By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Somewhere, Gavin Peeps is probably still playing catch with someone right now.

Because when you are as locked in as the Kent Roosevelt senior quarterback was on Friday night, you never want to stop playing.

In just his third start as a varsity quarterback, Peeps looked calm and confident from the moment the game started.

And why wouldn’t he.

The Rough Riders’ 35-14 victory over arch rival Ravenna was exactly what he had envisioned.

“I absolutely knew that we could do this,” Peeps said. Our team put their heart and soul into everything we did throughout the entire preseason, and I knew this win was going to happen.”

Of course, having a vision is one thing.

Delivering it is another.

Peeps did plenty of that, as did his teammates.

The 6-foot-5 quarterback led the way, accounting for 88 percent of the team’s total offense.

Peeps completed 20-of-29 passes, to eight different receivers, for 355 yards through the air and four touchdowns. He was electric on the ground, as well, rushing for 126 yards on 11 carries (11.5 per carry) and another score.

In total, Peeps produced 481 of the Riders’ 550 total yards.

“Gavin was special tonight, and I am really proud of him,” Kent Roosevelt head coach Kardell Jackson said. “He is a gamer, and we have always seen that, but what makes him so special are his intangibles as a leader. He spoke to our team, and he told them all, ‘I believe in all of you,’ and I think the team really responded to the way he carried himself tonight.”

For Peeps, he said it was his strengthened appreciation for the rivalry that allowed him to speak to his team from a genuine place.

“I have always known the rivalry was a big deal, but our Captains Luncheon on Wednesday was an experience I will never forget,” Peeps said. “Being there, it made me truly realize how special this game is and how much it means to everyone in the community. So to share tonight with all of my teammates and all of my friends was amazing.”

Friday’s game was the 111th all-time between Roosevelt and Ravenna.

With the Rough Riders’ win, the series is now perfectly tied at 54-54-3.

To take hold of the game, Roosevelt (1-0) used a pair of aerial strikes and caused two critical Ravenna turnovers.

First, the Riders jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Peeps connected with Tyler Ellington on a receiver screen that Ellington turned into a 47-yard score by ripping down the left sideline.

Roosevelt’s second score also came through the air, a recurring method on the night, when Peeps connected from 36 yards out to Jaiden Portis for a 14-0 lead.

It was an advantage that the Ravens had chances to stay close to, but untimely turnovers cost them the chance.

In between the Riders’ pair of scores, the Ravens lost fumbles inside the 5-yard line as it appeared that they were a play away from the end zone. One of the fumbles was recovered by Ethan Humbert and the other by Oliver Walter. In total, the Ravens fumbled the ball five times on Friday, losing four of them.

None probably hurt more than the first two considering the goal line was just steps away and the miscues set the uphill climb for the Ravens the rest of the way.

It helped set up a third touchdown before halftime for the Riders, extending their lead to 21-0, when Portis pulled his second touchdown of the half out of the air on a 6-yard quick slant from Peeps.

Portis’ third touchdown of the game, which came in the third quarter from 20 yards out on a beautiful connection with Peeps on a crossing route in the middle of the field, pushed the lead to 28-0 at the 5:59 mark of the third quarter.

The next two scores went to the Ravens (0-1), with Asygh Gaines rumbling 9 yards for a score with 1:49 left in the third quarter and a 14-yard run by Curtis Ross at the 8:48 mark of the fourth quarter. The touchdowns brought Ravenna to 28-14, but Peeps and the Riders quickly responded with a decisive six-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in another touchdown at 6:04 to give the Riders another three-score lead.

Ellington finished the game with 120 yards receiving on five catches, while Portis had five receptions for 91 yards. Teddy Maccarone pulled in a pair of catches for 53 yards.

“It was great to see Gavin spread the ball around like he did,” said Jackson, who, with his wife, welcomed their first child (daughter) into the family on Aug. 8. “We have been talking about taking what the defense gives you, but we have really been coaching him to trust his eyes because we know he already trusts the guys around him.”

Ravenna’s offensive leader was LaDarion Askew, who was a threat in the air and on the ground. He finished with 143 total yards (54 rushing and 89 receiving), while also having an impact in the kick-return game.

Ravenna found success on the ground, using a Flexbone formation as its base offense. Mark Miller ran for 60 yards and Gaines had 57 to go along with Askew’s production.