H.S. Football: John Salaman leads Lorain to LEL title share

LORAIN — It was a night for the record book Friday at George Daniel Field. A second-half offensive surge helped Lorain win its first Lake Erie League title since 2016 as the Titans defeated Maple Heights 53-34. The Titans and Mustangs share the crown. Senior John Salaman made his final regular-season game in a Lorain uniform one to remember, breaking his school record with 341 rushing on 34 carries. "We had a bad week last week and we were just trying to bounce back," Salaman said. "We knew we still had a chance to get a share of the conference so we were ready to come out and get it." The Titans (8-2, 4-1 in the LEL) led 25-14 at the half, and on their second offensive play of the third quarter Salaman set the tone for what was still to come by breaking free for a 55-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 32-14. Although the Mustangs (5-5, 4-1) would cut the Lorain lead to 13 in the fourth quarter, the Titans remained in complete control of the game. "We were in the darkness for a long time and we just tried to stay together as a team," Salaman said. "Through all of our struggles we stayed close and we stayed motivated." After not playing football in 2020 due the COVID-19 pandemic, Lorain went 1-10 in 2021 and was shut out four times. Coach Damion Creel took over the program that year and put the pieces in play to make this year's success possible. "When I took this job this is what we wanted to do, this was the goal of mine," Creel said. "It took two years to get here. But through the bad times and the darkness our kids pulled through and stayed committed to this team and this coaching staff and they deserve this." After recovering a Lorain fumble, Maple Heights scored first to take a 6-0 lead. On Lorain's next possession Ocir Kimble scored the first of his two touchdowns, a 12-yard run, which was followed by a Reggie Johnson PAT kick to give the Titans a 7-6 lead. Junior quarterback Chase Davis threw a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, one to Joseph Wyatt and another to Jairo Williams. With rain falling for much of the second half, Lorain relied on its running game. Its first four possessions of the half ended with rushing touchdowns. Kimble's 35-yard run late in the third quarter made it 39-20. Then Salaman added runs of 28 and 2 yards in the fourth quarter to put an exclamation point on the win. "It was an emotional night for John," Creel said. "I wish I could tell you everything that was going through John's head at the beginning of the game with him it being Senior Night but I will keep that between him and I. I just told him to use that emotion to drive him to play tonight and he did exactly that. John has been our workhorse. Where he's come from, having two injuries, he earned this." Now the Titans wait to see whom they will face next week in the opening round of the Division I, Region 1 playoffs. "It's a good feeling to come out and dominate like we did today," Salaman said. "We're just ready for next week because we know next week is win or go home." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.