ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (Oct. 4, 2024) -- Points were tough to come by in a Friday night defensive tussle between the Rocky River Pirates and North Olmsted Eagles. But a 3-pointer on the final snap of the night -- by way of a senior knocking his first career field goal through the uprights on a Senior Night at the Gridiron in the Heart of River -- clinched a 17-16 triumph for the Sons of Blackbeard.
The Pirates were outgained 283 yards to 236 in the hard-fought Cleveland West Conference battle. Each of six scores in the game marked a tie or lead change in a seesaw exchange that concluded with Rocky River earning its fourth consecutive victory.
Over their three previous wins in the streak, the Pirates (6-1, 4-0 CWC) had piled up 129 points. On Friday, a strong North Olmsted (2-5, 2-2) defense held a big-play Buccaneer offense to just a handful of explosive plays. But late in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line, River did get a big-play jolt from its special teams.
Trailing 16-14 after allowing a 59-yard touchdown pass at the midpoint of the fourth and then a safety on the ensuing set of downs, the Rocky River defense came up with a big three-and-out with under-three minutes left. The Maroon & White, who got big performances on the night by a pair of high-motor Michaels -- Bebie and Worgull -- and a pair of Pirate Greybeards -- seniors Ben Bogre and Cam Bulkowski, forced an Eagles punt near midfield. But the gridiron would be flipped moments later when senior punt returner Oran Grieve rambled 50 yards to put the River offense in position to strike back. And strike last.
The Pirates took over at the North Olmsted 37-yard line with 2:47 remaining. Over the next 2:46 of clock time, the Double-R would run six plays and move the pigskin down to the 4-yard line. Enter senior kicker Stephen Cain, who had previously had a 37-yarder blocked and was 0-for-3 on field-goal tries for the season.
But Cain, who is also a standout for the Rocky River soccer team, is no stranger to leveraging his right leg to net positive plays for the Pirates. Off a snap from Henry Ward and a hold by London Hover, the senior banged home the 3-pointer. And the grudging points-column lights on the Rocky River Stadium scoreboard were mobilized one final time. They read 'Rocky River 17, Visitors 16' as the Pirates mobbed the field in victory.
In and amongst the Buccaneer horde were 11 seniors. And more than a few from that bunch came through with key plays throughout. Josh Mommers played quarterback and figured in both River touchdowns. He threw a 9-yard TD pass to fellow senior Ben Bogre late in the second quarter (Bogre's first career TD) and then scored on a 14-yard scramble midway through the third. For the game, Mommers was 10-of-14 for 127 passing yards, and he carried the ball 24 times for 69 yards.
Grieve added two catches to his key punt return. Bogre (three receptions) and Bulkowski (four) were Mommers' top targets. The two-way seniors also combined for 11 tackles (Worgull-11T and Bebie-7T were the top Pirate tacklers). Aidan Laporte filed a 23-yard catch, which was one of just four explosive plays on the night for the River offense. Daoud Asleh, Cameron Hom, Ben Kuhnen, and Brady McCarthy also contributed throughout for a Double-R squad that has now seen its Class of 2025 go a combined 29-14 on the gridiron.
That four-year run has also seen two conference titles and three trips to the Buckeye State playoffs. Might more hardware be in store for that 11-man, veteran core of the team?
CANNON FIRE ...
YARDAGE OUTAGE: Rocky River's 236 yards of total offense came on the heels of the Pirates gaining 463 yards in Week 4, 374 yards in Week 5, and 416 yards in Week 6. The Friday tally marks River's second-lowest total of the season (99 yards vs. Sandusky Perkins on Sept. 6) and the program's fewest yards in a win since Oct. 30, 2020 (199 yards vs. Copley).
PIRATES-EAGLES: Friday's barnburner comes after blowouts each of the last two meetings in the Rocky River-North Olmsted series. In 2022, the Eagles whipped the Buccaneers 56-14. In 2023, RRHS downed NOHS 40-3. ... Rather remarkably, the one-point game marks the sixth such contest between the two programs. The Raiders clocked one-point triumphs in 1959 (15-14), 1967 (21-20), and 1979 (15-14). The Eagles earned one-pointers in 1970 (8-7) and 1992 (29-28). The two schools have also had two ties (1965, 1969) in their 57-game all-time series. North Olmsted leads that series 34-21-2.
ON DECK: Rocky River will host a special Thursday night CWC game against Westlake. The renewal of the battle for the Westwood Cup will kick off Thursday at 7 p.m. ... The Demons started the season 2-1 but have dropped four straight games since. Westlake (2-5, 0-4) will be playing a regionally ranked Top-8 for a third consecutive week. Rocky River is currently ranked No. 2 in DIII Region 10. ... Since 2004, the RRHS-WHS series has been tight, with the Pirates notching eight wins and the Demons six. But Rocky River has won the last four meetings (2014, 2019, 2022, 2023) and has done so by a combined score of 192-65.
by Skip Snow
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