(Home)             (Photos)

It was another barnburner for the Shoremen Friday night at Finney Stadium as Mike Mansnerus and the wrecking crew that blocks for him staged a fourth quarter comeback to beat Berea 36-25.  Mike scored four touchdowns and threw for another, while shattering the school rushing record with an amazing 369 yards on 23 carries.  As usual, the Shoremen needed all the heroics they could get as Berea QB Derrick Paster threw for 268 yards and three TD’s. 

Mansnerus set the tone early when he took a pitch to his right, cut straight upfield, and sprinted 61 yards to paydirt on the second play of the game.  After a quick 3 & out by the Braves, Avon Lake took over at the Braves 45.  A Mansnerus run moved the ball to the 23, but the drive stalled there when a couple of passes fell incomplete.  Berea’s offense came to life this time, as Paster completed three passes and then ran an option keeper for 23 yards to the Shoremen eight yard line.  From there,  three plays netted nothing and the Braves settled for a 25 yard field goal by Aaron Gulan.  Two plays after the kickoff, Mansnerus was at it again, this time breaking of a 55 yard run on the toss sweep to the Braves’ seven.  Some tough defense by Berea forced a 4th & goal at the 5, where Dan Ohlemacher booted a 22 yard filed goal for a 9-3 lead.  Two Berea punts sandwiched around one by the Shoremen left the offense with great field position when Nick Brill returned the second Berea punt to the 31.  Five running plays led to another Mansnerus TD, this one from five yards out.  The two point try failed, leaving the score 15-3.  Taking over with under two minutes left in the half, the Braves threw two incompletions, but on 3rd & 10 Paster hit Nate Miceli for a 65 yard TD to cut the margin to 15-10 at the half.

Berea got the ball to start the second half and picked up a first down  on three plays.  After a loss of three on a keeper, Paster found Steve Sensel looking lonesome on a post route and hit him in stride for a 70 yard score and a 17-15 lead.  Dan Schneider returned the squib kickoff to the 30, and Mansnerus went back to work with a 31 yard run off right tackle.  Next play, Mike took a pitch to the right,  pulled up, and got belted pretty good as he threw the ball to a wide open Kevin Morissette, who caught it and jogged into the end zone to put the Shoremen back on top 20-17.  The rest of the quarter passed quietly with a lot of punting and a couple of nice pass breakups by free safety Nick Brill. 

Late in the third period Berea started a drive at their 28,  As the quarter ended Paster was being sacked on 3rd & 9 when he somehow managed to complete a pass for a first down as he fell.  After another first down,  the Braves faced 3rd & 22 from their 39.  Paster faked to the fullback and kept the ball himself, broke a couple tackles, and raced all the way to the Shoremen 20.  From there he hooked up with Sensel on a beautifully thrown fade for another score.  A two-point conversion put the Braves up 25-22 early in the fourth.  That seemed to rile Mansnerus & company,  as Mike took off for 54 yards on the first play after the kickoff, all the way to the Braves’ 26.  After Steve Mares carried for six yards, fullback Cody Bennington went in motion to the right, as he does when leading on the toss sweep.  But the pitch went to Mansnerus to the left, and Mike dashed in for six to give the Shoremen the lead for good.  The Braves moved the ball to midfield, but a huge sack on third down by Nick Marinkov forced a punt, which rolled out of bounds at the 21.  After a one yard gain and an offsides penalty on Berea, the Shoremen went with the same toss away from motion, and this time Mansnerus zoomed 73 yards for the TD and a final victory margin of 36-25.

 

Notes: 

·       In addition to breaking Bobby Doyle’s mark of 338 yards against Elyria in 2004, Mansnerus is the only Shoremen ever to put together back-to back 300 yard rushing performances.

·       Mike’s pass to Morissette makes him 3 for 3 passing this year with two TD’s.

(Home)             (Photos)

 

Avon Lake

6

9

7

14

36

Berea

3

7

7

8

25

 

 

 

B

 

A.L.

First downs

 

15

 

13

Rush Yds

 

128

 

425

Pass Yds

 

268

 

39

Passes att-comp-int

 

32-13-0

 

7-1-0

Fumbles-lost

 

1-0

 

0-0

Penalties

 

6-48

 

2-10

AL – Mansnerus 61 run (kick failed)
B – Gulan 25 FG
AL – Ohlemacher 22 FG
AL – Mansnerus 5 run (pass failed)
B – Miceli 65 pass from Paster (Gulan kick)
B – Sensel 70 pass from Paster (Gulan kick)
AL – Morissette 39 pass form Mansnerus
B – Sensel 20 pass from Paster (Sensel pass from Paster)
AL – Mansnerus 20 run (Ohlemacher kick)
AL – Mansnerus 73 run (Ohlemacher kick)