CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — A season full of high hopes for defending Greater Buckeye Conference champion Cleveland Heights began with a win Friday night, but not the decisive victory most expected.
In a game dominated by defense and saved by a crucial goal-line hit, the Tigers moved past the visitors from Trotwood-Madison with a hard-fought 6-0 victory at Cleveland Heights Stadium.
The Tigers, ranked fourth in cleveland.com’s preseason Top 25, scored their first points of the 2024 season on their first drive of the season. Marquise Davis, a Kentucky freshman and reigning cleveland.com Offensive Player of the Year, capped the drive with a touchdown run. The extra point was useless, leaving Cleveland Heights with a 6-0 lead with 10:31 left in the first quarter.
At the time, no one knew that Davis’ goal would be the only one of the game.
Cleveland Heights had a golden opportunity to extend its lead to 12-0 late in the first quarter by setting up a first-and-goal at the 2-line, but negative runs, sacks, bad penalties for both teams and a fumble by new quarterback Justin Godbolt, who transferred from Elyria, kept the score at that level.
Both teams struggled to get anything going on offense in the second quarter. The Tigers went into the locker room with a 6-0 lead and that score remained unchanged until the third quarter thanks to a goal line hold by the Heights defense with nine minutes left in the quarter.
Heights stopped the Rams short of the goal line on the second attempt, and a false start penalty put Trotwood-Madison inches from tying the score. But a toss sweep went for minus-3 yards and a pass on the fourth attempt was incomplete.
This was the best chance either team had to score for the rest of the fourth quarter, thanks to dominant play from the Tigers defense, led by defensive linemen Brandon Caesar, Jameil Hamm (Miami, OH commit) and Jay’Quan Stubbs (Minnesota commit).
Next Friday night, Cleveland Heights (1-0) will travel to Michigan to face Detroit Martin Luther King.
Dan Gilles is a freelance sports writer from Lorain.
