ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP —
The Edgewood football needed a win Friday night against visiting Cleveland JFK. The Warriors got just that, 39-0, taking control right from the start.
On Cleveland JFK’s first possession, Warrior Riis Smith picked off a pass and blasted down the field for a 55-yard touchdown.
“That was huge. It set the tone,” Edgewood coach Dom Iarocci said.
The Eagles were able to string together a six-play drive on their next possession, but the Edgewood defense prevented it from going any further.
Edgewood (7-3) turned to what it knows best on their first true possession and grounded and pounded its way to a five-minute drive that was capped with junior Anthonie Magda’s burst up the middle for a touchdown, giving Edgewood the 12-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After a JFK fumble on their own 4, Edgewood capitalized turning defense into points again when Magda scored on his second touchdown run of the day, this time from the two.
JFK again turned the ball over and Edgewood responded with a six-play, two-minute drive ending with senior Dylan McCaleb pouncing into the end zone from the 3. The two-point conversion pass from Louie Wisnyai to Connor McLaughlin gave Edgewood the 26-0 lead at the half.
Edgewood would add two third quarter touchdowns, a 3-yard run by quarterback Louie Wisnyai after an eight-play, 3-minute drive, and, on their following possession, McCaleb scored for the second time on a 4-yard run on a 5-play 3-minute drive, giving Edgewood a 39-0 advantage.
“Never could get the ball rolling. We were off balance and lacked execution,” Cleveland JFK head coach Scott Wodlty said.
Wodlty credited the Warriors.
“Hats off to Edgewood,” he said. “We have a young team, the bright side is we are only losing four people.”
McCaleb led the way with 31 rushes for 209 yards and two scores, giving him enough yardage to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
“That was one of our goals, to get him over 1,000 yards. He was awesome. The whole backfield was awesome. The O-line was awesome,” Iarocci said.
Wisnyai also had a good day on the ground, running the ball five times for 56 yards and a touchdown.
The Warriors held JFK to jus t41 yards of offense and tallied 367 yards of their own.
Iarocci has helped lead Edgewood to their 11th winning season since 1970 with a 7-3 record and an outside chance to make the playoffs.
“7-3, that’s in the top two or three in history (record-wise)” he said. “It feels fantastic. This whole week has been a dream, especially as an independent.
“We needed to win, and I think Warren JFK and Ledgemont need to win. We will definitely be scoreboard watchers tonight. We’ll see if I get a call for the playoffs on Sunday.”
Velotta is a freelance writer from Concord Township
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon replica edition.
