TIFFIN, Ohio – The Tiffin football team surrendered 21 unanswered points after an early touchdown and was unable to complete a late comeback, falling 21-14 to Lake Erie at Frost-Kalnow Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Dragons could not have scripted a better start. On the Storm's opening possession,
Braylon Gabes intercepted a pass and returned it 21 yards to the Lake Erie four yard line. One play later, quarterback
Cane Mack connected with
Joey Zalewski on a four-yard touchdown pass just 11 seconds into the game, giving Tiffin an early 7-0 advantage.
Tiffin threatened to add to its lead throughout the first half, driving into Lake Erie territory on multiple occasions. The Dragons marched 76 yards deep into the red zone midway through the second quarter, highlighted by a 16-yard run from
Ronald Blackman, a 17-yard reception by
Tyrik Bryant, and a 17-yard catch from
Jaedyn McKinstry. However, a goal line fumble at the Storm five yard line halted the drive and kept the Dragons from extending the lead.
Lake Erie capitalized on the missed opportunity late in the half. With just over a minute remaining before intermission, Anthony Cole Jr. stepped in front of a pass and returned the interception 48 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 heading into halftime.
The Storm grabbed control in the third quarter behind a pair of explosive scoring drives. Following a 77-yard march, Hunter Newell found Devin Morgan for a four-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7. Less than three minutes later, the duo struck again, connecting on a 54-yard scoring play that pushed the Lake Erie lead to 21-7.
Tiffin mounted a response late in the third quarter, driving from its own 35 to the Lake Erie three-yard line. Zalewski hauled in a 21-yard reception during the march while Blackman added a 15-yard run, but the possession ended in another turnover as the Storm recovered a fourth-down fumble at the 16-yard line.
The Dragons trimmed the deficit midway through the fourth quarter. Mack completed four fourth down passes on a 10-play, 67-yard drive, including completions of 21, 17, and 16 yards to keep the possession alive. The march culminated with a three-yard touchdown run by
Johntu Reed, making it a one-score game at 21-14 with 9:23 remaining.
Lake Erie responded with a nearly seven-minute drive that consumed valuable clock before turning the ball over on downs inside the Tiffin 25. The Dragons had one final opportunity, moving from their own 24 into Storm territory behind completions to Blackman, Bryant, and Zalewski, but a fourth down pass in the final minute fell incomplete, sealing the 21-14 result.
Mack finished 25-of-44 passing for 271 yards and a touchdown, while Zalewski turned in a dominant performance with 10 catches for 125 yards and a score. McKinstry added 57 receiving yards, while Blackman led the ground game with 44 rushing yards. Defensively,
Lennox Williams paced the Dragons with 12 tackles, and Gabes added an interception. Tiffin outgained Lake Erie 368-228 and recorded 22 first downs to the Storm's 14.
With the loss, Tiffin now falls to 6-3 overall and 5-2 within the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The 'Gons will return to action next Saturday hosting Ohio Dominican for a 12 p.m. start.
