Tornadoes capture a victory in an emotional week

Tornadoes capture a victory in an emotional week 

By Keno Sultan

Stark County Prep Press writer

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

DOVER--It was a tumultuous week for the Dover High School family.

Thunderstorm clouds closed in on the Tornadoes family as they had to endure a very trying moment this school week.

It has been said that God walks into the thunderstorm with those in trial and those in the storm will come out of it victorious.

That couldn't be more fitting for the Tornadoes football team with everything that went on this week. Buoyed by quarterback Dieter Weber's three touchdowns, two of those through the air, Dover obtained an emotional 39-21 victory over a resilient Ashland team to win their second contest in a row and improve their record to 3-2 (2-0 Ohio Cardinal Conference) on the season at Crater Stadium.

Last season after scoring the first touchdown, Dover found themselves on the acrid end of a 42-7 loss to the same Arrows at Ashland Community Stadium. That was not the case this time around as the contest was played on Dover's terms.

It was a challenging week for second-year general Matt Rees, who put the win and life in perspective.

"We talk about that some things are bigger than football and we had to make some adjustments this week due to the circumstances and I was excited how our kids responded and the community," he said.

The Tornadoes punctured the scoreboard with a Dieter Weber quarterback keeper on an end around spanning four yards that was aided by a 36-yard completion to running back Cohen Murray to set up the early score and although the extra point was missed, the hosts assumed an early 6-0 lead.

The next drive was just as promising as an 11-play drive that was capped off by a Jacob Noretto 47-yard field goal and Dover led 9-0 to conclude the quarter. Noretto also added a second field goal from the same distance in the second half.

Those two drives pleased Tornadoes coach Rees.

"I thought our whole offense had energy. Our offensive line was blocking well and our backs were hitting the holes hard and that is what I was looking at. We had a lot of energy on the offensive side," he said.

It seemed that Ashland was headed for an early knockout defeat when Weber threw a touchdown pass to Rowdy Dailey in the back of the end zone to extend the Tornadoes bulge to 15-0 following an interception by the defense.

However, the Arrows showed a much needed dose of life as their third possession finally got them on the scoreboard with a diet of passes and runs, which led to running back Julian Cabrera taking a short pass from Carson Graber and finding the end zone for a 16-yard score that pulled the visitors to within eight points of the Tornadoes at 15-7 with half the second quarter to be played.

At the time, Ashland coach Scott Valentine had to be pleased with his team's response. It also helped that the Arrows Killian O'Brien blocked a Noretto field goal to keep Ashland within striking distance as the half ended with Dover up eight at the intermission.

Dover mounted a serious drive to start the third quarter and a deep pass from Weber to Dante Clark had them deep in Arrows territory but penalties continued to short circuit the hosts. 

But they found a way to overcome the trouble when Weber found Clark over the middle for a 17-yard touchdown to take back the momentum as Dover regained a 15-point advantage at 22-7 following their opening drive but could never really land a knockout punch as four straight penalties backed them up with one of them, a very late flag wiping out a touchdown much to Rees's chagrin.

Dover settled for a Noretto 47-yard field goal to take an 18-point cushion but the penalties are something that left Rees somewhat irritated at the failure to put a game away that was more difficult than it should have been.

"A lot of that has to do with what we go through in practice and how we practice. Most of those were mental errors that we have to correct this week," Rees attested.

Dover's defense did enough to keep Ashland from getting any closer on the evening. The Arrows now have lost two straight and will need help to stay afloat in the OCC standings as they have lost two straight after a 3-0 start.

For the Tornadoes, this win goes a long way into the process of returning to normalcy and they will look to utilize that as they move onto the second half of the season and also during the school year.

An OCC crown is somewhat within their reach but for now it's one game at a time as they turn their sights next week to a matchup with Millersburg West Holmes.

"They are a team that is big and they have skill players and from having coached against them, it is going to be a physical game," Rees said.

The victory capped off a tumultuous week for the Dover community in which storm clouds hovered over the community but the support from inside and outside has permeated through the area.

When asked how the community was able to traverse through the storm but come out victorious, Rees provided a life lesson on faith and being a Dover resident.

"I am someone who has channeled into faith and I have leaned on that, especially this week," he said. "We can't explain what happened and why but all we can do is trust in God to help us through this time."

It has been said that God walks into the thunderstorm with those in trial and those in the storm will come out of it victorious. And the Dover High School football team not only walked into the thunderstorm in the face of adversity but they came out of the storm victorious in front of a solid crowd at Crater Stadium.

DOMINANT DIETER. Dover quarterback Dieter Weber celebrates with his teammates after his four-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper to lead the hosts to a - win over Ashland. (Keno Sultan/ Stark County Prep Press)

Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.