Cleveland Heights hammers St. John's 51-20

8/29/2013

Visiting Cleveland Heights rolled to a 23-7 halftime lead behind 362 yards of first-half offense, and cruised to a 51-20 victory over St. John’s Jesuit Thursday night in the Old Newsboys Kickoff Classic high school football opener at Lyden Field.

Running back Marcus Bagley led the way for the Tigers, rushing for 275 yards on 29 carries, including touchdown runs of 2, 1, 8, and 5 yards.

Cleveland Heights quarterback Taz Pauldo added 209 passing yards, including two TD strikes.

The Tigers’ Dorian Baker added a 66-yard TD reception and a 79-yard interception return for a score.

St. John’s did gain some momentum late in the third quarter, scoring two touchdowns in a span of 43 seconds to pull within 30-20 with three minutes left in the period.

But Heights responded with a 41-yard kickoff return and three plays later Bagley’s third TD started the game-closing 21-point surge as the Tigers turned the game into a rout.

Titans quarterback Nolan Silberhorn was 18-of-31 passing for 223 yards and a pair of TDs in defeat.