Fall Sports Participants Honored At Football Senior Night; Rangers Fall To Midview

Senior members of Lakewood High School’s fall sports teams were honored on October 24 at First Federal Lakewood Stadium in a ceremony held before the final home football game of the season. Seniors from the golf, soccer (boys and girls), volleyball, girls tennis, cross country (boys and girls), and football teams were introduced and took the field with family members. Senior cheerleaders and marching band members were also recognized for their years of commitment to the program.

The football game featured the Rangers versus the undefeated Midview Middies. The Middies, ranked in the top 10 by The Plain Dealer, had dominated six of their previous eight opponents. Midview entered the game as the top team in the West Shore Conference, and looked to complete a sweep of its conference schedule with a victory.

Midview took the opening kickoff and marched down the field. They covered 71 yards on seven plays, reaching the Ranger three yard line. However, on the next play, Ranger Senior Andrew Lesko intercepted a Middie pass in the endzone, snuffing out the potential scoring drive. After an exchange of punts, Lakewood got the ball back at its own 4 yard line with 4:36 left in the scoreless first quarter. They managed to put together a 12 play drive that took the ball to midfield, but were forced to punt early in the second quarter.

Midview started its next drive at its own 30 yard line. They threw a series of short passes, moving the ball into Ranger territory. With 5:19 left in the second quarter, they broke the scoreless tie with a 19 yard touchdown pass to Dmitri Redwood. That made the score 7-0 Midview. The Rangers punted after a short drive, and Midview punched in another touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The Rangers trailed 14-0 at the intermission. Considering the fact that Midview is a local juggernaut, the Rangers played a very solid first half, particularly on defense.

The Rangers received the opening kickoff of the second half, which led to a critical play in the game. Faced with a 4th and 1 at their own 34 yard line, the Rangers decided to go for the first down rather than punt. Midview stopped the Rangers running play, and took possession on  Lakewood’s end of the field. They quickly scored their third touchdown of the game, creating a 21-0 lead. They dominated most of the remaining game, taking 34-0 lead late in the third quarter. The 30-point margin kicked in the new OHSAA “running clock” rule, which hastened the end of the game.

Senior running back Michael Johnston had the offensive highlight of the night for the Rangers, scoring a 12 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Johnston, who has been a workhorse back for the Rangers all season, finished the game with 55 yards rushing on ten carries. The Rangers had a strong night running the ball, with a total of over 200 yards. Junior Michael Goolsby had 86 yards on the night, and sophomore Quentin Palmer had 65 yards.                      

The Lakewood Rangers, who fell to 2-7 with the loss, have one final game left this season. They travel to North Ridgeville Friday night for a matchup with the “other” Rangers, who have a record of 4-5. It will be Lakewood’s final football game in the West Shore Conference, of which it has been a member for three seasons. Next year Lakewood is moving to the Southwest Conference.