OHSAA football scores | Nordonia vs Twinsburg football recap

Week 6 of OHSAA high school football saw the Backyard Brawl between Nordonia and Twinsburg Friday at Boliantz Stadium.

On a rainy night in Macedonia, the Knights poured it on early to maintain their undefeated start to the season.

Nordonia (6-0, 3-0) scored on all seven possessions in the first half, cruising to 40-point halftime lead and finishing with a 40-14 win over Twinsburg (2-4, 0-3).

Nordonia quarterback Ben Chesser continued his excellent season, running for 116 yards and three touchdowns, while going 7-of-12 for 71 yards passing. Chesser anchored the Knights' running game, which amassed 276 yards.

"We really just wanted to be physical this game because of how we've played in the past," Chesser said. "We really thought we could run the ball. I had a lot of time back there to do what I wanted."

"Ben is the hardest worker on our team," said Nordonia coach Jeff Fox. "He's the leader of our team because of his daily habits and leading by example. The run game we're doing, it's hard to manage sometimes because we have so many ball carriers. A lot of it is option-type plays, so he's making decisions to make the defense wrong."

Chesser had plenty of help in the backfield. Rocco DeLorenzo ran for 82 yards and first quarter touchdown, while Kylan Osbey added 50 yards on nine carries.

Nordonia's special teams had a big night, including a 48-yard punt return for a touchdown by Owen Smotek in the first quarter. Smotek and the Knights return kept Twinsburg on the wrong end of field position all night.

Kicker Riley Edgehouse nailed a pair of 30-yard field goals in the first half. Edgehouse nearly hit a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter, but it hit the upright.

"The message was to fight in the second half," said Twinsburg coach Charles Saulter. "It was 40-0 at the half, so they didn't put any more in. They message was to go out fight and be aggressive. Sometimes, I don't think we play hard enough. We played hard i nthe second half."

Twinsburg got on the scoreboard after it took advantage of Chesser's lone error. He was picked off by Twinsburg's Cole Kramer deep in Knight territory. On the next play, Twinsburg quarterback Joe Pollock plunged in a 3-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter.

Twinsburg's biggest play came with a minute left in the game. Pollock scrambled around before launching a deep ball to Kyle Anello, who got behind the defense for a 69-yard TD.

Pollock finished 9-of-22 for 164 yards passing and the TD. Lucas Kienzlen led Twinsburg with 48 yards rushing.

Here's how the game went down in live updates.

Twinsburg finds end zone on broken play to make it 40-14

Twinsburg has pulled it back from the running clock with 1 minute left in the game.

Tiger quarterback Joe Pollock scrambled around before finding Kyle Anello open for a 69-yard TD pass. Mason Bourner hits the PAT to make it 40-14 with one minute left.

Twinsburg football with its best drive, then picks off Nordonia to set up first touchdown

Twinsburg opened the second half with its best drive of the contest, driving inside the Knights 5. On 4th and goal at the 2, Twinsburg's Lucas Kienzlen was stopped short of the goal line.

However, Nordonia's Ben Chesser was picked off by Twinsburg's Cole Kramer and returned it the Knights' 7. After a penalty, Twinsburg quarterback Joey Pollock ran in a 3-yard TD run on the final play of the third quarter. Mason Boerner hit the PAT, making 40-7 Nordonia after three quarters.

Halftime statistics for Nordonia-Twinsburg football

• Nordonia - 211 yards rushing, 71 yards passing. Leaders: Ben Chesser 7-of-11 71 yards; Chesser 12 rushes, 110 yards, 3 TDs; Danny Ours 1 catch, 33 yards.
• Twinsburg - 26 yards rushing, 44 yards passing. Leaders: Joe Pollock 5-of-15 44 yards passing; Lucas Kienzlen, 6 rushes, 20 yards; JD Okuma 3 catches, 35 yards.

