Lake County Sentinel
Willoughby South short circuits Arcs 45-21
BY JOEY SCHNEIDER
STAFF
(WILLOUGHBY, OH) - The (2-0) Willoughby South Rebels hosted the (1-1) Brush Arcs in a game that in recent years have been a hard-hitting slug fest until the final whistle. Three years ago, the Rebels squeaked out a one-point win, while last year the Arcs capitalized on some Rebel mistakes and won in overtime. This year, South entered with a perfect record on the young season behind leaders such as senior quarterback Luke Jensen, his younger brother and junior wide receiver Josh Jensen, and senior offensive lineman Aiden Ernst. The Arcs who were hoping to bring their record above .500 were led by senior defensive end Munir Lewis, a three-star recruit who has committed to the University of Louisville.
South started fast and never let up all night. The Rebels won the toss and elected to receive. South played fast, scoring on the very first drive of the game in convincing fashion, never looking back and taking the win 45-21.
South's head coach Matt Duffy before the game said "The team has been playing tough, but every game we still need to improve. We have some really good players, but also some big goals." The Brush Arcs coach Ricky Powers said "We have some great players. Some big guys, but we just need to catch their minds up to their bodies."
South had a massive first quarter as Luke Jensen threw two of his five touchdowns both to his younger brother and stand out wide receiver Josh Jensen. Sophomore running back Elijah Fitch scored on a nine-yard touchdown run, and linebacker Mason Gumto who is also the Rebel's kicker added a 40-yard field goal, as South led 24-0 heading into quarter two.
Brush fought back in the second quarter, scoring first on a four-yard rush by Arc's sophomore running back Lawrence Moore, but the Rebels were too much to handle. Jensen found with Anthony Mock over the middle for an 84-yard touchdown pass that Mock raced into the end zone. With :25 seconds left in the half senior linebacker Scotty Balash intercepted the ball on the 26-yard. The Rebels capitalized on the turnover as another Jensen to Mock connection entering halftime winning 38-7.
With a running clock the third quarter flew by, but not before Luke Jensen threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game to Ethan Christopher, this time for seven yards.
Brush came to life in the fourth quarter as quarterback Isaiah McClain threw a 44-yard touchdown bomb to wide out Philip Alexander, then followed it up next drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Amir Shields, who high pointed the ball and made an incredible catch. The Arcs had no quit in them as they battled all night, but South was just two much as Rebels linebacker Max Demenico intercepted the ball with 3:22 left in the game and South ran out the clock, claiming victory, 45-21, and keeping their record unblemished at 3-0.
Luke Jensen finished the game for the Rebels going 12/15 for 303 yards, and five touchdowns. Elijah Fitch had 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Anthony Mock had three receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Next week, the Willoughby South Rebels (3-0) are again at home hosting the Lakeside Dragons, while the Brush Arcs (1-2) are on the road for the second straight week, taking on the Bedford Bearcats. Both games are on Friday, September 11th, with 7 pm start times.
POSTED 09/05/2026 00:41
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