Kendall Lewis catch pushes Rocky River past East Mecklenburg in OT
Rocky River High football coach Jason Fowler said his team’s theme entering its game against East Mecklenburg on Friday night was “No Excuses.”
So the Ravens didn’t rely on excuses after driving to the East Mecklenburg 9 in the final moments before having a potential winning field goal blocked.
And Ravens receiver Kendall Lewis didn’t allow a shoulder injury serve as an excuse for missing the subsequent overtime, when his third touchdown reception of the game lifted Rocky River to a 27-24 victory.
“We knew there would be rain tonight, and there certainly was,” Fowler said. “But we talked about how we would not make any excuses.”
Tied at 21, Rocky River started from its 35-yard line with 1 minute, 38 seconds remaining in regulation. The Ravens drove inside the East Meck 10, despite losing the services of Lewis, who was hit hard on a pass play on the drive. The series eventually ended with the Eagles blocking a Johnson Doe 26-yard field goal try on the final play of regulation.
East Mecklenburg got the ball first in overtime. The Eagles sent workhorse running back Khamal Howard into the line three times, but the Ravens held, forcing East Meck to settle for a Christian Thomas field goal.
Lewis re-entered the game on Rocky River’s overtime possession, and on the second play, he caught a 6-yard TD pass from Tyshawn Carter. Lewis also caught scoring passes of 55 and 17 yards from Carter.
“He banged up his shoulder on that play, but he wanted to come back in,” Fowler said. “Our coaches up in the (press) box spotted something and called for the pass play in overtime. We owe it to them.”
Quote: “He is a heck of a running back. Our defense worked hard to stop him, and we did our best.” – Fowler, referring to East Mecklenburg running back Howard.
Records: East Mecklenburg is 1-2 in the Southwestern 4A, 4-4 overall; Rocky River is 2-1, 4-4.
Worth mentioning: The steady rain and forecast of bad weather produced a very small crowd. Give Rocky River public address announcer Antoine Sidberry credit for trying his best to keep the handful of fans cheering. ... Eagles kicker Thomas had a big game. He had two punts of 40-plus yards in the first half, including one that stopped at the Rocky River 1. He also kicked three extra points and a field goal. ... Despite the steady driving rain, neither team lost a fumble. ... Eagles running back Howard carried a staggering 39 times for 218 yards. He accounted for 75 percent of his team’s 52 offensive plays.
What’s Next: East Mecklenburg has a bye next weekend and will play again Oct. 21 at home against Garinger; Rocky River will visit first-place Butler next Friday.
This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 10:44 PM with the headline "Kendall Lewis catch pushes Rocky River past East Mecklenburg in OT."