Warriors, Spartans see seasons end in first round of playoffs
Oct. 28—Staff Report
Niles and Edgewood played a back-and-forth first-round Divison IV, Region 13 first-round playoff game on Friday night at Niles.
In the end, the Red Dragons outscored the Warriors 65-28 to advance in the postseason. The Warriors ended the season at 6-5.
Edgewood opened the scoring in the first quarter.
After a fumble recovery, quarterback Tony Hall found Jacob Ernst for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Samuel Lindner's extra point gave the Warriors a 7-0 lead.
The Red Dragons, specifically running back Antuan Gardner, reeled off 21 straight points. He ended up with 471 yards rushing and six TDs for the game.
Gardner scored on runs of 6 and 7 yards in the first quarter to give Niles a 14-7 advantage.
In the second quarter, Gardner ripped off a 54-yard TD run to increase the Red Dragons' lead to 21-7.
The Warriors cut the deficit to 21-14 as Hall and Ernst hooked up on a 7-yard pass for their second TD of the game. Lindner converted the extra point.
But the Red Dragons regained their two-score lead as Landon Turner went 65 yards for his first TD in the opening half.
However, Edgewood kept plugging along.
Hall hit Anthony Hunt on a 28-yard scoring strike. Lindner's extra point drew the Warriors to within 28-21.
Niles, though, closed the first half with a 4-yard pass for a TD to take a 35-21 lead at halftime.
On the first play of the second half, Gardner ran 59 yards for his fourth rushing TD, increasing the Red Dragons advantage to 42-21.
Hall threw his fourth TD of the game in third quarter, hitting Riley Baldwin from 21 yards out. Lindner's extra point reduced Niles' lead to 42-28.
But Niles tacked on additional points for the final margin.
GARFIELD 56, CONNEAUT 13
For a second straight season, the Spartans fell to the G-Men in a Division V, Region 17 first-round playoff game.
Garfield improved to 11-0, while Conneaut closed at 5-6.
The Spartans started the scoring, taking the opening kickoff 70 yards on nine plays.
Wyatt Payne's 10-yard TD run and Bryce Spurlin's extra point gave Conneaut a 7-0 lead.
But the G-Men scored the 49 straight points the rest of the first half and part way through the third quarter.
Quarterback Eric Geddes scored four rushing TDs and threw for one to lead Garfield's offensive attack.
Upon receiving the kickoff after the Conneaut TD, Garfield drove downfield. Geddes capped off the 65-yard drive, scoring from the 1 on 3rd down.
The G-Men defense then forced a punt. Geddes closed the first quarter with a 46-yard TD run, giving Garfield a 14-7 lead.
In the second quarter, Geddes darted 17 yards for another TD and Garfield increased its lead to 21-7.
After an interception, the G-Men completed a pass to within the Conneaut 10. Sell ran for a 5-yard TD to up Garfield's advantage to 28-7.
Geddes then ran 10 yards for Garfield's fifth touchdown.
The G-Men tacked on another score when Geddes found Leo Grandizio on a 15-yard scoring strike.
Garfield then tallied two, second-half rushing touchdowns.
Payne broke the Conneaut scoring drought with a 10-yard run in the third quarter.
In a first-round contest at Conneaut last year, Garfield won 48-21.
