H.S. Football: Ocir Kimble scores 3 TDs as Lorain keeps rolling

LORAIN — Going into Friday's non-league game against Willoughby South, not many people outside of the Lorain locker room knew the name Ocir Kimble. Three touchdowns later, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior running back is the talk of the town. With the help of a dominating offensive line, Kimble scored on a 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter and found the end zone twice more in the fourth quarter as the Titans improved to 4-1 with a 20-7 win over the Rebels at George Daniel Stadium. "I feel like a boss right now, my O-line was so golden tonight, they deserve all the attention," said Kimble, who finished with 123 yards on 16 carries. "The first touchdown was on a busted play. But we always keep our heads up and we turned that into a score." Senior John Salaman has been the star of the Lorain backfield all season, coming into the game second in Lorain County in rushing after four weeks. Although Salaman didn't find the end zone against the Rebels (1-4), he still led the team in rushing with 141 yards, giving him 787 yards at the midway point of the season. "We've been grinding since last season," Salaman said. "Coach tells us it's not punishment it's preparation. When we're conditioning and lifting we're always thinking about getting ready for gametime and getting ready for a clutch moment like the fourth quarter." While Lorain was the better team all night, it was in the fourth quarter when the Titans really separated themselves from Willoughby South. With 11:11 left in the game, Kimble scored on a 14-yard run. The Reggie Johnson kick gave Lorain a 14-7 lead. After forcing the Rebels to punt with 8:04 remaining, Lorain grinded out a 12-play, 69-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes and ended in Kimble's third touchdown, this one coming from 3 yards. "I feel like we work harder than they do," Kimble said. "We practice hard and work for what we've got and that showed in the fourth quarter. If you condition and listen to your coach, you're going to get your results." The Titans defense held an opponent scoreless for the second consecutive week. The Rebels' only points came on defense when senior defensive back Gabe Hanslik scooped up a Lorain fumble and ran untouched 38 yards into the end zone. Willoughby South's offense was held to six first downs and 62 yards. "That's a testament to our defensive staff and all of the work we've put in during the offseason," Lorain coach Damion Creel said. "Our kids have gone through a lot of adversity to get to this point and we're finally getting to where we want to be. The defense is the reason we won. They were able to hold it down until we were able to figure it out offensively." Lorain showed it has a wealth of stars in its offensive backfield. When Salaman and Kimble weren't running the ball through the heart of the defense, junior quarterback Chase Davis was quietly completing 68 percent of his passes (11-for-16), including four to favorite target junior Jairo Williams. "Everyone knows who John is but nobody knows who Ocir Kimble is," Creel said. "I've said it before, he's an up-and-coming star. If he stays humble and keeps working, he'll be a hell of a back for us." Lorain has already surpassed its win total for last season, when it went 3-8. After allowing 382 points last season, the Titans have held three of their first five opponents to seven or fewer points. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.