Nordonia football dominates first half vs Twinsburg 40-0

Nordonia has been in command of all three phases of the game against its backyard rivals, leading Twinsburg 40-0 at the half. The Tigers will receive the second half kickoff.

Nordonia's Ben Chesser makes it 3 rushing TDs in the first half

Ben Chesser has hit the trifecta in the first half.

The Nordonia quarterback ran his third rushing touchdown of the half, sweeping left for a 17-yard score. Riley Edgehouse hits the PAT. It's 40-0 Nordonia with 1:45 left in the half.

Nordonia's Riley Edgehouse hits his second field of half

Nordonia's latest drive stalled inside the Twinsburg 15, but their kicker remains perfect on the night.

Riley Edgehouse hit his second 30-yard field goal of the half, this time from the left hashmark, making it 33-0 with 4:58 left in the second quarter.

Nordonia's Ben Chesser runs in second TD of half vs. Twinsburg

Nordonia quarterback Ben Chesser is showing off his legs again.

Chesser ran in his second TD of the half, scoring a 4-yard TD with 10:35 left in the second quarter. Riley Edgehouse hits the PAT to make it 30-0 Knights.

Nordonia takes 23-0 lead on Twinsburg after one quarter

Nordonia football is in command early vs. backyard rival Twinsburg, up 23-0 after one quarter. The Knights are going in again, as they will start the second quarter with first and 10 at the Twinsburg 25 to start the second quarter.

Nordonia's Owen Smotek returns Twinsburg punt for a touchdown

Nordonia has had an excellent first quarter in all three phases of the game.

After forcing Twinsburg's offense to go three-and-out, Nordonia's Owen Smotek took the ensuing punt, broke a pair of tackles and sprinted down the sideline for a 48-yard TD. Riley Edgehouse hit the PAT to make it 23-0 Knights.

Nordonia's defense stop on Twinsburg leads to a field goal

The Tigers went for it on 4th down in their own territory and threw an incomplete pass.

The Knights almost had a touchdown in the corner of the end zone, but the Tigers' defense broke up the pass. Riley Edgehouse stepped up and nailed a 30-yard field goal, making it 16-0 Knights with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

Nordonia football strikes quick again vs Twinsburg

Nordonia's offense continues to move fast after starting its second drive in Twinsburg territory.

A 33-yard pass from Ben Chesser to Danny Ours set up a 1-yard TD quarterback sneak by Chesser. The extra point failed, but the Knights' lead is 13-0 with 5:23 left in the first quarter.

Nordonia football marches down the field in opening drive vs Twinsburg

Nordonia's offense started up-tempo and scored quickly.

On the opening drive of the game, Ben Chesser and Rocco DeLorenzo combined for several big runs. DeLorenzo plunged in from two yards out for the TD. Riley Edgehouse hits the PAT to make it 7-0 Knights with 10:22 left in the first quarter.

High school football: Greater Akron Week 6 breakdowns and predictions

Tale of the tape between Nordonia and Twinsburg football

Players to watch for Nordonia and Twinsburg football

Nordonia has one of the best backfields in Summit County. Quarterback Ben Chesser has passed for eight touchdowns with only one interception, along with seven rushing touchdowns. Running back Rocco DeLorenzo has run for 412 yards and six TDs. … Nordonia's defense is led by Caleb Aiken, who has 49 tackles and a sack. … Twinsburg is led by quarterback Joey Pollock, who ran for 144 yards in its Week 3 win over Copley.

A look at the coaches for Nordonia and Twinsburg football

Jeff Fox has led Nordonia to the playoffs during most of his 13 years in charge, including leading the Knights to the Division II state title game in 2014. Fox's record with the Knights is 94-49.

Charles Saulter is in his third year at Twinsburg after coaching at Bedford. He led Twinsburg to its first playoff appearance since 2010 last fall and has an overall record of 27-28 as a head coach.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA football scores | Nordonia vs Twinsburg football recap