LITTLE GIANT TOUGH: Ross Explodes for 563 Yards in Rivalry Win Over Findlay

There are wins that look good on a schedule, and then there are wins that can help define a football team.

Friday night in Findlay was the latter.

Playing on the road against rival Findlay on its Homecoming Night, Fremont Ross delivered one of its biggest performances of the season, exploding for 563 yards of total offense and defeating the Trojans, 37-28.

It was a much different story than a year ago, when a veteran Findlay team defeated Ross 42-0. Many of those same Trojans returned this season, and Findlay entered Friday night ranked No. 1 in Division II, Region 6.

Some may call Friday's result an upset. The Little Giants saw it as an opportunity to show how far they have come.

“More physical. Fourth-quarter ready. Little Giant Tough. That’s what Coach Winters instills in us,” senior Jaxson Mackey said. “We beat a lot of these same Findlay players our freshman year on JV. We had to go out and beat them on varsity where it matters. Always good to beat Findlay.”

And that they did.

Findlay came out firing, marching down the field on the opening possession and scoring a touchdown. But Ross wasn't fazed.

Senior quarterback Breylen Garza immediately answered.

Garza led the Little Giants down the field before keeping the football himself and racing 17 yards for a touchdown. Just like that, Ross had answered Findlay's opening punch.

The message was clear: the Little Giants weren't backing down.

Ross soon got the football back thanks to one of the most athletic defensive plays of the night.

Junior defensive tackle Abryis Sewell recognized a jailbreak screen as it developed. Instead of continuing toward the quarterback, Sewell dropped into coverage and plucked the floating screen pass out of the air for an interception.

“He moves well for a big guy,” Ross defensive coordinator Coach Sykes said. “Great athletic play.”

The interception gave Ross possession inside the red zone, and the Little Giants took advantage. Garza and Ben Waggoner alternated carries before Garza made the correct read at the one-yard line, pulled the football from Waggoner and scampered into the end zone himself.

Findlay answered with a 12-play touchdown drive.

Then Mason Englund decided it was his turn.

Englund's elite speed changed the game in a hurry. He raced past the cornerback, split the safety and hauled in a perfectly placed pass in stride for a 64-yard touchdown.

The Ross defense followed with another stop.

Two plays later, Englund did it again.

This time, the Little Giants put the ball in his hands on a reverse. Englund found daylight and there was nobody on the field catching him. He raced 80 yards untouched for another touchdown, swinging the momentum completely toward Fremont Ross.

Englund wasn't the only Little Giant running with a purpose.

Waggoner and sophomore Zacarius Burel combined for 35 carries as Ross continued to attack Findlay on the ground. Burel delivered one of the best performances of his young varsity career, rushing 21 times for 123 yards and showing exactly why he has earned a role in the Little Giants' shared backfield.

Waggoner continued to provide tough, physical carries when Ross needed them while also helping lead the sophomore back during practices.

It's a combination running backs coach Vern Seavers takes pride in developing.

“My boys are tough and work hard. I'm proud of them,” Seavers said. “We have to keep working on ball security and getting better. We will.”

With Findlay refusing to go away, Ross needed one more big offensive drive.

The Little Giants delivered.

Ross put together an 11-play drive before Garza connected with Mackey for one of the biggest plays of the night. Garza settled into the pocket and delivered a strike to his senior tight end around the 35-yard line. Mackey did the rest, breaking into the open field and outrunning the Findlay defense for a 60-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

It was a fitting play in a game that showcased Mackey's versatility.

The senior lined up in the backfield in 20 personnel, put his hand in the dirt along the line in 11 and 12 personnel, and split out in 10 personnel. Whether asked to block, run a route, line up in the backfield or make a play with the football, Mackey did what his team needed.

That willingness to do whatever is best for the team is exactly the type of Little Giant Toughness Coach Kenny Winters wants to bring back to the program.

And Friday night, there was plenty of it on both sides of the football.

The Ross defense came up with timely stops throughout the night and finished the job when Xyaire “Bird” Johnson intercepted a Findlay pass late in the game.

Landon Simms made his season debut after returning from injury and recorded four tackles. Kayden Moreland was all over the field once again, finishing with seven tackles, while Joel Pickard continued to establish himself as an emerging linebacker in the NLL with six tackles.

Kevin Jones drew one of the night's most difficult assignments against Findlay receiver and state-qualifying sprinter Carter Imke. Jones battled throughout the night, breaking up multiple passes and recording four tackles.

And you can't talk about the Ross defense without mentioning senior leaders Dylan “Dons” McDonald and Parker Jackson.

Both finished with four tackles, but their impact went beyond the stat sheet. The two defensive veterans were around the football throughout the night and, as they have all season, left everything they had on the field.

For Coach Winters, Friday's performance was about an entire team responding.

“We could have laid down after last week's performance. But they didn't,” Winters said. “They had a good week of practice, and they showed up.”

Winters was especially proud of the group up front that helped make Ross' 563-yard offensive performance possible.

“How about our offensive line? They made lanes to run, created time for Garza to pass and kept the mistakes to a minimum,” Winters said.

It took contributions from everywhere.

Garza made plays with his arm and legs. Englund's speed changed the game. Burel and Waggoner pounded away on the ground. Mackey provided versatility and a game-changing touchdown. The offensive line controlled the trenches. And when Ross needed stops, the defense found ways to make them.

A year after being shut out 42-0 by its rival, Fremont Ross walked into Findlay on Homecoming Night and walked out with a 37-28 victory.

That's progress.

That's resilience.

That's Little Giant Tough.

“Great team win. A win we really needed,” Winters said. “These boys are resilient. I'm happy for our Little Giants and our fans. We're on to Liberty-Benton.”