H.S. Football: Elyria Catholic rallies late to beat Padua

PARMA — Overcoming adversity has been a theme of the season for Elyria Catholic. Continuing to overcome on-field issues is exactly what the Panthers did in their North Coast Conference opener Friday night against Padua Franciscan. Despite having a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and failing to capitalize on early momentum in the first half, the Panthers rallied to score twice in the final four minutes and pulled off the come-from-behind victory 21-14 over the Bruins at Padua Stadium. "The guys stuck together," Elyria Catholic coach Chase Farris said. "When adversity hit, we didn't hang our heads." The adversity really seemed to strike the Panthers (2-3, 1-0 NCC) late in the third quarter when senior Connor Lattea had a punt blocked by Padua junior defensive back Jose Caban. He scooped up the loose ball at the Elyria Catholic 7-yard line and scored the touchdown. The extra point gave the Bruins (1-4, 0-1 NCC) a 14-7 lead with 1:01 left in the third. "When I was at Ohio State, they said a blocked punt was like a 95 percent chance that you're going to lose the game," Farris said. "To have it go for a touchdown was even worse, but we didn't hang our heads. We went back out there and kept fighting. The offense came out there and put a drive together. The defense went out and did what it was supposed to do. A great team win." The Panthers forced the Bruins to punt on their next drive, and that is when the offense went to work. Led by sophomore receiver Jazear Terry, who took multiple snaps at quarterback in the second half after catching a touchdown in the third quarter, the Panthers drove 65 yards in nine plays. After a penalty backed up the Panthers into a first-and-goal from the Padua 20, Terry ran around left tackle and hustled his way into the end zone. The point after attempt was blocked, and the Bruins remained in front 14-13 with 3:35 to play. "I was looking right for a receiver, but he fell," Terry said. "Then I looked out and said: 'Oh, my God. There's just so much land.' I just took off and thought: 'Nobody's going to stop me. I'm not going to be denied.'" Then it was the defense's turn to make a play, as Padua came out throwing on its next possession. On the first play of the drive, Elyria Catholic defensive back Juelz Martin stepped in the passing lane and at full extension corralled an interception for the Panthers' only takeaway. "It was a great play," Farris said. "Big-time players make big-time plays when we need them. At the end of the day, our guys showed up when I needed them most. They showed up for their brothers. They played for Elyria Catholic. They played for the family. They played for the community." Junior running back Mikey Bates Jr. got the call on the play after the interception and rushed for the go-ahead score from 12 yards. The 2-point conversion pass from junior Benjamin Essenmacher to sophomore Aiden Kohlmyer gave the Panthers a 21-14 lead with 3:19 to play. "Both Jazear and Ben did amazing jobs stepping in," Farris said. "We're putting it together, week by week. They're continuing to practice and continuing to get after it every day. It's a huge thank you to those guys. I can't say enough. They stepped up and did what they were supposed to do. With the big guys up front and the run game, it opens things up for us." The Panthers made two defensive stands over the final three minutes, including breaking up a pass at the goal line on the final play of the game to hold on for the victory. Following the win over the Bruins, which was Elyria Catholic's fourth road game over the first five weeks, the Panthers open a rare, and robust, four-game homestand next Friday night. After playing their final non-conference game of the season against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary next Friday, the Panthers return to conference play for the remainder of the season. They play Lake Catholic, Holy Name and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin during the four-game home stretch. "We've just got to go 1-0 every week," Farris said. "We don't look too far ahead. We don't worry about yesterday. We're not worried about tomorrow. We're focused on today." Terry added: "It's going to be nice to be in front of our home crowd again. Our stadium is going to be amazing." Contact The Chronicle-Telegram's Sports Department at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.