second video of that stand -- with the clashing colors, hustle and muscle, can't-fail and won't yield anger, effort, and elation under a darkening October sky -- could well be painted, titled "Buckeye State High School Football", and hung in an art gallery.
For the Sons of Blackbeard, the ecstacy of that moment turned into agony 85 yards upfield when, on the ensuing River drive the Pirates fumbled away the football inside the Bay 10. Perhaps riding the emotion of that takeaway, Bay converted on a pair of do-or-die 4th downs on its next drive. One of those was at its own 20-yard line.
Available time was dwindling, but Bay was on the move.
A run-first Bay 11 came up with a monster pass play -- Cohen Blair to Jace Knapp -- to get the Rockets deep into Rocky River territory with just over 60 ticks remaining in regulation. The two schools which last year played a 22-21 game --
a thrilling River win this side of Clague Road -- went into that final minute tied at 21-21.
But again, the River defense marooned the bunch from Bay. The Rockets were unable to pay off their epic, marathon scoop-and-score of sorts. The Pirates forced Bay into a field-goal attempt which missed and the game went into overtime.
For upperclassmen on both sides, it had to sink in that the two rivals had at that point played 96 minutes of football since last September. Ninety-six minutes, with River outscoring Bay 43-42.
To overtime went the battle for GLC West supremacy.
Rocky River got the ball first in overtime, and the Raiders took a 28-21 lead when Julian Patti dropped back to pass, saw an open stretch of green and darted for the goal line. Patti scored on the 8-yard play, diving across the line between two defenders.
Patti's dive, with the pigskin outstretched, would mark the final score of the contest. When Bay got the ball, the River defense held like the Rock on Wagar. Unmoved in the end when nothing else would do.
And to the victors went the spoils. In this rivalry, that's the Helm Trophy. That moniker is appropriate, because after Friday's conquest at Bay Memorial Stadium, the Pirates are 100% in control of the GLC West. The win against Bay clinches the West for River, and that marks the 26th conference title for Rocky River Football.
[Game stats unavailable at time of publication.]
CANNON FIRE ...
ALL AHEAD FULL: Rocky River has now won the Helm three straight years. That's River's longest win streak in the series since the Pirates defeated the Rockets in eight straight from 2003-10. The War by the Shore has now been decided by one score in 8 of the last 11 series meetings. ... The Rockets lead the all-time series -- which dates back to 1935, 43-39-3.
PASSING LANE: During Friday's game, senior quarterback Julian Patti passed Matt Lowry's 2014 season for the most passing yards in a single season. Lowry had 2,511 passing yards in 2014. ... Heading into the Bay game, Patti had passed for 313.3 yards per game. He went in with 37 TD passes and just five interceptions.
ON DECK: Rocky River will close out its regular season next Friday with a home game against the Fairview Warriors (Rocky River Stadium, 7 p.m.).
by Skip Snow