NEWTON FALLS - The Brookfield Warriors took perfect record into Newton Falls and beat the winless Tigers, 34-19, on?Friday night.
On a muddy and damp field, the Warriors stuck to the running game, especially with junior Ryan Mosora. He finished with 334 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
With junior starting quarterback Jeremy Quinlan out with an injury, senior Brandon Mosora, Ryan's brother, stepped in and controlled the offense, according to coach Randy Clark.
"He did a good job commanding the offense and made some big throws in the first half," Clark said. "Hats off to him."
Ryan scored the game's first touchdown in the first quarter on a 46-yard run to put the Warriors ahead 7-0.
After trailing early in the first quarter, the Tigers answered back with a 39-yard touchdown pass from senior southpaw Matt Brazin to sophomore wideout Jarred Crowder to tie the game.
Middle of the second quarter, Brazin ran in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to put the Tigers ahead 14-7.
Later in the second quarter, Ryan ran for his second touchdown of the game to tie the score. Afterwards, with 19 seconds before halftime and the Warriors driving with zero timeouts, Brandon threw a 15-yard pass to junior Collin Harkulich for a 21-14 lead at halftime.
The Warriors were slated to receive the second half kickoff when the Tigers surprised Brookfield and recovered an onside kick. However, the defense stepped up and forced a punt to the 1-yard line.
Three plays later, Ryan ran into trouble in his own end zone and was tackled for a safety, making the score 21-16.
After the free kick, the Tigers drove and managed a 35-yard field goal from senior Joe Spletzer. The scoreboard read 21-19 Warriors at the end of the third quarter, and that was the last time the Tigers would score.
The defense forced incompletions and key turnovers. Brandon scored a one-yard rushing touchdown to put his team ahead 28-19. Then, Ryan ran an 11-yard touchdown to seal the deal despite Brandon's missed extra point.
"I give a lot of credit to Newton Falls and I knew all week that those kids are here to play hard," Clark said.
Clark said being tested should help the Warriors.
"I think it's a great game for our kids because maybe it will get their feet back on the ground," he said.
Clark said his defense was key to the win, especially in the second half.
"In the second half I believe we responded well," Clark said. "They came out and played well. If we didn't pick up in the first half, the second half we did. This muddy field down here doesn't help anybody, but they played a great game."