H.S. Football: Medina falls to Cleveland Heights in a high octane showdown

Rick Noland The Gazette CLEVELAND HTS. — Medina quarterback Danny Stoddard and Cleveland Heights running back/linebacker Marquise Davis are going to be two tired young men this morning. So is the scoreboard operator. In an instant football classic that featured a bit of everything and then some, the Tigers downed the Bees 62-52 to take a gigantic step toward the outright Greater Cleveland Conference title. In scoring 81 first-half points and 114 total, the teams combined for 1,153 yards total offense, 48 first downs, eight turnovers (6 by the Bees) and 28 penalties for 259 yards (19 for 171 by the Tigers). A lot of guys had big nights, but no one was better than the 6-foot, 200-pound Davis, who finished with 359 yards and six touchdowns on 29 rushing attempts while also playing almost the entire game on defense, including a lot of cornerback due to an injury to Henry Perrymond. The owner of 4.42-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Davis had scoring runs of 37, 25, 15, 13, 48 and 53 yards. He was held to 2 yards or fewer on 10 carries but repeatedly broke long runs by getting to the edge and racing untouched down the sideline to help Cleveland Heights improve to 7-1, 5-0. "He's a stud, an absolute stud," Medina coach Larry Laird said after watching his team fall to 5-3, 3-2. "He'll be playing on Sunday (in the NFL), barring injury." Despite throwing a career-high five interceptions, Stoddard was spectacular in an incredibly gutsy performance. The senior completed 29-of-48 passes for 495 yards and a Medina County-record seven TDs while also rushing 22 times for 112 yards and a score. He was sacked four times, twice by 6-foot-4, 254-pound defensive end Brandon Caesar, whose college offers include Ohio State and Alabama. Stoddard's favorite target was Austin Knowles, who made some spectacular catches and even better runs after them to finish with 11 receptions for 211 yards, including TD grabs of 33 and 60 yards. On his first score, Knowles leaped high to make the catch and spun out of a tackle before racing into the end zone. On the 60-yarder, he made another great catch and ran the final 45 yards, which required going from near the left sideline to the right corner of the end zone. Jack Wojciak added eight catches for 125 yards and TDs of 15 and 13 yards while rushing four times for 43 yards, and Nathan Angus had a breakout game with five receptions for 107 yards, including TDs of 21, 53 and 20 yards. On the 53-yarder, the 6-4 Angus made a great leaping grab over a defensive back. Medina's six turnovers, however, proved costly in a game the Bees led 7-0 and 13-7 before falling behind 28-13, 42-19 — with 8:25 still to play in the first half! — and 49-32 at intermission. The Bees finished with 29 first downs and 650 yards total offense and Cleveland Heights had 19 and 503, but the Tigers committed just two turnovers. "You can't turn the ball over against a good football team," Laird said. "That's really what it came down to." Bigger than Medina's six turnovers — the Bees also failed to cover a pooch kick — was its inability to convert on three straight fourth downs while trailing 49-46. The first came on fourth-and-8 from the Cleveland Heights 39-yard line, as a Stoddard swing pass to Wojciak netted just 4 yards. The second came on fourth-and-1 from the Tigers 26, when the Bees lined up in a full-house backfield and Stoddard underthrew Cooper Josefczyk. The third also came on fourth-and-1, this time from the Tigers 19, when the Bees again lined up in a full-house backfield and Stoddard was picked off by John Gordon Jr., who earlier had a 45-yard pick-six. "You see the size of them and the size of us?" Laird said of the much bigger Tigers when asked why he didn't run the ball the latter two times. Cleveland Heights finally made Medina pay when Davis scooted around right end, shifted into fifth gear and raced down the sideline for a 48-yard TD that made it 56-46 with 5:21 to play, but the resolute Bees weren't done yet. Behind a