TOLEDO – After back-to-back heart-breaking losses, Fremont Ross finally put it away.
A St. John’s field goal attempt from 49 yards with 36 seconds remaining fell well short as the Little Giants snapped its two-game losing streak with a 23-20 win over St. John’s Friday.
Key to the game
With the game tied 20-20 midway through the fourth quarter, Mikey Contreras hit a 24-yard field goal to give Ross a lead it never relinquished.
First half highlights
Ross started out fast. The defense forced a three-and-out and the offense took advantage of good field position, at the Titans’ 35. On its third play of the game Ross scored from 33 yards out on a Hayden Lehmann pass to Roger Burling for a 6-0 lead.
The Little Giants struck again midway through the second quarter. Lehmann bought time rolling out of the pocket, which allowed Bryce McKinstry to break away from coverage for a 33-yard gain. Three plays later, Lehmann connected with Noah Hotz for a 10-yard strike and a 13-0 lead.
The Ross defense was dominant for the first 20 minutes of the half, forcing five Titan punts and limiting St. John’s to just 48 yards of offense. But the Titans struck back before halftime.
Quarterback Brady Lichtenberg scored on a 1-yard sneak after a 51-yard run by Alex Gayle. After a fast three-and-out by Ross, SJJ struck again. The Titans picked up 33 yards on a fourth-down-and-8 at their own 40-yard line. The following play, Lichtenberg hit Sam Swift for a 27-yard touchdown with :02 seconds to play before halftime. St. John’s finished the half with 175 yards, with 127 coming on its last two possessions.
While the pass game was strong for Ross in the first half, completing 12-of-19 passes for 119 yards, the run game was non-existent. The Little Giants rushed the ball eight times for -4 yards. The lack of a run game le to several quick three-and-outs.
Second half highlights
Ross caught a brak on the opening kickoff of the second half. St. John’s appeared to recover a surprise onside kick, but after a lengthy discussion by officials, Ross retained possession at midfield. The Little Giants quickly took advantage as Lehmann moved Ross down field and six plays later found Noah Hotz for a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 20-13 lead.
St. John’s immediately answered back with a 9-play 78-yard drive to knot the game once again, 20-20, on a 1-yard run by Christopher Valentine.
St. John’s next possession took the Titans deep into Ross territory before a Titan 37-yard field goal attempt sailed wide.
Ross responded by driving down into St. John’s territory before trying a field goal of its own. Mikey Contreras connected from 24 yards to put Ross ahead.
The Ross defenders then forced a Titan’s punt, giving the offense the ball deep in its own end with 5:19 to play. Usning a nice mix of pass and run Ross ran down the clock to just over two minutes before punting the ball to St John’s, giving the Titans the ball at their own 20.
Scoring summary
First quarter
FR – Roger Burling 33 pass from Hayden Lehmann (kick fail), 10:36
Second quarter
FR – Noah Hotz 10 pass from Lehmann (Mikey Contreras kick), 8:14
SJJ – Brady Lichtenberg 1 run (kick fail), 2:46
SJJ – Sam Swift 27 pass from Litchenberg (Drew DelVerne kick), :02
Third quarter
FR – Devyn Jagodzinski 6 pass from Lehmann (Contreras kick), 10:07
SJJ – Christopher Valentine 1 run (DelVerne kick), 6:09
Fourth quarter
FR – Contreras 24 field goal, 7:29