WILLOUGHBY —
Dave Bors and the Riverside Beavers tried. They tried hard. But in the end, it was more evident than ever that even according to the standards they have set for themselves in the last several years, this is a special season for the South Rebels.
With their 40-14 win against Riverside on Friday night, the Rebels clinched their fifth-consecutive outright Premier Athletic Conference title.
Undefeated South (9-0, 6-0), which ranks sixth in the Associated Press Division I poll, hasn’t lost a league game since the final week of the 2007 season. It will be a heavy favorite to defeat North next week and make it five straight sweeps through the PAC as well as an undefeated regular slate this year. But even if that doesn’t happen, the Rebels will win the conference again, as everyone else has two losses or more with one game to play.
“South is just a class ahead of the rest of the PAC right now,” Bors said. “And that’s just the way it is. You can’t sugar-coat it. Give them credit. They’re an established program that’s doing well.”
Kareem Hunt had his usual stellar game, although it took him 39 carries to get his 268 yards and four touchdowns. A leading candidate to be Ohio’s “Mr. Football,” his 2012 statistics now show 2,311 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns in 208 carries, and 41 TDs overall.
The Beavers stopped South the first two times it had the ball. The initial time, they held Hunt and the Rebels on downs after South had gained a first-and-goal at the three and second down from the 1. On the Rebels’ next possession, Nick Iapaolo picked off a deep pass.
Despite that, South was able to build a 33-0 advantage by halftime, and extend it to 40-0 in the third quarter before Riverside crossed the goal line twice in the final period.
The Rebels didn’t allow a first down until the final minute of the first half, as it held the opposition to just two yards of total offense until that point. It also put the first points of the game on the board when Ben Robinson nailed Marcus Jones in the end zone for a safety two plays after Riverside’s defensive stand.
“Here’s the thing that stands apart from the normal South team: They have a great defense this year,” Bors said. “Their defense is physical, they’re well-coached. And that’s something that stands out to me.
“And then you throw in Mr. All-Ohio. (You’ve got) Mr. Football, the running back, you’ve got Klicman, who’s potentially an all-Ohio quarterback. It’s a well-rounded South team.”
As usual, Klicman didn’t need to throw much on Friday, but was generally effective when he did. He did throw the one interception, but completed 3 of 6 passes for 90 yards. Included was a 27-yard scoring strike to Anthony Federico, and also a 53-yard toss to Federico.
Hunt’s scoring runs went for 45, 3, 2 and 47 yards. Aidan Simenc added a 41-yard field goal.
Hunt’s second touchdown run was set up by a fumble. An Andrew Venclauskas pick and 27-yard return of an option pass by a receiver set up Federico’s score.
In the third quarter, the Beavers drove 38 yards to the Rebel 15 after recovering a fumbled punt. Tyler Rus intercepted a pass to stop that threat.
Riverside finally broke the shutout with 8:51 remaining when Nick Schoval capped a 49-yard drive with a two-yard run. Nick Fitzgerald hit a wide-open Drew Tornow for a 28-yard score later in the quarter.
Fitzgerald then led a march that was stopped at the South three in the final minute of play.
“You just have to have a perfect game and they have their worst game of the season, and it didn’t happen,” Bors said. “I’m proud of our guys, and I’m absolutely very happy with where the program’s at and where we’re going.”
Riverside turned the ball over four times, but forced three miscues itself.
Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.
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