By Phil Keren

Correspondent

A dominant 44-7 win over Beachwood on Friday night gave Rootstown its fifth victory of the season, one more than they had in the entire 2024 season.

Rootstown head coach Tom Hannan said his team’s 5-0 start is due to the team uniting with a solid group of senior leaders and putting in a lot hard work during the off-season.

“From January on, this group has bought in,” Hannan said. “The seniors this year have bought in. The kids all the way down have bought in.”

A powerful running attack, big plays on the ground and through the air, a playmaking defense, and an impressive 48-yard field goal by junior Blake Mullaly all played a role in Rootstown posting a 37-0 lead at halftime.

“Offensively, I thought we were good,” Hannan said. “I thought we could do whatever we wanted (with) our power running game and our play-action passes off of that.”

The Rovers took command quickly and never looked back. The three-play, 80-yard opening scoring drive consisted of runs of 11 and 39 yards by senior running back Damien Reuting, and a 30-yard touchdown scamper by Mullaly. Rootstown had a 7-0 lead 53 second into the game.

On Beachwood’s first possession, sophomore quarterback Dylan Paul burst through the Rover defense and sprinted down the sideline for a 47-yard gain to the Rootstown 27-yard line. The

Rootstown “D” clamped down, with the Bisons’ next two offensive plays combining for minus-10 yards. Beachwood then turned the ball over on downs following two straight incomplete passes.

That drive was the only time in the game that Beachwood’s offense moved inside the Rootstown 30-yard line.

The Rovers then marched 63 yards in nine plays and Reuting capped the drive with a 6-yard scoring run to give his team a 14-0 advantage at 3:00 of the first quarter. That drive mixed runs with edge rushing plays, and a couple screen passes.

Rootstown’s next two touchdown drives both included big plays: A 47-yard pass from Mullaly to senior Alex Ely gave the Rovers a burst of momentum. Three plays later, Reuting scored on a

23-yard carry. On the subsequent drive, junior Ayden Moyer found a path and burst through the

Bison defense for a 58-yard gain to the Beachwood 6-yard line. This time, it was Damien’s brother, junior running back Kiel Reuting, who hit paydirt to give Rootstown a 27-0.

The Rovers finished the first half with scoring assistance from the defense and the kicking game. Senior linebacker Ethan White intercepted a pass at the Beachwood 29-yard line. White was immediately rewarded for his efforts on the subsequent play when Mullaly connected with him for a 29-yard touchdown. White caught the ball on a crossing route and then ran down the sideline and into the end zone.

On Beachwood’s next possession, Rootstown junior defensive back Max McEwuen recorded an interception at the Beachwood 19-yard line. A penalty and a fumbled snap moved the ball backwards until the Rovers found themselves facing 4th and 22 from the Bison 31. Mullaly booted a 48-yard field goal through the center of the uprights as time expired in the first half. It was a strong kick and it appeared that it would’ve been good from more than 50 yards.

Hannan praised Mullaly for guiding the team in the signal-caller role and also handling the place-kicking duties.

“He’s been kicking for us for three years,” Hannan said. “He’s done a great job as our leader at quarterback.”

Mullaly completed 5 of 6 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown; he also rushed for 53 yards on 7 attempts, and had one score.

Hannan noted the defense has only given up three touchdowns all year and the varsity defense has not been scored on yet. When assessing the team’s play against Beachwood, however,

Hannan thought there was still some room for improvement.

“I think we were a little sluggish defensively compared to what we’ve been,” Hannan said. “We allowed them to get the edge some.”

The second half was played with a running clock due to the large scoring margin.

The Rovers will open conference play next week against Berkshire.