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Lake County Sentinel
Blue Devils sink Skippers 46-14
BY TIM SHIRER
SPORTS EDITOR
Entering Friday’s night homecoming game at Wickliffe Memorial Stadium there was a question of how the home Blue Devils would respond after their first 
loss of the season last week against the Cuyahoga Hts. Redskins 41-34. The visiting Fairport Harding Skippers found out early and often that the Blue Devils had recovered just fine as they blew out the Skippers 46-14 on a rainy night.

The Skippers got on the board first just 2:33 into the game when Senior Rashawn Alston rumbled for the touchdown to give Harding an early 6-0 lead after the two-point conversion failed with 9:27 left on the first quarter clock.

Wickliffe woke up and scored the next 46 point to take a 40-point lead into halftime.

The six Wickliffe touchdowns came in rapid fashion. With 5:59 left in the first quarter Sophomore Chase Fortkamp ran 28 yards for a touchdown to put Wickliffe on the board and give them the lead 7-6 after Senior Brad Dieterich converted the extra point.

Just 2:21 later Fortkamp was on the move again, this time he scampered 54 yards for pay dirt putting the Blue Devils up 14-6 after the extra point conversion by Dieterich.

With :43 left in the first quarter the Blue Devils struck again. This time it was Senior and Division 1 college prospect Isaac Pettway. Pettway bolted 72 yards for the Blue Devils third touchdown of the quarter giving them a 22-6 lead after Junior Evan Rypinski hit Senior Jaylen Bowers on a pass to convert the 2-point conversion.

Wickliffe continued their domination in the second quarter over the shorthanded Skippers. With 8:46 left in the second quarter the Blue Devils crossed the goal line again. This time it was Dieterich connecting with Bowers from 46 yards for the touchdown. Dieterich hit the extra point extending the lead to 29-6.

Just fourteen seconds later, after the Skippers turned the ball over Fortkamp struck again. This time he scored on a 40-yard run. Dieterich converted the extra point and the rout was now at 30 points at 36-6.

The final Wickliffe touchdown of the night and third of the second quarter came with 6:41 left in the second quarter when Pettway rumbled 36 yards and after the Dieterich extra point conversion the Devils lead was at 37 at 43-6.

Wickliffe scored their final points of the half and the game with no time left on the clock in the first half when Dieterich hit a 27-yard field putting the Blue Devils on top 46-6.

The second half was more of a defensive battle as some of the Blue Devils younger players got some playing time and the Skippers got on the board again. Once again it was Alston who scored for the Skippers. This time the senior crossed the goal line on a 65-yard run. After the successful two-point conversion when Junior QB Sam Schuster hit Senior RB Tobin Shafer the Skippers cut the Blue Devil lead to 46-14.

Even though they were fighting a large deficit for most of game the Skippers battled the entire night which says a lot about the young men on the Skippers roster and their head coach Cameron Ruff.

The offensive numbers were large for the Blue Devils as they totaled 403 yards offense. 350 yards came on the ground as Pettway and Fortkamp led the way with 131 yards rushing each. Pettway had eight carries and Fortkamp carried the ball six times in the game. Dieterich passed for 53 yards on the night completing two of his three passes. The big pass of the night was the 46-yard touchdown connection to Bowers.

With the win the Blue Devils improve to 7-1 and 4-1 in the Chagrin Valley Conference. The Skippers fall to 3-5 and 1-4 in the CVC.

Next week the Skippers travel to Cuyahoga Hts. to play the Redskins at Ralph P. Adams Stadium at 7:00 p.m. The Blue Devils will travel to Berkshire to take on the Badgers at Dr. William A. Reed Field at 7:00 p.m. . 
tshirer@lakecountysentinel.com  Follow us on Twitter
@SportsSentinel POSTED 10/05/2018 23:35