"The Rain Took Us Out of Our Offense": Green Slips Past Tallmadge in Gritty Win
Bulldogs Navigate Slick Field to Defeat Tallmadge in Rain-Soaked Victory
A torrential downpour turned Green’s 14-6 victory over Tallmadge into a slippery, hard-hitting slog. Slick conditions may have soaked Green’s usual offensive rhythm, but a couple of key plays were enough to drown Tallmadge’s hopes of walking away with a win.
Here’s all the essential information about the game.
Slick from the Start
Green and Tallmadge’s face-off was always going to be a physical matchup between two gritty teams, and the game did not stray from those expectations. Heavy rain was a game-changer that resulted in slick plays, quite literally, for both teams.
Tallmadge’s fast-firing offense—led by senior quarterback Ryan Loveless—got on the board first, with a 96-yard receiving touchdown on the first play to senior Caleb Reifsnyder. The subsequent play saw Tallmadge pass up their PAT, electing for a two-point conversion that failed.
The following drives for both teams had a similar pattern: run the ball.
Tallmadge junior Santino Cuva had six consecutive carries after Green’s four-and-out following their first defensive drive. The same can be said for Green’s first three offensive drives, where they ran again and again.
That was until a defensive stop from Green had Tallmadge punting from deep inside their territory.
Green senior Anthony Fortunato, who currently dons a right-shoulder brace, took Tallmadge’s punt all the way to the house to get Green on the board. The Bulldogs, unlike the Blue Devils, tried a PAT; the point-after-touchdown attempt, booted by sophomore Logan Noirot, was good.
Tallmadge was forced to kick a field goal with 1:30 left in the first half, but it was deflected and recovered by Green.
Green held a one point lead to start the second half.
The first snap of the second half went awry for the Blue Devils, and Green capitalized; the Bulldogs took a drive down the field, until a huge downpour resulted in a missed Green field goal attempt.
The two teams battled it out in slick conditions, and no team could garner any points until the latter half of the 3rd quarter. Anthony McMichael III saw his blocks and took it 29 yards to the house. Green was up on Tallmadge 14-6 to end the 3rd.
Tallmadge slowed their game down—a lot. Running the ball for short gains worked them up to within 20 yards of the endzone, and they finally had a look at a touchdown; in fact, they actually got into the endzone—twice. One was called back due to a block-in-the-back penalty, and another ball slipped through a gap between hands.
These two failed looks would ultimately cost Tallmadge the game, as they had one more shot at a scoring drive before Loveless’s pass attempt was dropped; Green kneeled the clock out.
Green defeated Tallmadge 14-6, and it wasn’t a dry victory.
Green Triumphs in the Downpour
Mark Geis’s squad was down more than a few players tonight. Notably, senior all-Ohioan linebacker AJ Fortunato was out.
“We’re probably one of the more beat-up teams in northeast Ohio,” Geis said.
One of Green’s most important pieces against Tallmadge was junior Anthony McMichael III. McMichael wore multiple hats against Tallmadge; the junior was playing kicker, safety, running back, and receiver. McMichael’s pivotal 29-yard rushing touchdown secured a comfortable lead for the Bulldogs, which would end up being the nail in the coffin for Tallmadge’s hopes of a victory.
“All I remember is once I got through that first line, I saw my blocks. I was sniping through there, I was trying to get through there. I saw the black endzone, and I was like ‘Man, I need to get in there.’… As soon as I saw it, I was like ‘It’s time to get in there,’” McMichael said.
The slippery conditions, of course, didn’t assist either team. The torrential downpour was something Green hadn’t seen at home since their 2021 season, and it threw them off. The slick pigskin and sleek field conditions took Green’s spread offense and made it scattered.
“The rain took us out of our offense a little bit, our spread stuff. Without AJ [Fortunato] offensively, we had to develop some things throughout the week,” Geis said.
Green improves to 2 wins and 1 loss as they head into their first Federal League game against Hoover next Friday.
Tallmadge falls to 2 wins and 1 loss and will travel to Barberton High School next Friday to begin their Suburban League play.