By Dave Alligood
BROOKLYN, OHIO – The Brooklyn Hurricanes looked to avenge last year’s loss to rival Rhodes in their annual Battle of Biddulph, but the Rams’ running game overpowered the Hurricanes in a 40-0 Rams victory.
Senior Jayvon Benton led a dominating Rams running attack that pushed the Brooklyn defense around at will. Benton sprinted 71 yards on the first play from scrimmage to give the Rams a quick 6-0 lead 18 seconds into the game.
Brooklyn’s first possession of 2017 showed promise with an opening 9-yard run on senior John Kenderes’s quarterback keeper.
The Hurricanes would move into Rhodes territory on a combination of short passes and Kenderes runs, but the drive stalled, forcing Brooklyn to punt.
Rhodes started their next possession at Brooklyn’s 13-yard line, and in an eerie repeat, Benton took the handoff from quarterback Paul Farmer and raced 87 yards for his second touchdown.
The Hurricanes fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and just a few plays later, Rhodes other senior back Jordan Bost-Floyd scampered in from 15 yards out to push the lead to 18-0.
After a quick 3-and-out, Brooklyn’s defense trudged back onto the field determined to make a good showing, but early in the second quarter senior Paul Farmer found junior tight end Dmitri Miles for a 63 yard catch and run to the end zone. The PAT upped the lead to 25-0.
Brooklyn would again struggle to get any momentum, and facing 4th and 20 from their 19 yard line, they tried to catch Rhodes asleep.
John Kenderes raced 20 yards on a fake punt attempt, but came up just short, turning the ball over to the Rams.
Just three plays later, Farmer again connected with Dmitri Miles, this time on a 14-yard pass for their fifth score in five offensive possessions. The PAT made the score 32-0.
A mix-up on the kickoff forced Brooklyn to start on their seven-yard line.
On second down from the seven, Kenderes fumbled the ball and the Rhodes defense returned it 10 yards for the final touchdown of the half. A botched PAT resulted in a 2-point conversion, resulting in what would be the final score 40-0.
In the second half with a running clock, neither team produced much offense.
Brooklyn Head Coach Sean Belveal provided a realistic assessment on his team’s size disadvantage, “We got to do what we need to do. We know we’re smaller than everyone else, and that’s OK. We need to buckle down and play our technique.”
Despite injuries that kept some of his starters out tonight, Beveal felt his team still needed to produce. “My big mantra is no excuses, we go in there with what we’ve got.”
He acknowledged the huge challenge for his young squad but was pleased that they refused to give up. “They got a little shell-shocked at the beginning, but at the end they started to play.”
Regarding Rhodes’ senior back Benton, whom Coach Belveal coached as a freshman, Belveal said, “He’s an excellent kid. He’s really really really good, and we knew that going in.”
Senior quarterback Kenderes was a bright spot for the Brooklyn offense as he mixed in runs and short passes to provide their highlights.
Coach Beveal called Kenderes the heart and soul of the team: “He’s a rare player and fights for every yard on every play.”
Overall it was a tough opener for the young Brooklyn squad, and they look to rebound next week as Fairport Harding visits.
Rhodes will travel to play Harrison Central High School next Friday night.
Player of Game: Rhodes senior running back Jayvon Benton. Ran at will, scoring on touchdown runs of 71 and 87 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage.
Finished with nearly 200 yards rushing all in the first half. Also scored on a 55-yard interception return that was called back for holding on the return.
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