THOMPSON —
Going against a reloading but still tough and formidable Ledgemont Redskin team Friday night at R.W. Sidley Field, the Warriors used a dazzling first half by Dylan McCaleb to break out to an early lead that held up as Edgewood claimed a tough but thorough 34-13 victory over the Redskins.
After scoring five touchdowns last week in their win over Pymatuning Valley, Riis Smith got the first handoff for Edgewood (3-2) in this game after they took over on downs from the Redskins at the Warrior 37. It was clear Ledgemont was intent on stopping Smith as six Redskins converged on him, after a 3 yard gain to the 40.
Enter McCaleb, breaking around right end and going untouched for a 60-yard touchdown, his first of three in the opening half.
But, Ledgemont came right back.
A nine-play, 63 yard drive ended when Griffen Degener found Derek Lang in the left flat from 15 yards out for a score, and the score was tied at 7 halfway through the first quarter.
McCaleb took over again. He capped a four-play, 55-yard drive with a 15-yard run. He later scored on the second play of the second quarter from a yard out to open a 20-7 lead that carried into the locker room at halftime.
“It’s nice to have kids who can do some damage with speed,” Edgewood coach Dom Iarocci said. “It’s either one or the other (Riis or McCaleb.”
“We thought they’d key on Riis early and they did. It opened it all up for Dylan.”
McCaleb capped his first half effort with 12 carries for 177 yards, and he wasn’t done, ending the night with 26 carries for 269 yards.
Smith finally picked up more carries and yards in the second half as Edgewood demonstrated a ball control offense. He ended his night with 61 yards on 12 carries, and a 2-yard score in the third period as Edgewood scored twice more.
The final points of the night came as time expired when Jarrett Young, a freshman running back, scored from 4 yards out for the Redskins (1-4, 0-0 in Northeastern Athletic Conference).
“We’re young,” Ledgemont coach Joe LaRosa said. “We’re hoping to do better, but we have so many young kids playing now, but we’re still pretty tough.”
Young led the Redskins with 73 yards on 14 carries.
Ledgemont showed early on that their passing game can be strong, too.
Griffen Degener hit 12-of-16 passes in the first half for 109 yards, and ended with 15 completions in 24 attempts as the Redskins head into NAC play next week against Southington.
“It’s nice to have a winning streak going again,” Iarocci said. “The kids have worked hard, and I’m really pleased with how things are getting better for us. I am concerned about the fumbles (9) and penalties (8 for 80 yards), but our defense played a great game against a very good Ledgemont team.”
Kelly is a freelance writer from Jefferson.
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