Eagles Beat Glenville 41-6 in Home Opener

Head Coach Tom Lombardo commended his team after the win.

Glenville entered Saturday’s matchup with St. Edward facing some long odds. Not only had they lost their last eight matchups with the Eagles, but they were forced to play without starting quarterback Xander Spikes, who was injured last week in the Tarblooders’ opener with Euclid. They played well in the first half, trailing 21-6. A third quarter injury to second string quarterback Jamel Hamm killed any hopes for an upset, and the Eagles went on to roll 41-6 at First Federal Lakewood Stadium.

                Both defenses were stout early, as the teams exchanged punts for the first seven minutes of the game. The Eagles drew first blood on their second possession, going 69 yards on seven plays to score the game’s first touchdown. Senior quarterback Zach Kincaid, who is platooning the position with junior Garrett Dzuro, capped the drive with a 13 yard scoring pass to junior Kent Quintel. Senior kicker Matt Stencil added the extra point to make the score 7-0 with 3:21 left in the first quarter.  The Eagle defense forced a “three and out” on the next possession, and that’s when St. Ed’s special teams made a big play. Junior Caden Kolesar partially blocked the Glenville punt, which was recovered by senior Michael Dowell at the Tarblooders’ 21 yard line. An impressive twelve yard TD run by junior Jordan Casselberry stretched the lead to 14-0 with 2:00 left in the first quarter. Glenville was staggered, but battled back in the second period.

                Tre ‘Ron Fullerton, Glenville’s diminutive 5’6” running back, took control on the next Glenville drive. He ran for 48 yards on the Tarblooders’  next drive, which covered 80 yards in under three minutes. Fullerton ran four yards for the touchdown, making the score 14-6. (the extra point was blocked).  St. Edward quickly answered, scoring a 65 yard touchdown pass on the first play of its next drive. Dzurko hit senior Demerisse Freeman for the score, and the extra point made it 21-6 with 11 minutes left until halftime.   Glenville drove the ball into Eagle territory on the next drive, powered by 27 more yards from Fullerton. But a fourth down sack by seniors Donte Cilenti and Colin Haas. Glenville quickly got the ball back by stripping a fumble and recovering it at the Eagle 47 yard line. Hamm settled into the QB role, hitting some nice passes on the next drive – but the Eagles forced a fumble at their own 26, snuffing out any scoring chance. The teams went to the locker room with a 21-6 score.

The Eagles started the second half with a fumble on their own 30 yard line. A 26 yard fourth down pass from Hamm to Fullerton gave the Tarblooders first and goal at the five yard line. A three yard run by Fullerton made it second and goal at the two. Glenville fans were thrilled, as they appeared ready to make it a one-score game. That’s when the roof caved in. The Eagle defense pushed them backwards to a 4th and goal from the 11 yard line. Hamm ran the ball near the endzone, but was stopped by senior Robbie Mikovsky at the three yard line. Not only did the drive end, but Hamm was injured.

The Eagles went on a methodical 97 yard touchdown drive over the next six minutes, draining Glenville both physically and emotionally. Kincaid capped the drive with a 12 yard TD pass to senior Devin Maddox. The St. Edward defensive line, including standouts like senior Omar Fattah and  junior Seamus O’Malley, dominated the game from then on. St. Edward scored two more TDs to set up the OHSAA “running clock” for the final six minutes.

St. Edward was very impressive in every phase of the game. Both quarterbacks played well, and the defense was stingy all night. The Eagles (2-0) will next face H.D Woodson from Washington D.C. next Saturday at First Federal Lakewood Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled  for 1pm.