Rocky River is on the come-up so far this season.
After a 55-point performance last week, the Pirates’ offense continued to produce in their 42-6 win over John Marshall.
“We executed our offense like the way that we wanted to,” Rocky River coach Josh Wells said. “We were able to put them into some bad situations. We got some matchups that we liked and we were able to take advantage of it.”
Efficiency has been the hallmark of the offense so far, led by quarterback Julian Patti, He followed up his 400-plus yard passing performance against Painesville Harvey with 230 passing yards.
Running back Nik Disalvo had four touchdowns and all of them reached the end zone. Teammate Ryan Ricketti scored twice off his two touches, as well.
“We knew, going into the season that we had a lot of guys that can make plays outside. Nick (DeSalvo) is a nice complement to that in the backfield,” Wells said. “Julian (Patti) is very smart with this offense. He is able to read what the defense is given to him. He has a lot of freedom. If he sees something that he likes, they can go and run with it. He has been very good so far, with what we’ve asked him to do and executing the game plan.”
Rocky River led, 28-6, at the end of the first quarter and reached a running-clock score before halftime.
The Pirates’ coaching staff adjusted to the new-look roster that lost impact players, such as Mack Massad, Stan Hueler and Adrian Andrako. They tailored the offense towards the players’ strengths, which allowed new faces to step up.
“We are doing what our kids do well. We are not trying to fit a square peg through a round hole,” Wells said. “We adjusted in the offseason to what we knew we had coming back. It puts our kids in position to make plays and be successful. That is why we have been able to score so many points.”
Rocky River is 2-0, which has made it an exciting time in a locker room filled with optimism.
Wells said the team isn’t playing perfect football, however. The defense gave up 42 points to Harvey in Week 1 and suffered the consequences of a miscommunication in the secondary against John Marshall for its only touchdown.
Rocky River’s next opponent will be Sandusky Perkins in a battle of Pirates. The Pirates at Perkins have a high-flying offense, with All-Ohio quarterback Logan Lesch and wide receiver Braylon Collier. They scored 62 points in a victory over Elyria Catholic.
“We are excited for (the challenge at Perkins). We just started watching some film. I think that we are very similar in our approaches on offense. It could be a track meet on (Sept. 1),” Wells said.
