CHARDON, OHIO– NDCL kept its perfect season in tact with a commanding victory over University School Friday night, 38-7. There wasn’t much offensive action throughout the night from the Preppers. NDCL struck first with a touchdown pass from Charles Forbes to Matt Tuohey towards the end of the first quarter.
Shortly after that score, the defense from the Lions struck the Preppers, and caused a fumble that Zach Urda of NDCL recovered. Six seconds after the fumble recovery, quarterback Charles Forbes found Anthony Rabil this time for the touchdown. Turnovers were costly for University School all night, as they led to easy points for the Lions.
One key guy on defense for NDCL was senior Manny Malone. Almost every play it seemed like he was attacking the quarterback. You can tell that he was a mismatch nightmare as nobody on University School could stop him from getting behind that offensive line.
The senior accounted for two and a half sacks for a loss of 24 yards. He’s been making a statement on the defensive end all season long for the Lions, and he’s a big reason why the team is now 3-0 while only giving up 19 total points in the three games played.
“Our defense is relentless,” head coach Andrew Mooney said after the win Friday night. “There is great senior leadership there and there are guys that are truly invested hardcore into the program.”
The Lions added 14 more points in the second quarter to take a commanding 28-0 lead at the half. It’s crucial for a team like NDCL to take early leads in games as it gives them that spark and the confidence to finish out the game.
The second half is where things slowed down a bit for both teams. NDCL and University School both scored a pair of touchdowns in the second half, adding a 46-yard field goal as well from senior NDCL kicker Gabe Brkic.
Brkic has one of the best legs in the state of Ohio. He is currently a five-star recruit who got invited to play in the Blue and Grey High School All-American Bowl in Dallas later on in the season. The senior also tried a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, he had plenty of distance on it, but the kick sailed a little bit too far to the right. He’s truly a special talent to watch on the field for the Lions.
The offense for NDCL was led by senior quarterback Charles Forbes. He was the difference maker in this game, and he made a big impact early on in the blowout win.
“Charles did a great job for us tonight being a senior leader,” Mooney said on his performance. “He’s stepping up when he is called to step up. It can be very difficult for a senior to share reps, especially coming off of a starting season. But he showed great maturity doing that and he is doing all the things that he does well, extremely well.”
University School struggled running the ball against NDCL. The Lions defense held the Preppers to a total of 49 passing yards on 21 total throws from quarterback Jayd Cunningham. They pounded the rock all night as they gained a total of 200 rushing yards on 36 carries. NDCL carried a more balanced offensive attack as they finished the game with 152 rushing yards and 142 passing yards.
NDCL will look to build off their 3-0 start as they host Cleveland Central Catholic next Friday night. As for the Preppers, they host the Mustangs of Maple Heights next Friday night as home.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| NDCL | 14 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
| University School | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
NDCL: Charles Forbes 8-yard TD pass to Matt Tuohey 4:18 left of 1st Q 7-0 NDCL
NDCL: Charles Forbes 5-yard TD pass to Anthony Rabil 3:23 left of 1st Q 14-0 NDCL
NDCL: Charles Forbes 28-yard TD pass to Zach Urda 8:05 left of 2nd Q 21-0 NDCL
NDCL: Charles Forbes 30-yard TD pass to Alec Roberts 5:33 left of 2nd Q 28-0 NDCL
University School: Joe Kadlic 3-yard TD run 6:48 left of 3rd Q 28-7 NDCL
NDCL: 46-yard FG Gabe Brkic 4:05 left of 3rd Q 31-7 NDCL
NDCL: Nick Gattozzi 28-yard TD run 6:11 left in 4th Q 38-7 NDCL
Player of the Game:
NDCL Senior QB, Charles Forbes
Forbes was the spark behind the lightning offense from the Lions. He finished the game completing six-of-nine passes for 111 yards and four touchdowns. All four of those touchdowns were caught by a different receiver.
The senior showed true leadership in Friday nights win and it’ll be a very successful season from him and the rest of his team if they keep up the early scoring, as well as the leadership from the offensive end to the defensive end as well.
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