Falling short

OVFL:  Varsity Ravens come up short, elminated by Spears

All season long, the Essex Ravens focused on running the football and winning the turnover battle.

In their biggest game of the season against the Niagara Spears for the Adams Conference Championship, the Ravens were not able to establish their ground game and lost the turnover battle. Consequently, the Ravens lost to the Spears 20-16.

Right from the opening kickoff , the Spears set the tone as they would recover an Ravens  fumble and go on to kick a 38 yard field goal and take a early 3-0 lead.

After the Ravens were forced to punt, the Spears drove down the field and increased their lead to 10-0 with a short rushing touchdown.

The Ravens would finally catch a break late in the first quarter off an errant long snap that would give the Ravens the ball at the Spears 13 yard line. Eli Fera would eventually score from 1 yard out and cut the lead, 10-7.

On the very next play from scrimmage, the Spears burned the Ravens deep on a 75 yard passing touchdown and seemingly took the life out of the Ravens by taking a 17-7 lead into halftime.

The second half started with neither team able to establish much of anything offensively.  However,  the Spears would score the quarter’s only points on a short field goal and take a 20-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Looking for a spark, the Ravens would make a change at quarterback as Dmitri Robbins would come off the bench and replace Brandon Reaume.

Suddenly, the Ravens offense seemed to find its rhythm.  A 51 yard pass to Chris Drouillard got the Ravens to the Spears 1 yard line, and Fera would eventually cash in, to cut the lead to 20-14.

When the Ravens got the ball back on offense, they began to almost move the ball at will and would face a second and goal from the three. Cody McCann would take a handoff and fumble the football at the goal line, a fumble the spears would recover.

The Spears conceded a safety after a failed possession and kicked off to Essex with a 20-16 lead and 2:38 remaining.

After a pair of sacks, the Ravens faced a fourth and 22.  While the team was able to gain 21 yards it fell inches short of the 22nd yard and thus ending their season in the process.

The Spears will advance to this weekend’s OVFL Championship and will face the Ottawa Myers Riders.

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