It had been 11 years since the Bison Football team last defeated the Orange Lions. 

Friday night, the Bison decided that 11 years was too long. 

“Speaking for seniors on this team, we knew this would be our last chance to beat Orange and end this 11-year streak.” senior defensive tackle James Flowers said.

The student section was exhilarating the whole night. It was a ‘white out’, and fans threw up baby powder every time the Bison scored, sending white clouds over the crowd. 

“The crowd was the 12th man in Friday night’s [game],” Coach Damion Creel said. “The student section was electric and really helped us do what we needed to do.” 

The game opened with a 14-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Kendyn Wiggins. 

“Orange came out thinking they had the game in the bag,” Wiggins said. “We had to change that for them.” 

Gallery • 14 Photos

Matthew Keyerleber

Photos by Matthew Keyerleber

The Lions came back with a 45-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Brian Pernell on the next drive.

At halftime Beachwood led 19-13 after a first half in which the two teams fought back and forth.

“We are going to keep it up, but we have to execute,” senior running back Tez Walker told the Beachcomber at halftime.

Senior defensive tackle Antonio Roscoe was determined. 

“[We have to] keep our foot on the pedal,” he said.

The big play of the night came when the Bison were down 25-19 with 2:35 remaining in the game. 

Junior quarterback Desmond Horne lobbed a 20-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Jalen Minter to tie it at 25. 

But the Bison were not going to settle for a one-point lead. They went for two, and junior wide receiver Ben Desatnik caught the two-point conversion to bring the score to 27-25. 

The Bison defense came up clutch down the stretch in the final two minutes, with huge hits from Walker and senior linebacker Spencer Kornspan.

“The plan the whole time was to stay together and make big plays down the stretch,” Walker said. “We did just that.”

“After the game, all the juniors and seniors broke down [from emotion], because we all understood the gravity of this game,” junior defensive end Ethan Winger added. “The big plays down the stretch was all coaching, and we work in practice on making big plays when it matters most.”

The Bison look to build on their 1-0 record as they face Youngstown Chaney next Friday night.