Football

No. 10 Cleveland hangs on at No. 16 Hoggard

A pair of key plays, on offense and defense, boosted Cleveland to a season-opening road win on Friday.
Posted 2023-08-19T02:41:53+00:00 - Updated 2023-08-19T06:04:13+00:00

Cleveland went deep into the playbook at the perfect time on opening night, and it may have saved them.

The Rams were nursing a 14-7 lead with just over 5 minutes until halftime, when they dialed up a game-changing play.

Senior Cameron Goins, who lined up as a slot receiver, motioned deep into the backfield and caught what appeared to be a simple swing pass.

Once Hoggard's aggressive defense swarmed, Goins bombed it deep to a wide-open Zalin Ingram for a 38-yard Cleveland touchdown. A successful 2-point conversion gave the Rams a 15-point lead, and they would need every bit of it.

The Vikings rallied for a pair of impressive touchdown drives, keyed by running back M'kel Bellamy. The senior plunged in from 3-yards away to cut into the deficit before halftime. Then, he picked his way through the defense and showed off some burst for an impressive 17-yard score in the 3rd quarter.

Hoggard decided for go for 2 and the tie, but a bobbled snap left quarterback Hudson Wilharm no chance. He was swarmed for a sack and Cleveland was able to cling to its 22-20 advantage.

The game remained in doubt deep into the 4th quarter, until the other shoe dropped for Hoggard. With under 4 minutes to play, Wilharm was picked off by Rams linebacker Sawyer Lowe, who raced 35 yards back the other way for a crucial, game-capping Cleveland touchdown.

The Rams will look to build on this 28-20 victory as they host Heritage in their home opener next Friday night.

The Vikings will host J.H. Rose out of Greenville, looking for their first win of 2023.

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