'We came together as a family': Roosevelt football regains The Big R Trophy, tops Ravenna
RAVENNA — The 109th installment of Ravenna-Roosevelt football unfurled like a fairy tale.
The stories behind the Rough Riders' 28-20 win Saturday over their longtime rivals were priceless.
Jack Smith, the grandson of legendary former Roosevelt coach John Nemec, starred under center in his return from Stow-Munroe Falls, completing 18 of 28 passes for 331 yards and three scores.
Smith thus helped Kardell Jackson, back to lead his alma mater, win his head-coaching debut — and a Ravenna-Roosevelt game to boot.
"As soon as I got the job, I realized that this was Week 1 and we really just started to message to the guys that this is what it's about," Jackson said. "We came together as a family, but what means the most is the group of guys that we're doing it with, from the staff to the players. They were bought in. This group of guys, they give off this positive energy that's like no other team I've been a part of."
Together, they helped the Rough Riders regain The Big R Trophy, presented by Brimfield Insurance Group, snapping the Ravens' two-game win streak.
"My grandpa obviously has had a legacy here," Smith said. "He made his mark here, and there's nothing more that I would want to start my career back here [than to] beat Ravenna on the road.
"It all goes out to my receivers though. They did an awesome job. They make my job easy. My offensive line did a great job. Everyone busted their butt. I couldn't have done this without everyone else."
Roosevelt regains momentum, The Big R Trophy
On numerous occasions, Ravenna seemed poised to take control. The Ravens ran the ball with authority to take a 14-7 lead in Thursday's first half before rain and lightning forced a postponement, and they cut Roosevelt's advantage to a single point (21-20) midway through Saturday's second half.
The Rough Riders (1-0) had an answer every time.
They bent but rarely broke on defense, forcing four turnovers to help regain momentum time after time.
Smith seemingly always capitalized.
Down 14-7 in the final minutes of the first half, Smith provided a spark when he stepped up in the pocket on third-and-13 and found freshman receiver Tyler Ellington for a gain of 51. Two plays later, Smith connected with senior receiver Lincoln Wade on a 10-yard screen to tie the score.
After forcing a three-and-out, Smith struck on another third down, finding sophomore Jaiden Portis behind the defense for 54 yards and the go-ahead score.
And when the Ravens (0-1) drew close on Daniel Sanders' third touchdown run midway through the third quarter, Smith and the Rough Riders had another response ready.
Again, Smith seized on a defensive breakdown, finding sophomore Gavin Peeps behind the defense for a gain of 49 yards to successfully convert a third-and-6. Then came a few remarkable throws on the run to Teddy Maccarone, starting with a sidearm toss to the sophomore to begin digging out of a first-and-20. The duo combined again to get out of that hole, as Smith emerged from a congested pocket on fourth-and-6 to find Maccarone along the right sideline for a fresh set of downs.
Then, on second-and-goal, Smith took off to run — or so it seemed — but the senior instead came to a sudden halt and fired a pass to Maccarone along the right tip of the end zone to push Roosevelt's lead to 28-20.
"He knows he can run, and a lot of people do, but again something that's unnoticed [is] he's always looking to throw first," Jackson said. "So he stays ready, keeps it loaded, ready to go, but we teach that. That's part of our offense. We're finding green grass, or blue turf in this case. We're just finding an open space and getting there and you're always ready for a ball. You never know."
And Maccarone's emergence was one last great storyline to end the day.
Around Theodore Roosevelt High School, "Roll Teddy" is a favorite saying.
On the Rough Riders' final touchdown drive, Smith kept rolling and he kept finding Teddy Maccarone.
Roll Teddy, indeed.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Jackson, Smith help Roosevelt football reclaim The Big R Trophy
