Posts Tagged "Rough Riders"

But in the second half, Chapman — only 4-of-9 passing for 74 yards in the first half — lit up the chilly fall evening, hitting 15-of-17 passes for 196 yards and three scores to lead the Rough Riders to a scintillating 42-35 Portage Trail Conference Metro Division win over their Ravenna neighbors.

The victory gives Kent Roosevelt the 2011 PTC Metro title and a spot in the Division II playoffs. The Rough Riders (9-1, 7-0) will open postseason play in the quarterfinals next Friday at 7 p.m.

Though his arm did most of the damage on the night, it was a Chapman short 1-yard run with 1:59 left in the game that broke a 35-35 tie and gave the Rough Riders win.

“He can run, pass and is a good leader,” said Roosevelt coach John Nemec of his junior quarterback.

Chapman’s winning score was set up by a Shakeel Howard 6-yard run on a 4th-and-3 situation one play earlier.

The drama was far from over, however.

Operating without any timeouts, the Ravens offense — thanks in large part to a 37-yard pass from Brandon Holt to D.J. Jones — moved down to the Roosevelt 5-yard line with 24 seconds to go.

But the Ravens (8-2, 6-1) got no further, with three incomplete passes running out the clock, including the final one in the end zone as time expired.

“This was a special win,” said Nemec, after his squad notched the school’s 45th win in the series’ 90th meeting (45-43-2). “There are a lot of emotions we have gone through this year, and the kids have held it together. In a game like this, you have to be careful you don’t get too uptight. I was real proud. I thought they kept coming back. They played their hearts out. Now, so did Ravenna.

“It was a great high school football game.”

Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi echoed Nemec’s thoughts.

“It was a hard-fought battle and I think it could have went either way at the end, obviously,” he said. “The ball fell their way. There have been numerous times where it has fallen our way. It happens. I’m proud of our kids. They have done wonderful things. And (Roosevelt) has done wonderful things.

“It came down to (six-tenths of a second),” said Lunardi, whose squad had already clinched a playoff spot in Division III heading into Friday’s game. “We had a chance at the end and we didn’t get it. It happens.”

Though his team lost, Jones had another great night, rushing for 227 yards and four scores. He also surpassed 2,000 yards for the season.

Jones’ final TD came with 10 seconds left in the third quarter and put the Ravens on top 28-21.

Chapman answered by hitting Trei Thomas for a 30-yard strike to tie the game for the fourth time with 8:50 showing.

“The long ball. It was third-and-17 and we give up a touchdown,” said Lunardi. “That hurts. (Chapman) does a nice job of throwing the ball and finding open receivers. There were times where we would get pressure and didn’t get to him. Other times we did.”

Less than two minutes later, Rich Graves — who was on the receiving end of Chapman’s other two TD passes — picked off Holt in the left flat and returned it 29 yards to give Roosevelt its first lead of the night. It was Graves’ second pick of the game and Holt’s third of the night.

“I just followed (the quarterback’s) eyes and when he released it, I broke on the ball,” said Graves. “I caught it and raced to the end zone.”

Holt bounced right back and scampered 7 yards with 4:54 to go to once again knot the contest at 35-35.

The next time Roosevelt got the ball, Chapman hit Graves with successive 12-yard passes to ignite the winning drive.

“We knew we could do it and came out here and proved everybody that doubted us wrong,” said Graves. “It was a complete team victory, and I’m so glad we can call ourselves champs.”

Original article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5116596

Instead, they played their best when nothing less would suffice.

In a wild, well-played high school football game on the final night of the regular season, Kent Roosevelt scored three touchdowns in the final 8:50 on Friday and went on to defeat host Ravenna, 42-35, in front of a sold-out crowd of about 5,000 fans on a chilly night in Ravenna Stadium.

The final outcome was in doubt until time expired with Ravenna on Roosevelt’s 5-yard line.

In storybook fashion, the victory gave the Rough Riders, ranked 24th in The Plain Dealer Top 25, the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division championship and probably will be enough to secure a spot in the Division II, Region 5 playoffs. The final computer rankings will be announced Sunday.

“This ranks right there with the best,” said veteran Roosevelt coach John Nemec, in his 27th year as head coach. “This is a real special win. There are a lot of emotions we’ve gone through this season. The kids held it together. In a game like this, you have to be careful you don’t get too uptight. I was proud of the way they kept coming back.”

Emotional indeed. Division I recruit Ryan Anderson, a 6-4, 326-pound offensive guard who was being recruited by practically every major college, was diagnosed with cancer last spring. Another player lost his father to cancer a few weeks ago. Anderson was on hand on Friday and was reluctant to part with the PTC championship trophy during a jubilant postgame celebration.

Roosevelt is 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the league. Ravenna, with a spot in the Division III playoffs already secured, slipped to 8-2, 6-0. That was of little consolation to coach Jim Lunardi, whose team is 13th in The Plain Dealer poll.

“It was a great high school game,” he said. “I’m proud of our kids and happy for their kids. But no, knowing we’re in the playoffs doesn’t ease the sting. I’d rather win a league championship and have something to hang our hats on. We can keep a state title in mind, but we have to move on.”

