High school football: Black River gunslinger Dom Bell draws attention at three-way scrimmage

WESTFIELD TWP. — The Dom Bell Era is off to a rousing start. While the Black River football team entered a three-way scrimmage with Division IV Cloverleaf and D-VI playoff qualifier Crestview as a bit of an afterthought Friday, the gun-slinging freshman and a veteran corps of receivers had people talking after the Pirates went toe to toe against opponents with, on paper, better size and speed. Bell finished the evening that featured sets of 10 plays as well as down-and-distance action 16-for-21 passing for 242 yards and four touchdowns while spreading the ball to five receivers and only being sacked once behind a undersized, inexperienced line. While the Pirates failed to run the rock with any success — they had 12 yards on 19 attempts — guys like Zane Bungard (6 catches, 144 yards, 2 TDs), Austin Pamer (4, 47, 1) and Bryce Murray (2, 28, 1) more than picked up the slack. "Offensively, our line on pass block (did well)," Bell said. "We also had great separation from our wide receivers. "I would give (credit) to my coaches and teammates. They told me to stay calm, and that really motivated me to get out there and sling it." Bell, a right-hander with impressive vision and touch for his age, added an interception in the end zone while playing cornerback for a small but physical defense that forced hypothetical three-and-outs on its first two possessions. The Pirates also got a sack from Bungard, two tackles for loss from Gabe Negron, one TFL from Mason Koberna and a fumble recovery from Varney, though they wore down a bit as the night progressed with most of the lineup going both ways. That was a minor nitpick, however, for a team built around veterans at the skill positions. Black River, which was without two-year starting running back Jayce Hopek due to injury, looked hungry to improve on a 4-6 record that included three losses decided by eight points or fewer. "Our defensive line was at it today," Bell said. "They were all over the run game." The vibe for Cloverleaf was a mixed bag, as the Colts had to wake up from a sloppy start. The scrimmage came with an asterisk because Cloverleaf likes to run its quarterbacks — two-hand touch on QBs is the standard rule these days in scrimmages — was without beef tackle Dominic Nau and saw All-Gazette running back/linebacker Ethan Gray (4 carries, 7 yards) extremely limited due to a minor injury. There were still bright spots, chiefly quarterback Isaac Smith. The junior right-hander, who only began playing the position last season, ended up 14-for-26 for 179 yards and touchdowns to Brayden Beier (16, 8 yards) and running back Austin "Crockpot" Sprankle (2) — "he's slow to get hot, but once he does he cooks," assistant coach Cade Cass said — while only being sacked once. Ashton Gray was the top all-around threat with three carries for 42 yards and three catches for 47 yards, while Beier added five grabs for 63 yards and the two scores. Like Black River, Cloverleaf struggled with its ground game to the tune of 21 carries for 82 yards — 37 came on an early Gray jet sweep — but showed increased confidence in a passing attack that has been inconsistent over the last three seasons. "We can spread it around," Gray said. "We have athletes, so we need to get them all the ball." On the flip side, the defense got an interception from Jimmy Tolley, active play from Medina County returning tackle leader Adam Gray and two tackles for loss from nose tackle-turned-outside linebacker Elliot Jordan. Most importantly, the Colts also did a great job of shaking off the early rust, which is what scrimmages are designed for. "(The coaches) were telling us stuff after that first drive when we didn't do too hot," Ashton Gray said. "We fixed it, played hard and flew to the ball. "We're not the biggest, but we hit. We'll rally to the ball and have fun." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.