Northeast Ohio might have its next great running back.
Freshman running back Zach Barnhart gashed the Valley Forge defense for two touchdowns while the North Ridgeville Rangers erased a 13-point 4th quarter deficit, coming back to defeat the Valley Forge Patriots 21-20.
Down 20-7 to start the 4th quarter, North Ridgeville maintained its composure and continued to hand the ball off to Barnhart. The Patriots defense knew what was coming, and simply could not stop the Ranger rushing attack. After an 80-yard drive to make it 20-14 and a Valley Forge turnover on downs, North Ridgeville had the ball with 6:30 left, down 6. They embarked on a 74-yard drive, eating the clock down to 40 seconds, capped off with a Barnhart 3-yard touchdown. Valley Forge fumbled on their final possession, leading to a Rangers victory.
North Ridgeville offensive coordinator Dakota Romine shared his praise of Barnhart:
“We identified Zach back in February as a freshman we thought could help us. He worked his butt off in the weight room all year. Through camp, he was in the rotation for varsity, and in our first two scrimmages, he shined. Within our offense, with how much option we run and downhill running we do, we thought he’d be the guy. And he’s proving it.”
Barnhart could not have done it without his offensive line. Romine highlighted 6’4”, 315 lb. sophomore left tackle J.D. Radaway on the line, but the Patriots were dominated in the trenches throughout the game.
Photo by Anna Haberstro
Despite the comeback, the Patriots played great for three quarters. After a scoreless first quarter, Valley Forge scored two touchdowns in the 2nd quarter. Junior running back Elijah Williams started things off with a 22-yard touchdown, and senior running back Shane Warden followed it up with an 11-yard one of his own. The Patriots had great success running off the right side behind seniors John Jones and Da’Mill Glaze.
Warden also led the Patriots defensively. He had an explosive 4th down strip sack in the 1st quarter and was the best pure athlete on the field. Further, the Patriots pass defense was strong. Valley Forge senior cornerback Tayler Moore had a beautiful leaping interception in the end zone at the end of the first half with the Rangers driving to score. In the third quarter, senior linebacker Connor Pozniak intercepted a screen pass from sophomore quarterback Brendan Watchorn.
Photo by Anna Haberstro
Despite winning the turnover battle, the Patriots were hurt by penalties and a few missed opportunities. Most notably, up 20-7 in the 3rd quarter, Valley Forge just missed a potential touchdown, as junior quarterback Dan Kiewel just overthrew a wide-open Connor Pozniak.
Photo by Anna Haberstro
The 21-20 score is an exact repeat of their 2021 showdown. Despite being 15 point underdogs according to Drew Pasteur (fantastic50.net), North Ridgeville has now started the season with two straight upsets.
Next week, Valley Forge travels to Rocky River to face the Pirates on Friday night. North Ridgeville hosts Normandy next Friday in a matchup of two surprise teams.
Scoring
2nd Quarter
Valley Forge: Elijah Williams, 22 run (kick failed, 10:45)
North Ridgeville: Evan Monter, 18 run (kick good, 7:54)
Valley Forge: Shane Warden, 11 run (kick failed, 5:43)
3rd Quarter
Valley Forge: Elijah Williams, 3 run (Dan Kiewel to Dylan Schonberger pass, 3:40)
4th Quarter
North Ridgeville: Zach Barnhart, 4 run (kick good, 9:10)
North Ridgeville: Zach Barnhart, 3 run (kick good, 0:40)
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