The game had more than its share of stars.

No one, perhaps, burned brighter than Roosevelt quarterback TraVon Chapman. The 6-2, 200-pound junior accounted for 371 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-clincher with 1:59 to play on a 1-yard run. The son of Kent State receivers coach Thad Jamison rushed for 101 yards on 27 carries and completed 19-of-26 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

Senior wide receiver Richard Graves caught eight of those passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns and also scored what might have been the biggest touchdown of the game when he intercepted a Brandon Holt pass and returned it 29 yards with 7:12 to play.

The score gave the Rough Riders their first lead of the game at 34-28.

“We knew we had to get a stop,” said Graves, a 5-7, 168-pound senior who caught scoring passes of 6 and 47 yards. “We felt whoever got the first stop would probably win the game. When I broke on my interception and outraced the guys was when I knew the tide had turned.”

D.J. Jones, who came into the game with more than 1,600 yards rushing, did what he does best. He gained 128 yards and scored touchdowns on runs of 1, 3, 39 and 14 yards. Holt completed 8-of-18 passes for 125 yards and gained 87 yards on 14 carries.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com; 216-999-5169

On Twitter:@TimRogersPD

Original Article can be found at: http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/4196437943268666049/three-touchdowns-in-fourth-quarter-give-kent-roosevelt-comeback-win-over-rival-ravenna/

The past and present of one of Northeast Ohio’s premier football rivalries shared the same room on Wednesday, celebrating the rich gridiron tradition between two neighboring communities.

For the 13th year, city leaders, school administrators, players, cheerleaders and band members of Kent Roosevelt and Ravenna convened for the annual Captain’s Luncheon, which was hosted by NEOMED and co-sponsored by Robinson Memorial Hospital and Brimfield Insurance.

Honoring the present, the event showcased Friday’s 90th meeting between the two schools, who enter Friday’s game with identical 8-1 overall records and undefeated 6-0 division records.

Honoring the past, distinguished alumni from each school were invited to provide a historical aspect to the rivalry.

The players included Gary Roberts, Brad Dickerson, Jim DeLeone, Harold Brown and former head coach Tom Campana from Kent Roosevelt.

Campana is a member of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame and holds one very unique distinction within the Kent Roosevelt-Ravenna football rivalry: He has been the only head coach to coach at both schools.

After beginning his coaching career with the Ravens, he would later take over at Kent Roosevelt, winning 148 career games.

From Ravenna, alumni included Bruce Ribelin, Yank Heisler, John Davison, Jim Drumheller, Gene Brown and Frank Hairston.

In total, approximately 90 people were in attendance.

Also representing the Ravens was Ken Long, who was the luncheon’s featured speaker.

Long graduated from Ravenna in 1971, but not before earning three letters in football and two more in wrestling.

He went on to become a three-year starter at Purdue University. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round (44th selection overall) of the 1976 NFL Draft. He appeared in 13 games for the Lions during the 1976 season.

“This is the 90th year of this game,” Long said. “Years from now, you’re always going to remember what you did, who you played against, who was on your team.

“Just think about all the names and tradition in this rivalry,” Long said. “There are All-Americans and All-Pros on this list, successful businessmen and community leaders. They all played in this game.”

Long’s speech also focused on the legacy this particular rivalry creates. That the reason the distinguished alumni were even invited to this year’s Captain’s Luncheon is because of the 2011 Ravens and Riders.

“You keep (the rivalry) going for us, too,” Long said.

•••

Contact Colin Harris at charris@recordpub.com or 330-298-1123; on Twitter @rcsportsnow
Original article can be found at: http://recordpub.com/news/sports_article/5115444

However, it has always showcased a game where the two sides slam into each other throughout four quarters, but with players picking each other up after every play.

Coaches, administrators and community members make it a priority to inject the historical aspect of the game to the current group of players, which creates a natural level of respect between the two teams.

So when Kent Roosevelt star offensive lineman Ryan Anderson was diagnosed with cancer, many from the Ravenna football family were some of the first to reach out to the Rough Riders’ program and Anderson’s family.

The Ravens are not done, though, in their push to help Anderson.

The Ravenna football program has initiated a season-long T-shirt sale that will lead to all funds donated directly to Anderson and his family. The project has been titled “Teaming up for a Cause.”

The shirts, which have been purchased at Sports Xpress in downtown Ravenna, are white and feature the phrase “Never let your guard down” on the back, making reference to Anderson’s spot as a guard on the offensive line. The shirts also feature Anderson’s No. 79 and a Kent Roosevelt helmet.

The cost of the shirts are $12 and can be purchased throughout the rest of the high school football season by contacting Kristin Stonestreet at 330-322-7444 or Billy Tarver at 330-388-9475. Checks should be made payable to the Ravenna Gridiron Club.

“We want people to know that, yeah we are rivals, but we know there are things much more important than football in life,” Ravenna head coach Jim Lunardi said. “Ryan’s health and his march to continue life is something we want to be a part of. We want to be there to help him.”

The two teams will meet for the 90th time on the final night of the regular season, Oct. 28 in Ravenna. Kent Roosevelt leads all-time series, 44-43-2.