Announcement
From the GAZETTE, by Rick Noland, Assistant Sports Editor
YORK TWP. — Highland football coach Tom Lombardo and his staff issued a challenge. Their players met it.
The Hornets dominated from start to finish Friday night en route to an impressive 31-0 non-league victory over county foe Buckeye.
“We challenged them to come out and play physical and come out of the gate the right way,” said Lombardo, whose team was slow out of the blocks in a 42-20 loss to Rocky River in Week 1. “We thought if we came out of the gate the right way, good things would happen, and they did.”
Those good things happened early and often, as tailback Chris Snook had 111 of his game-high 151 yards rushing with 6:40 to play in the first quarter. Included was a 51-yard touchdown that opened the scoring just 1:52 into the game.
Quarterback Nick Knerem took over after that, completing 8-of-11 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, with his favorite targets being Matt Gorbe (3 catches, 100 yards, TD) and Kyle Callari (3, 27, 1).
“We needed some confidence,” said Snook, who carried 20 times while also making several big hits from his linebacker spot. “Last week we took it on the chin a little bit, so we needed to get that attitude back.”
The Hornets accomplished that feat, finishing with a 354-68 edge in total offense. Highland’s run defense was particularly tough, as it held Buckeye to 32 yards on 32 carries, with 25 of that coming on a late-game tote by Cory Reisner (14 attempts, 50 yards).
“Last week we gave up 42 points, so it was huge getting the shutout,” said the 6-foot-2, 218-pound Snook, who got a lot of help from defensive cohorts Tyler Houska, Jarrod Swick and Billy Brooker. “Now we’ve got to keep it going the rest of the season. We can’t get our heads in the sky too much.”
The Hornets, who didn’t punt all night, were never in any real danger of losing their shutout, as Buckeye’s deepest penetration was the Highland 37.
“We invested a lot of time and energy in saying we were going to push people around up front and we haven’t done that,” said Bucks coach Billy Burke, whose team has been outscored 69-7 in two games. “Now we go to Plan B. What Plan B is, I don’t know yet.”
The Bucks’ 32 yards rushing were the third-lowest total in school history. They had 4 yards against Manchester in 1975 and 25 vs. West Holmes in 2001. Buckeye’s 68 yards total offense represented its second-lowest total ever (46 vs. West Holmes in 2001).
The Bucks did get a 6-of-8 passing night from quarterback Jesse Horton, but those completions accounted for just 36 yards, with 20 coming on one play.
“I’ll take a lot of the responsibility because I’m the head coach,” Burke said. “We’ve got to find the right mix of what works for these kids. That’s my job.”
Noland may be reached at wp.medina-gazette.com or rickn@ohio.net.
