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Posted on 08/23/2025
Valley Forge Edges Out North Royalton in Thrilling 33-29 Victory
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The Valley Forge Patriots began their 2025 season with a 33-29 victory against North Royalton in a thrilling game. The Patriots came out confident and strong however, the Bears gave them a run for their money. It would come down to the very last second that would determine the fate of the game.
Valley Forge came out hot in the first quarter, setting the tone early with a dominant defensive performance, allowing no first downs on North Royalton’s opening drives. Their offense quickly matched the energy, as quarterback Sean Frank connected on multiple big plays, including a 45-yard pass. The momentum continued when running back Daymon Watts broke through with a 5-yard touchdown run to give Valley Forge an early lead.
Still in the first quarter, Valley Forge’s defense struck again, forcing a fumble recovered by Nate Abreu. However, North Royalton’s defense answered back, halting the drive with a fumble recovery by Tyler Rowles. The rest of the quarter was a defensive battle, ending with North Royalton sacking the Valley Forge quarterback Sean Frank for a loss and forcing a punt.
Looking to recapture momentum in the second quarter, Valley Forge got a huge boost when Ronnie Morlan recovered a punt at the 1-yard line. Daymon Watts wasted no time, scoring his second touchdown of the night with a short 1-yard run. Shortly after, Valley Forge’s Archie Fullah intercepted a pass, but a fumble on the return allowed North Royalton’s Sean Bunsey to recover and make a comeback.
North Royalton’s offense began to find its rhythm, led by quarterback Nolan Klingbeil. He connected on key passes, including a 26-yard pass and a 16-yard strike to Nicholas Piazza, before Robert Edmiston finished the drive with a 7-yard rushing touchdown. Quarterback Klingbeil kept the pressure on, adding a pass to Andrew Jedacek and a touchdown run of his own to tie the game at 14-14.
Valley Forge responded in a big way. Quarterback Sean Frank launched a 70-yard touchdown pass to Even Tappe, followed by a 51-yard touchdown strike to Daymon Watts, giving the Patriots their fourth touchdown of the half. Despite missing both extra points, they took a 26-14 lead into halftime.
The third quarter started slowly, with Valley Forge stalling at the 11-yard line. North Royalton capitalized, piecing together a drive that included a 29-yard run and a 22-yard pass from Nolan Klingbeil. The drive was capped off by a touchdown from Nicholas Piazza, bringing the score to 26-21.
North Royalton’s offense stayed hot. Utilizing a mix of rushes by Andrew Jedacek, Chase Ammar, and Cameron Saul. They pushed down the field before Nolan Klingbeil fired a 50-yard pass, setting up a touchdown run by Patrick Hannah. A successful two-point conversion gave the Bears their first lead of the game, 29-26.
But Valley Forge wasn’t done yet.
In a pivotal moment, Sean Frank delivered a 75-yard bomb to Daymon Watts, who found the end zone once again, putting the Patriots back on top 33-29.
North Royalton fought hard in the final minutes, stringing together multiple big plays and marching all the way to the 1-yard line. But the Valley Forge defense stood strong and held them until the clock read zero to secure the victory.
Valley Forge Player of the Game: Senior QB Sean Frank. Tonight, the senior threw the ball 245 yards and led the team to victory within the final minutes of the game.
North Royalton Player of the Game: Junior QB Lincoln Lee. Tonight the junior threw for 166
yards and ran 49 yards and fought to the last second to try and get his team to victory.
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