File this one under the “It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win” category. Mayfield senior QB AJ Rogers connected with senior WR Lantz Reed for a 24-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to break a scoreless tie against visiting WRC foe North on Sept. 27, and a dominant performance by the Wildcats’ defense made that 6-0 lead stand up as Mayfield won its homecoming game. One possession after a 19-play Mayfield drive that took more than eight minutes off the third quarter clock was stymied by North’s defense at the 2-yard line, and junior JD Sega returned a North punt to the Rangers’ 26, the Wildcats finally broke the 0-0 deadlock. After a sack of Rogers by North senior defensive lineman Samson Kanuch for a 14-yard loss left Mayfield with a second-and-goal at the 24, Rogers found Reed open across the middle, and Reed fought his way across the goal line for what would be the game’s only score with 54 seconds left in the third quarter. The stalemate is finally broken! AJ Rogers 24yd TD pass to Lantz Reed for Mayfield. 2pt no good. @MayfieldSports 6 @northrangers 0.,:54 3Q pic.twitter.com/3wfGDxKNCH — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 28, 2024 Neither team mounted a scoring threat the rest of the way in a game dominated by defense. “I think it was a fake bozo-go,” Reed said of the play call on the touchdown. “I saw that (the defender) crashed outside, so I did a quick release and went inside and caught it. I put my foot on the ground and got into the end zone.” It wasn’t a game for fans of offense, at least scoring offense. Rogers passed for 229 yards, and Reed caught seven passes for 141 yards for the Wildcats. @MayfieldSports senior WR Lantz Reed, who caught seven passes for 141 yards and the game-winning touchdown, discusses the Wildcats’ 6-0 Homecoming and WRC win over North pic.twitter.com/YxcPfeZleL — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 28, 2024 “We should have scored a lot more points, but when we needed it most our defense stepped up,” Reed said. “They didn’t get any chances to score. I’m proud of our guys. Especially as a senior, with guys looking up to me. I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else, man.” Mayfield’s defense held North to 96 yards in the first half, and minus-1 in the second. Mayfield improved to 3-3 with the win, 1-0 in the WRC. North fell to 3-3, 0-1. The Wildcats snapped a three-game skid, albeit against tough competition. @MayfieldSports Coach Ross Bandiera goes over the Wildcats’ 6-0 WRC win over North pic.twitter.com/2XEvDZZLzk — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 28, 2024 “After a three-game you kind of question yourself,” Mayfield coach Ross Bandiera said. “We just needed to get back to winning. We did enough to tonight to do that, so we’ll have more confidence moving forward.” A scoreless first quarter was highlighted by a 59-yard punt by North senior QB/P Jacob Breen that pinned Mayfield at its own 1-yard line. A lengthy second quarter drive by the Rangers in the second quarter paced by the running of senior Drake Martinez, who finished with 54 yards, stalled at the Wildcats’ 30. The teams exchanged punts after that, the second one leaving Mayfield on its own 6 with 1:25 left in the half. On first down, Rogers completed a pass along the sideline to Reed, who raced 71 yards for a first down at the North 33. A dropped pass that would have gone for a touchdown a couple plays later would prove costly. A few plays after that, the Wildcats reached the North 13 with about 13 seconds left, but a holding penalty pushed them backward, and then North senior linebacker Sawyer Piasecki picked off a pass to preserve the scoreless tie at halftime. Mayfield dominated time of possession in the second half, with a succession of runs and short passes, and a defense that limited the Rangers to 10 offensive plays in the second half: three three-and-outs and a fumble. “I thought our offense was very ball control in the second half to keep our defense off the field,” Bandiera said. “Which is our formula for being successful. We executed when we needed to. We completed a pass on third-and-12, and threw a fourth-down curl pass. We just couldn’t punch it in all night, but we moved the ball.” North had an opportunity to put some points on the board in the first quarter after forcing a punt and taking over at the Mayfield 36, but the possession resulted in a missed 36-yard field goal. “Credit to Mayfield and Coach Bandiera,” North coach Shawn Dodd said. “They had a great defensive game plan, and we couldn’t get anything going offensively. Our defense was outstanding all night, but we didn’t put them in good situations. @northrangers Coach Shawn Dodd reviews North’s 6-0 WRC loss at Mayfield pic.twitter.com/QUHftUu6Ce — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) September 28, 2024 “Hats off to our defense coordinator and the guys on that side of the ball, but we have to help them out offensively.” Both teams take to the road in WRC contests on Oct. 4. North will head to Riverside, while Mayfield will visit Kenston. THE SCORE Mayfield 6, North 0