The Wadsworth Grizzlies unleashed their running game Friday Night at Art Wright Stadium as the defeated the Twinsburg Tigers 34-13 in a Suburban League contest.
The victory was the third win in a row for Wadsworth, which improves its record to 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the Suburban League. Twinsburg is 0-4 in the Suburban League and 0-7 overall.
The Grizzlies rushed the football 46 times for 306 yards in the game. Wadsworth had 20 first downs as they dominated the line of scrimmage. Quarterback Connor Montgomery only threw the ball eight times in the game, completing four for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Wadsworth head coach Greg Dennison had high praise for his offensive line following the game. “Up front we played really well tonight. That may have been the best we’ve played all year. When we come off the ball like we did tonight, good things are going to happen.”
The running attack paced by junior fullback Alex Jones and senior tailback Dan Weinerman led the Grizzlies. Jones scored three touchdowns in the game on runs of 3, 26 and 25 yards. While Weinerman didn’t score a touchdown in the game, it was his effective runs of 5-7 yards each time he touched the ball that kept the Wadsworth offense humming at a high level. “Our backs were hitting the holes really well,” Dennison said. “It’s kind of tough to defend. When they start keying on one back, we hit them with the other. Both of them did a good job of doing what they’re supposed to do. But, it all started up front”.
Wadsworth had a 14-0 lead at halftime, thanks to a three-yard run by Jones and a 21-yard run by Mitchell Blackburn on a double-reverse. The Grizzlies extended the lead to 21-0 in the third quarter when Montgomery hit Zach Looser with a 25-yard touchdown pass.
But, Twinsburg got back into the game in a big way in the third quarter. Tiger quarterback Jalen Tucker completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end DaVonte Washington to close the gap to 21-6 as the extra point was missed. On the ensuing kickoff, Twinsburg recovered an onside kick and scored four plays later on a 9-yard run by Shawn Smith. At the end of three, Wadsworth’s lead was 21-13.
The Grizzlies recovered the onside kick by Twinsburg and marched the football down the field in five plays. Alex Jones covered the last 26 yards with a burst up the middle. The point was missed and Wadsworth’s lead was 27-13.
Twinsburg took the kickoff and moved the ball to the Grizzly 25 yard line before losing it on downs. Wadsworth put the game away with a long touchdown drive with Jones scoring his third TD on an off tackle play on a 25 yard gallop with 1:43 remaining.
Next Friday night, the Grizzlies take on Brecksville-Broadview Heights in another Suburban League game at Art Wright Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 o’clock. If you can’t attend the final regular season home game, listen to it on 97.1/Wadsworth Community Radio.
