Mogadore wins with strong first, fourth quarters

Mogadore was one of the few schools in the Northeast Ohio area that was able to complete its Friday night football game on Friday night.

The Wildcats game with visiting Mineral Ridge did have a delay of around an hour and a half due to lightning, yet the season opener for both schools ended at nearly 11:15 p.m., according to Mogadore coach Matt Adorni.

Adorni was pleased with the final outcome, as Mogadore won 28-21 behind two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter by junior Kodey Chance.

Mogadore led 14-0 after the first quarter following a 32-yard touchdown by senior quarterback Drew Babbitt to senior split end Matt Traugh, a 46-yard touchdown run by junior Jake McAvinew and a successful two-point conversion in which Babbitt tossed a pass to Chance.

"We got out of the gates pretty good and got up 14-0," Adorni said.

Then some penalties and turnovers hurt Mogadore. Mineral Ridge responded with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter to tie the score at halftime. Mineral Ridge then scored seven points in the third quarter to take a 21-14 lead.

Mogadore answered with Chance in the fourth quarter and Adorni also credited the defensive unit for playing through the humidity.

Adorni said junior Kyle Cramer and senior Pat Tipton each had an interception and McAvinew and senior Andrew Monea came up with key sacks late in the game.

"We can’t take the foot off the gas pedal," Adorni said.