Port Clinton falls to Rossford at Bassett's Field

PORT CLINTON — Emerson Lowe scored the first regular season touchdown at Bassett's Field at renovated True Lay Stadium with a 7-yard scoring reception Friday from Brandon Moore.

Rossford, however, scored the next 25 points as the Redskins lost the nonconference matchup 25-13.

"You want to put on a show for the generosity and commitment to these student-athletes," Port Clinton coach Beau Carmon said, "but for us it's about the loss. The loss in general hurts more than everything surrounding (Friday). We have work to do. Our goals are in front of us. We'll see how we respond."

Lowe caught a short scoring pass 17 seconds into the second quarter and Moore followed with a conversion run for the inaugural points on the Redskins' new turf. Quarterback Chase Baney scored from nine yards out on Rossford's next possession and the Bulldogs added a field goal for a 9-8 advantage with 8.3 seconds left in the first half.

"Our defense held them and played really well," Baney said. "They have some talented guys on offense."

Erik Davis intercepted a tipped pass early in the third quarter before Baney tossed a short touchdown. Davis returned another pick for a score on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"Erik does it all," Baney said. "He's a fantastic tackler and he knows what to do with the ball. We love to get him the ball. They destroyed us in the first half last year. We wanted to redeem ourselves. We're not the same team.

"Their whole community was here and it was a big night."

Lowe added a 27-yard scoring catch from Moore with 4:35 left to play. Rossford (1-1) recovered its own fumble twice on the ensuing possession and Port Clinton committed a penalty as the Bulldogs were set to punt.

Nathan Stubblefield suffered an injury on a hit to Davis early in the game and was relegated to kicking duties only.

"We lost a good football player," Carmon said. "He brings field leadership. We asked guys to step up and we fell short. It wasn't just one guy."

Russell Demarco stopped Baney on third down to force a punt on Rossford's first possession. He added another tackle of Baney for a loss on the Bulldogs' next possession before stopping Davis on fourth-and-1.

"He brings energy and leadership," Carmon said of Demarco. "He's a sound player. He's a good tackler with a nose for the ball. He might be our best tackler. We need more hats on the ball. We're not looking for big hits. We want gang tackling."

Rossford intercepted a pass in the end zone on the Redskins' first possession. Port Clinton (1-1) turned the ball over on downs at the Bulldogs' 12 early in the third and fourth quarters.

"It's a back-breaker we weren't able to finish those drives," Carmon said. "Emerson Lowe was outstanding on offense. We had penalties and missed blocks at the wrong times. We were outplayed. They wanted it more. We didn't have a sharp week of practice. We'll take accountability as a coaching staff.

"We tackled poorly and couldn't throw the ball. They played and coached a better game than we did."

mhorn@gannett.com

419-734-7519

Twitter:@MatthewHornNH