mixture of Stoddard runs and passes, the Bees again faced fourth-and-1, this time from inside the Tigers 1. Medina again lineup up in a full-house backfield, with Stoddard pitching right to Wojciak, who was tackled for a 2-yard loss. The Tigers, however, were called for having 12 players on the field, moving Medina to about the 8-inch line, where Stoddard took a direct snap from center and was pushed into the end zone by Logan Peters, Josefczyk (4 tackles for loss, sack) and Wojciak, who were lined up at running back behind him. The Bees' third missed extra point of the night — they also failed on a two-point conversion attempt — left Cleveland Heights ahead 56-52 with 2:42 to go and Medina out of timeouts. His team needing a first down to wrap up the game, Davis went 53 yards for a touchdown on Cleveland Heights' second play after Medina's onside kick was recovered by the Tigers' Ty'Shaun Harwell. "When the game comes down to one or two plays, I want to be there for my team," said Davis, whose numerous college offers include one from Ohio State. "I needed to forget all the bad things that happened with the penalties and turn everything into a positive." On his 15-yard TD, multiple defenders had a chance to tackle Davis for a 5-yard loss as he headed right, but he spun away and sprinted around the left side. That wasn't even his best run. Nor were his 48- and 53-yarders in the final 5:21, which came after Medina had held the Tigers scoreless in the second half. The highlight was a 15-yard jaunt, again down the right sideline, where Davis leaped over a would-be tackler who was standing almost straight up, only to be called for a 15-yard penalty because hurdling is illegal at the high school level for safety reasons. Just a junior, Davis has 627 yards rushing and 12 TDs over the last two games for the Tigers, who have thrown just 54 passes all season. "I knew that my team needed me," said Davis, who ran two laps around the Cleveland Heights track before pregame warmups even started. "I can't fold under pressure." For Medina, which fought until the bitter end, the game came down to giving up too many big plays and not taking advantage of its fourth-quarter chances to go ahead. "We had multiple opportunities in the second half," Laird said. "I think if we take the lead, we win the football game." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Cleveland Heights 62, Medina 52 MEDINA 13 19 14 6 — 52 CLEVELAND HTS. 28 21 0 13 — 62 First M — Nathan Angus 21 pass from Danny Stoddard (Finn Kelps kick), 9:32. C — Marquise Davis 37 run (Gabe McKay kick), 8:40. M — Jack Wojciak 15 pass from Stoddard (kick blocked), 6:06. C — Davis 25 run (McKay kick), 5:38. C — Ammaar Lakes 1 run (McKay kick), 4:30. C — John Gordon Jr. 45 interception return (McKay kick), 0:15. Second M — Austin Knowles 33 pass from Stoddard (kick failed), 11:35. C — Davis 15 run (McKay kick), 9:48. C — Davis 13 run (McKay kick), 8:25. M — Angus 53 pass from Stoddard (pass failed), 6:45. M — Wojciak 13 pass from Stoddard (Kelps kick), 6:01. C — Lakes 21 run (McKay kick), 3:38. Third M — Angus 20 pass from Stoddard (Kelps kick), 10:22. M — Knowles 60 pass from Stoddard (Kelps kick), 7:16. Fourth C — Davis 48 run (McKay kick), 5:21. M — Stoddard 1 run (kick blocked), 2:42. C — Davis 53 run (kick blocked), 1:49. M C First downs &emsp;&emsp;29 19 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;26/155 51/451 Rushing average 6.0 8.8 Passing &emsp;&emsp;29/48 2/7 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;495 52 Total offense 74/650 58/503 Punting &emsp;&emsp;0/0 4/26.8 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;9/88 19/171 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;2/1 2/1 RUSHING: Medina — Stoddard 22-112, Wojciak 4-43. Cleveland Heights — Davis 29-359, Lakes 14-87, Emere Atkins 1-7, Gordon 6-(-1), Team 1-(-1). PASSING: Medina — Stoddard 29-48-495-5. Cleveland Heights — Lakes 2-7-52-1. RECEIVING: Medina — Knowles 11-211, Wojciak 8-125, Angus 5-107, Dylan Whitehill 3-26, Camryn Hathaway 2-26. Cleveland Heights — Gordon 2-52.