By Dave Hart
LocalSportsJournal.com
RAVENNA – Talk about being ungracious guests.
For two straight weeks Detroit Loyola came to town to take on top football teams from the West Michigan Conference.
And for two straight weeks they drove back to the east side with a surprisingly easy victory.
The latest drubbing came Saturday night in Ravenna, when Loyola used its superiors size and speed to pound the host Bulldogs 42-7 at Citizen’s Field.
Last week Loyola pounded Oakridge 42-13.
Ravenna looked like it might be able to keep up with Loyola in the first half, driving into the visitors’ red zone three different times. But the Bulldogs were turned away without scoring each time, killing any chance of keeping up with the defending Division 7 state champions.
“They were a very tough team and we did not execute on a couple of things,” said Ravenna coach David Smith. “If we scored on a couple of those early possessions it could have been a different outcome.”
Loyola got the only score of the first quarter, a 51-yard touchdown pass from Nicholas Lee to Blaine Woodland.
Ravenna’s David Thompson on the run just before halftime. Photo/Jason Goorman
The visitors added three more scored in the second quarter – a 22-yard scoring strike from Lee to Woodland, a 93-yard run by Amir Braken, and a 50-yard pick six by Anthony Fitzpatrick.
Loyola led 29-0 at halftime.
The onslaught continued in the third quarter when Loyola added two more touchdowns – a 51-yard run by Traveon Vaughn and an 81-yard run by Demetrius Christian.
Ravenna finally got on the scoreboard in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. Running back David Thompson had a 77-yard kickoff return, then scored on a two-yard run.
Kicker Mason Averill got the extra point, leaving the score 42-7.
Bracken finished with 127 yards on 10 carries for Loyola.
Thompson finished with 46 yards on 18 carries for Ravenna while quarterback Nick Castenholz completed 11 of 21 passes for 113 yards.
Loyola outrushed Ravenna 314-115.
