Streetsboro vs. Field Football: Intense Rockets largely remain undefeated

BRIMFIELD TWP, Ohio – Streetsboro football coach Pete Thompson preached intensity to his team all week. The players listened as the Rockets dominated from start to finish with a 49-0 win over Field on Friday night to win the Metro Athletic Conference title.

Despite wins over Woodridge (42-0) and Ravenna (45-14) in the last two weeks, Thompson felt his team didn’t play with the same fire it did earlier in the season, especially after a 55-0 win via Woodridge Norton on September 27th.

That’s why he put his team to the test early on Friday evening.

When Streetsboro (9-0, 6-0) faced a four-and-2 at its own 28-yard line on its first possession, Thompson left his offense on the field. The Rockets responded by picking up the first down and driving down the rest of the field, leading to a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cohen Klimak.

“I think if we were going to do that, Coach Thompson would have heard it from us because that’s what we expect, that’s what we assume we’re going for,” Klimak said. “But I think that’s just the way we play. We are simply physically active. We play with one attitude. So the quarter is just another first down for us.”

Streetsboro, ranked No. 20 in cleveland.com’s latest Top 25, recovered a loose ball on the ensuing kickoff and Klimak scored again, this time from 4 yards out, to make it 14-0 with 7:02 left in the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, junior running back Janiere Cook ran almost untouched up the middle for an 18-yard touchdown, and on Streetsboro’s next possession, with time running out in the half, Klimak found Manny Gibson wide open on the left sideline and the speedy junior wide receiver caught a 67-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 with 1:30 left in the half.

Field (7-2, 4-2) had a chance for one final drive in the second quarter, but Klimak stepped in front of a pass from Falcons quarterback Peyton Anderson, intercepted it and ran 53 yards for a touchdown with seven ticks left. He thanked his teammate Jackson Gula for his help in the game.

“Jackson Gula said that right before the game, one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with,” Klimak said. “He’s just yelling, ‘Fade stop, fade stop.’ I kind of forced the pass and then fell under it and then had to turn on the jets to get into the end zone.”

While Streetsboro’s offense gained 257 yards in the first half, including 190 yards on the ground, the defense held Field to just 84 total yards in the first half.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, so we had to bring the intensity like we did against Norton,” said junior defensive lineman Arthur Scott III, who had half a sack and a quarterback pressure on fourth down Half. “We had to come hard on every play, every down, every drive, and that’s exactly what we did.”

The defense held field running back Drexal McAmis to just 40 yards rushing on six carries in the half and 37 yards for the game. Streetsboro practiced all week to prepare for the 6-foot-1, 250-pound back and used a special weapon on the scout team – starting offensive defenseman Tyler Kertis, who weighs about 240 pounds.

“He did a good job, obviously he couldn’t replicate Drexal perfectly, but our kids had a lot of work all week tackling a big body,” Thompson said. “That says something about our team, too, if you can get your starting guard to compete against your starting defense, take some shots throughout the week and embrace that.”

The Rockets continued their dominance in the second half as Klimak scored on a 53-yard run on the first possession of the half and, after an interception by Gibson, capped the ensuing drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.

Streetsboro finished the game with 303 yards rushing, led by Klimak with 13 carries for 122 yards and three scores, Cook with 70 yards on six carries, Marcus Council with 66 yards on eight carries and Gibson with 45 yards on five carries and a touchdown. In total, the Rockets had 370 yards of offense.

Although Thompson felt the team started a little slow on both sides of the ball, he felt the intensity increased as the game progressed.

“We scored on our first drive, but honestly it was a struggle for us,” Thompson said. “Their defense made us work. And then on defense, on that first offense, they were able to move the ball and we made some plays there to get deep into our own territory off the field. But I thought after those first few drives we were able to take control of the game and as we got more successful the intensity increased.”

The victory for Streetsboro was important not only for the conference championship, but also for the postseason seeding. The Rockets entered the game ranked No. 4 in Division IV, Region 13 of the OHSAA playoff computer ratings, one spot ahead of two-time defending champion Glenville. The top four teams in each region have the opportunity to host two playoff games.

Streetsboro ends its regular away season on Friday, Oct. 25 at Cloverleaf while Field plays at Ravenna.