Hughes' 4 TDs power Rocky River to conference crown

By Austin Opferspecial to cleveland.comMEDINA, Ohio – They weren’t the most ideal conditions on Friday night. Yet even that couldn’t slow Tristin Hughes and Rocky River’s electric offense.Amidst heavy rainfall and wind, Hughes turned 10 touches into four touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a dominant 35-9 win over host Buckeye and clinch a share of the Cleveland West Conference title. Rocky River, ranked 15th in this week’s cleveland.com Northeast Ohio Top 25, improves to 9-0 (6-0 CWC). Buckeye falls to 4-5 (4-2). “The kids embraced the rain. When I heard them getting excited about it, I knew we were going to be ok,” said Rocky River coach Josh Wells. “They thrived in it today. It’s never easy to come here and our kids were ready to roll.”Hughes, a University of Kentucky commit, showcased his versatility totaling 202 all-purpose yards and four scores. He tallied 77 yards and a TD on two catches, 50 yards and two scores on seven carries, and added a 75-yard kickoff return for a TD. It didn’t take long to call his number.On the second play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Carter Atwater tossed a slant intended for Hughes. The ball slipped through a Buckeye defender’s hands into the air and right into Hughes who raced 74 yards to the endzone. “The tip was random, but I just refocused on the ball,” said Hughes. “My mentality was that I really had to go catch the ball and score.”Hughes wasn’t done. On the next two Pirates possessions, he found paydirt on the ground, to give the visitors a 21-0 lead at the half. The latter was a 50-yard score in which he weaved in and out of traffic, made multiple defenders miss, and raced down the sideline.“He’s a phenomenal football player, what more can I say? He’s the ultimate competitor,” added Wells.Generally a pass-first team, the rain led Rocky River to lean more on the run to start the game. Junior Rocco Boan delivered, turning 12 first half carries into a game-high 112 yards while setting up multiple scores. “We’re obviously a pass first offense, but we planned for the conditions, and Rocco was a big part of that,” continued Wells. “He stepped up big time, I’m proud of that kid.”To open the second half, it didn’t take long for the Pirates to strike. On their first play, Atwater hit Danny Berg in stride for a 53-yard TD. Atwater finished 5-of-9 for 153 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He became the sixth QB in school history to pass for at least 2,000 yards in a season and moved into third on the single season TD pass list (33). “He [Carter] had another efficient night,” said Wells. “He’s made big plays for us this year, and he showed that again tonight.”Buckeye responded with its best possession of the night – an 18-play, 68-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes. Senior tight end Rees Perkins hauled in a 5-yard pass from senior QB Shane Metter to cut the lead to 28-7, a minute into the fourth quarter. But on the following kickoff, Hughes took a pitch from his teammate and raced 75 yards to the endzone to put his final stamp on the game and secure the CWC title – avenging last year’s 35-27 regular season loss. “We work on that stuff. It’s not ideal to do it in this kind of weather, but he [Hughes] can change a game in a play and the kids executed it,” said Wells. It was a fitting way to cap a goal that’s been in the Pirates minds since the offseason. “Last year, we were stripped of it. This year, we had that mentality coming into the season that we really wanted it,” added Hughes. “It’s all the motivation in the off season, the coaching, and the program coming together.”“It’s awesome. Two years, the league has come down to this game, and the winner gets to take the championship,” said Wells. “We came up short the last two years. Our kids didn’t want to come up short again. The hard work paid off.” Next Friday, both teams conclude conference play. Buckeye closes the regular season on the road at Westlake, while Rocky River returns home to take on Bay.