Lake Catholic plays pitch-catch in win

Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer, November 07, 2009 1:07 a.m.

Lake Catholic receiver Zach Cvelbar hauls in a pass in the Cougars’ 34-16 Division II playoff victory over Ravenna on Friday night in Mentor. - (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

Richie who?

Lake Catholic hasn't forgotten injured tailback/linebacker Richie Sanders. But Friday night, the Cougars sure didn't need him - not with the way quarterback Jerrod Ronyak and wideout Zach Cvelbar played in a 34-16 Division II playoff win over Ravenna at Mentor's Osborne Stadium.

Cvelbar caught seven passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns from Ronyak, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 291 yards.

"The last time I saw a quarterback-receiver chemistry like that was Jim Ballard and Ed Bubonics on the Mount Union 1993 national championship team," said Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi, who was a linebacker for the Purple Raiders that year.

One would think the Ronyak-Cvelbar combo was years in the making. Hardly. Cvelbar transferred from Villa Angela-St. Joseph last year at the same time Ronyak arrived from Berkshire.

"I had no idea who he was," Cvelbar said, laughing. "But from day one, we've had a bond. Every play, me and Jerrod look at each other and I know what's coming."

The bond was aided by Ravenna safeties who played closer to the line than perhaps was wise against Cvelbar, who beat them deep for touchdowns of 65 and 39 yards while the Cougars scored 21 points in the first 13 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach at 34-8.

"I was open over the middle all day," Cvelbar said.

Ronyak also ran for a touchdown and a two-point conversion, and he threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to running back Tommy Michals.

The Cougars, 6-0 since Sanders went down, have allowed just 39 points in those six games. Friday, they limited standout Ravenna back Parnell Taylor to 80 yards and one TD on 17 carries as the Ravens chose to throw the ball more than expected.

Lake Catholic (10-1) plays Canfield (10-1) in a regional semifinal next Friday at a site to be announced Sunday.

The eighth-seeded Ravens (8-3) hung tough for a half. The turning point was late in the second quarter with Lake Catholic leading, 13-8. Ravenna marched from its 19 to the Lake Catholic 9, where it faced a fourth-and-six, and opted for a fade pattern in the end zone that was well covered and dropped by the receiver.

"We could have kicked a field goal, but we decided we're on the road and we're going to take a stab at it," Lunardi said. "It got away from us a little bit in the third quarter."