Black River’s balanced rushing attack earns them regional semifinal win over Wickliffe

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, OHIO– Both teams in the Division V, Region 17 semifinal game between the Wickliffe Blue Devils and Black River Pirates boasted rushing attacks that have done damage all season.

Coming into Friday night’s game, Wickliffe had two 1,000-yard rushers in Isaac Pettway and Nick Fenton. Black River had three in Jake Campbell, Riley Gibbs and Travis Sexton.

In the end, Black River’s running game was able to bend and break Wickliffe as they came away with a 44-6 victory.

Every single yard of the Pirates offense (480) came from their rushing attack, thanks in large part to the strong blocking of their offensive line. Meanwhile, the Black River defense was able to hold the Blue Devils to just 165 total rushing yards, nearly half the amount that they put up on Grand Valley last week.

The Blue Devils started out the game having some success on the run and made it all the way to the Pirates’ 12-yard line on their first drive before they fumbled the ball and Black River recovered. The Pirates scored on the drive following their recovery, when Campbell had a three-yard run after Sexton blew the drive open with a 53-yard dash. After a successful two-point conversion run from Gibbs, Black River held an 8-0 lead.

.@BRathletics13 up 8-0 over @WHS_Blue_Devils with 2:20 to go in the 1Q after this 3 yd TD run from Jake Campbell @NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/zpRUXdOwov

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) November 11, 2017

“High school football is all about momentum I think, it goes back and forth,” Black River head coach Al Young said when asked about being able to capitalize right away on a Wickliffe turnover. “We knew they were good. We knew they could drive the ball, they have very fast backs that are very good backs. They’re not in the second round for nothing. We just had to keep playing defense and keep letting things happen.”

Let things happen they did.

Another score came for the Pirates in the opening minute of the second quarter, when Gibbs had a 71-yard scoring run on the third play of the opening drive. After another two-point conversion from Sexton, Black River took a 16-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But perhaps the biggest play of the game came in the opening drive of the third quarter, as Gibbs went 55 yards to the house to give Black River a 22-0 lead. The Pirates, feeling the momentum beginning to cement itself on their sideline, scored again on their very next drive thanks to an 18-yard run from Campbell. Things were beginning to go off the rails as they held a 30-0 lead with over eight minutes to go in the quarter after another two-point conversion from Gibbs.

.@BRathletics13 leads @WHS_Blue_Devils 30-0 with 8:00 to go in 3Q after this 18 yd TD run from Jake Campbell @NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/2baGyuEzXC

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) November 11, 2017

“He’s an outstanding back,” Young said. “It’s nice having backs that when they hit that crease, they can take it to the house. It changes the momentum of a game like that.”

“I thought the back-breaker was right there at the beginning of the second half,” he continued. “We were able to take the wind out of their sails with that (score), and it gave us the momentum and I don’t think we gave it back.”

Less than three minutes later, the Pirates found the end zone again as Justin Zacharyasz ran it in from five yards out. After another two-point conversion, Black River held a 38-0 lead with the running clock working in their favor.

.@BRathletics13 now up 38-0 after this 5yd TD and 2pt conv from Justin Zacharyasz with 3:00 to go in 3Q @NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/neVLWcuDG9

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) November 11, 2017

Wickliffe was determined to not get shutout, however. And in a game with few bright spots from the Blue Devils, the most critical play came on their next drive when Pettway recorded their only touchdown of the game, a beautiful 67-yard run where he broke five tackles.

The Pirates would put up their final touchdown with just under five minutes to go in the game as Zacharyasz recorded a four-yard run, making the final score 44-6 in favor of Black River.

Another TD from @BRathletics13 Justin Zacharyasz, Pirates lead @whs_blue_devils 44-6,with 4:48 to go in the game @NEOSportsInside pic.twitter.com/LVVmqE1be9

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) November 11, 2017

Gibbs lead all rushers with 200 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Campbell added in another 110 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while Sexton had 140 yards on eight carries.

While the Blue Devils had 165 rushing yards, Pettway had 131 of them on 12 carries. Nick Fenton was held to just 12 carries and 19 yards, but also managed a 21-yard reception. Quarterback Brad Dieterich went 3-of-10 passing with 40 yards to round out major offensive players for Wickliffe.

In the end, between two teams that were known locally for their rushing attacks, the fact that the Pirates were so dominant from the opening kick-off spoke volumes.

“We definitely wanted to make sure that we came out of here doing it better,” Young said.

Mission accomplished. Black River will play South Range next week for a trip to the Division V state semifinal game, while Wickliffe’s season ends at 8-4.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

If the Pirates didn’t have so many capable backs, it’s scary to think what Gibbs could do each week. His 200 yards and two touchdowns came with such ease on just 13 carries to help cement Black River’s win.