By Hayden Myers
POLAND OHIO- The Poland Bulldogs(8-2) ran away Friday night with a demanding 52-8 win over Struthers(2-8), in the final game of the regular season for both squads.
In the first half, Poland simply could not be stopped, scoring on every possession they had, as well as some non-offensive scores as well
It got started early on, when Quarterback David Xipolitas found Vito Komara for a 24 yard touchdown grab. On the very next play for the Bulldogs, a Tyler Cole fumble ended up in the hands of Pano Xipolitas, who took it back 35 yards to the house and an early 14-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, Senior running back Angelo Angelilli found the endzone from 16 yards out to extend the lead for Poland
The scoring onslaught continued in the second quarter for Poland, as Pano Xipolitas took advantage of a bad snap on a Struthers attempt, recovering the ball in the endzone for his second score of the game. Chase Jones widened the gap with a 42 yard burst that found the endzone. To make matters even better for the Bulldogs, Pano Xipolitas completed the touchdown trifecta, scoring on a 4 yard rushing touchdown, making that one on offense, defense, and special teams. Salvi Carramusa finished off the first half with a 34 yard field goal. He finished his day going 7-7 on extra points as well.
In the second half, Caleb Scott found the endzone from 1 yard out for Poland, as they primarily drained the clock with the massive lead.
Defensively for Poland, they were all over the place, with Kolt Arnold, Cam Hackstedde, and Gavin Seifert dominating on the defensive line, creating countless pressures and sacks.
For the Wildcats, it was a monumental struggle all game long to find any offensive rhythm. They did break the shutout with a 2 yard rushing touchdown from Tyler Cole, but overall were held in check on every front.
As the game ended, so did the season for the Struthers Wildcats. They finished at a disappointing 2-8 record, with those two wins coming against Lakeview and Niles. There were signs of great plays and players to come, and they will try to regroup and recover as they move onto next year.
The Poland Bulldogs on the other hand will be heading back for another year of playoff football, as they complete a solid 8-2 regular season, and have their eyes set on much more than that. They have already clinched a first round bye, so the Bulldogs will be off next week, but they will be back at home on November 7th, as they will play an opponent to be determined following Week 11.