In this week's Cleveland Browns High School Game of the Week presented by Ohio Cat and in association with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), the Alliance Aviators defeated cross-town rivals Marlington Dukes on the road.
The first half was a battle between two evenly matched football teams. During the first quarter of the matchup, both offenses would score early. Sophomore running back Carva Hancock ran one into the house from two yards away putting Alliance on the board first with seven minutes left in the first quarter. Marlington was quick to respond as senior running back Anthony Sabatino had a 25-yard dash to the end zone to tie the ball game up at the end of the opening frame.
Alliance would start the second quarter strong with a 22-yard pass for completion in the end zone made by sophomore quarterback Braidyn Hartsoe to sophomore receiver Brandon Alexander. Senior receiver J'Dynn Seals opened the field up with a 28-yard reception down field, setting the Aviators up for a field goal attempt. Senior kicker Nick Deack did not disappoint following through a 39-yard field goal kick, putting the Aviators ahead 17-7 with 9:37 left in the 2nd quarter.
Senior running back Anthony Sabatino fired back with a two-yard touchdown run to help put his Dukes back on the board. However, Alliance would answer back with a score from three yards out by Hartsoe. The score was 24-14 going into the second half.
The Aviators sent Deack out to start the second half with a 27-yard field goal that was good. Shortly thereafter, Hartsoe would contribute to the score in a big way by completing a 54-yard pass to sophomore running back Jack Quinn for a touchdown. The Dukes were next up to score with an eight-yard run by senior running back Anthony Sabatino making the score 34-21 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
The first drive of the fourth quarter featured the Aviators offensive weapons of the night, Hartsoe and recent transfer sophomore running back Jack Quinn. The senior quarterback connected with his new running back for a 36-yard pass that was good for a touchdown. While it seemed the Aviators were on a scoring streak, the Dukes were ready to power back with a touchdown. Senior quarterback CJ Greiner would complete a 10-yard pass to senior receiver Ryan Cooley for a touchdown to cut the Aviators lead to 41-28 with 9:56 left in the game.
Marlington's senior standout Sabatino brought his team back to life with a four-yard run for touchdown allowing Marlington to only trail by six points with 4:18 left in the half. However, the High School Game of the Week MVP, Hartsoe would respond. The senior found classmate senior Jeff Talbert in the end zone for a 59-yard touchdown. Hartsoe would finish the night with 374 yards passing and four total touchdowns.
Congratulations to both teams on a successful 2019 season! #HSGOTW
