High school football: Brunswick pulls out win against Shaker Heights

SHAKER HTS. — The Brunswick football team didn't have many splash plays in a Greater Cleveland Conference game against Shaker Heights on Friday, but the few it did made all the difference as the Blue Devils pulled out a late 21-14 win. Brunswick (2-3, 1-1) was methodical, plodding and the epitome of ground-and-pound, building a 13-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter. A 9-yard touchdown by Landen Kirchner (4 rushes, 36 yards) and 42- and 40-yard field goals off the foot of Vincenzo DiTeodoro accounted for the Brunswick points. Then the Raiders (1-4, 0-2), facing third-and-25 from their own 5-yard line after a sack from Brunswick's Jamaurie Garth, suddenly came alive. Shaker quarterback Quinn Malone (11-of-21, 192 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 6 carries, 35 yards) threw up a prayer that Jacire Eaddy (3 catches, 78 yards, TD) somehow hauled in for a 47-yard reception and a big first down. A 24-yard scramble from Malone and a 29-yard scoring strike from Malone to Isaac Fadel gave the Raiders a stunning 14-13 lead. With their backs suddenly against the wall and lacking any semblance of explosive plays — the longest play to this point was a 14-yard run by Kirchner — the Blue Devils found a way. Kirchner took the ensuing kickoff and ducked, dipped, dodged and hit the turbo button for a big 51-yard return to the Shaker Heights 46-yard line with 4:16 remaining. "I knew that we needed a really big play," he said. "I don't know if some of our guys' morale was down, but I just knew we needed a big play. Right before the ball was kicked, I heard the drums behind me, and I was like, 'I am just going to try and take it back.' "I got the ball and I took off. I had one guy to beat and it was the kicker. I tried to cut back and he tripped me up. I was very happy to start that drive off for my guys." Knowing they didn't need to gain too many yards to give DiTeodoro a shot at a game-winning kick, the Blue Devils stuck to their guns and kept things on the ground. On fourth-and-2 from the Raiders 42, Eli Nichols (16 carries, 88 yards) banged into the center of the line and emerged with a crucial first down. Brunswick was 3-for-3 on fourth-down attempts in the game. "I am not really as shifty as (Gavin) Ballok and all the other ones," Nichols said. "I just have to run people over. Every game my dad yells at me and says, 'If one guy takes you down, then you failed.' I always have to drag people and always have to get extra yards." The next first down was also an inside handoff to Nichols. The All-Ohio defensive end broke through the line and raced 34 yards for a monster touchdown, more than doubling his team's longest play of the game. "We kind of ran the same play five times in a row," Nichols said. "We ran it one more time. We needed a first down and we needed a push. Our linemen had great blocks. Ajay (Rebraca) had a great block. I saw the lane and just had to take off. I knew we needed a big play. We were just trying to get into field goal range. ... Our center, Jamaurie Garth, was going crazy and I saw the big play and had to make it." Sticking to what worked, Nichols then converted the two-point conversion on a run up the gut to give Brunswick a 21-14 lead with 2:17 left to play. With the arm and legs of Malone leading the way, the Raiders drove to the Brunswick 45 with just over a minute to play when the third and final big play took place. Malone, looking for the play that had given Brunswick problems earlier in the contest, threw a deep ball on a post route that Brunswick defensive back Brayden Miles leaped high and pulled down for an interception at the Brunswick 10 to squash Shaker Heights' last chance. Eaddy scored the Raiders' first touchdown on the same route, so the Blue Devils knew what to expect. "We talked about that play," Miles said. "They scored on it before. It was a total miscommunication in our defensive backfield. We talked about it at halftime. They hit it once and they were going to go back to it. We were ready for it. We were playing a little bit deeper, but we were ready for it for sure." Cohen Easa had an interception to set up DiTeodoro's second field goal, Logan Matousek had three tackles for loss, Garth had a sack and Devan Horay and Nichols each had a tackle for loss. "I have to give a big shout out to our other defensive lineman," Nichols said. "They really stepped up for me. I felt I could have done a lot more on defense, but I am glad that my teammates had my back. I am going to have their back in the games to come." The Blue Devils were determined to keep the ground game in focus, running 57 times for 208 yards while completing just 3-of-9 passes for 24 yards, the longest a 9-yard pass from Sean Barnett to Gavin Moore early in the fourth quarter. Eight players had rushing attempts, with Nichols, Ballok (17 carries, 48 yards) and Kirchner leading the way. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Brunswick 21, Shaker Heights 14 BRUNSWICK &emsp;&emsp;7 0 3 11 — 21 SHAKER HEIGHTS 7 0 0 7 — 14 First B — Landen Kirchner 9 run (Vincenzo DiTeodoro kick), 5:42. S — Jacire Eaddy 29 pass from Quinn Malone (Andrew Mullen kick), 1:57. Third B — DiTeodoro 42 field goal, 0:57. Fourth B — DiTeodoro 40 field goal, 7:47. S — Isaac Fadel 29 pass from Malone (Mullen kick), 4:16. B — Eli Nichols 34 run (Nichols run), 2:17. &emsp;&emsp;B &emsp;&emsp;S First downs &emsp;&emsp;17 &emsp;&emsp;12 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;57/208&emsp;&emsp;19/76 Rushing average &emsp;&emsp;3.6 &emsp;&emsp;4.0 Passing &emsp;&emsp;3/9&emsp;&emsp;11/21 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;24 &emsp;&emsp;192 Total offense &emsp;&emsp;66/232 40/268 Punting &emsp;&emsp;4/33.0 4/39.5 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;6/65&emsp;&emsp;10/90 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;1/1 &emsp;&emsp;1/0 RUSHING: Brunswick — Nichols 16-88, Gavin Ballok 17-48, Kirchner 4-36, Cohen Easa 4-18, Jake Tamosiunas 3-11, Anothony Gamboa 1-4, Ajay Rebraca 1-3, Barnett 11-0. Shaker Heights — Malone 6-35, Rayshon Johnson 10-20, Bryan Fleshman 2-14, Eaddy 1-7. PASSING: Brunswick — Barnett 2-6-17-0, Tamosiunas 1-2-7-0, Adin Evert 0-1-0-0. Shaker Heights — Malone 11-21-192-2. RECEIVING: Brunswick — Gavin Moore 2-17, Evert 1-7. Shaker Heights — Eaddy 3-78, Isaac Fadel 2-40, Jacob Pope 1-36, Johnson 3-19, Andrew Berglund 1-14, Kingston Seals 1-5.