High school football: Buckeye dominates ground game in win over Bay

YORK TWP. — Liam Phillips, Denis Shevchenko, Brayden Sopko and Nick Prouza got the numbers, but Mark Shevchenko, Preston Ware, Grady Giles, Ashton McClellan and Ryan Lino should each get one-fifth of the game ball. Behind a standout performance from its offensive line, the Buckeye football team dominated on the ground Friday while beating Bay 33-14 in a Cleveland West Conference opener between teams looking for their first win of the season. In avoiding becoming the first Buckeye team since 2008 to start a season 0-4, the Bucks (1-3, 1-0) rushed 59 times for 395 yards and threw just two passes, one of them a wide receiver screen that Prouza took 32 yards to the house for his team's first passing TD of the season. "We knew we had to bring it," 5-foot-11, 197-pound left guard Ware said. "We just dominated them." Tailback Phillips led the ground game with 25 carries for 168 yards and a TD, while fullback Denis Shevchenko had 17 attempts for 128 yards and two scores. With both also playing defense, Sopko, who plays on that side of the ball as well, provided incredible depth in the backfield en route to 79 yards and a TD on seven carries. Prouza added 31 yards on six jet sweeps as Buckeye ran 61 plays for 427 yards to Bay's 42 for 230. "This was really important after three non-conference losses," Denis Shevchenko said. "We need to get on a roll. The best we can get is 7-3, and that's our goal. "The O-line was great. They did more than enough for us to win. I love those guys. I wouldn't get the plays I do without them." Bay, by contrast, called just one designed run, with its other seven credited rushes coming on sacks or scrambles by quarterback Patrick Cleary (19-for-31 passing, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs). As a result, the Rockets (0-4, 0-1) finished with minus-13 yards on the ground. The visitors, however, scored first, with Cleary completing 3-of-6 passes in a 74-yard drive that took just 1:16, with the last 29 coming when receiver Ethan Sedivec (2 catches, 57 yards) outleaped a Buckeye defender and landed in the end zone. The Bucks tied immediately with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that was entirely on the ground, with Denis Shevchenko running left behind Ware and brother Mark Shevchenko for the final 15. Sopko then went right for a 40-yard score on his first carry of the game to put Buckeye ahead for good at 13-7 early in the second quarter. When 5-10, 132-pound sophomore quarterback Chase Geyer hit Prouza, who was split wide left, along the line of scrimmage for the 32-yard TD and Phillips ran for the two-point conversion, the Bucks seemed in control up 21-7 at halftime, especially since they got the ball to start the second half. On the first play of the third period, however, Bay defensive lineman Blake Williams took the ball right out of Geyer's hands, giving the Rockets the ball at the Buckeye 31-yard line. Three plays later, Bay made it a 21-14 game when Cleary hit Brody Beggs (5 catches, 87 yards) across the middle and Beggs broke a tackle at the 10 to complete a 30-yard scoring play. The Rockets got the ball back and had a golden chance to tie in the third, but Beggs, who caught everything else, dropped a pass along the left sideline that would have been a 27-yard TD. "They threw it over us, but then our DBs played a lot better," Ware said. "We got pressure on the quarterback and they couldn't make those throws anymore." Buckeye controlled play from that point, with Denis Shevchenko scoring from 9 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter and Phillips adding a 4-yard TD on the next possession. "No other team in the conference has three running backs like we do," Denis Shevchenko said. "That keeps us fresh." The Bucks, who finished with a 24-12 advantage in first downs, got interceptions from Phillips and Brenden Murphy, a fumble recovery and tackle for loss from Denis Shevchenko and two sacks apiece from Ware and Colton Homchik. Most importantly for Buckeye, it got its first win of the season. "Those three losses were all tough," Ware said. "Tonight we showed what we can do when we do things right." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Buckeye 33, Bay 14 BAY 7 0 7 0 — 14 BUCKEYE 7 14 0 12 — 33 First Ba — Ethan Sedivec 29 pass from Patrick Cleary (Griffin Ruppe kick), 10:44. Bu — Denis Shevchenko 15 run (Gavin Waltos kick), 4:33. Second Bu — Brayden Sopko 40 run (kick failed), 10:53. Bu — Nick Prouza 32 pass from Chase Geyer (Liam Phillips run), 0:44. Third Ba — Brody Beggs 30 pass from Cleary (Ruppe kick), 10:19. Fourth Bu — Shevchenko 8 run (kick blocked), 11:56. Bu — Phillips 4 run (run failed), 2:18. Ba Bu First downs &emsp;&emsp;12 24 Rushing &emsp;&emsp;8/-13 59/395 Rushing average -1.6 6.7 Passing &emsp;&emsp;19/34 1/2 Passing yards &emsp;&emsp;243 32 Total offense 42/230 61/427 Punting &emsp;&emsp;1/17.0 1/31.0 Penalties &emsp;&emsp;6/43 4/35 Fumbles &emsp;&emsp;2/1 2/2 Individual statistics RUSHING: Bay — George Benko 1-3, Cleary 7-(-16). Buckeye — Phillips 25-168, Shevchenko 17-128, Sopko 7-79, Prouza 6-31, Team 2-(-3), Geyer 2-(-8). PASSING: Bay — Cleary 19-31-243-2, Ben Schrock 0-3-0-0. Buckeye — Geyer 1-2-32-0. RECEIVING: Bay — Beggs 5-87, Sedivec 2-57, Jack McManamon 4-41, James Honicky 3-32, Ben Rickson 3-20, Benko 1-8, Lute Harmon III 1-(-2). Buckeye — Prouza 1-32.