Rockets Rally Past Westlake 21-20 on Ruppe’s Late Extra Point

BAY_VILLAGE, Ohio - Griffin Ruppe’s late extra point completed Bay High School’s fourth-quarter comeback from a 13-point deficit to beat Westlake 21-20 on Friday, Oct. 16. The senior night victory kept the rivalry jug with the Rockets.

Bay fell behind early before Patrick Cleary connected with Ethan Sedivec for a 22-yard touchdown. Ruppe’s extra point helped send the Rockets into halftime ahead 7-6, but Westlake scored twice after the break to build a 20-7 advantage.

Brody Beggs supplied the play that brought Bay back into contention, turning a pass from Cleary into a 73-yard touchdown during a 99-yard drive. Ruppe added the extra point to cut the deficit to 20-14. Cleary finished with two touchdown passes, while the Rockets’ defense delivered crucial stops to give the offense a chance to complete the comeback.

Facing 3rd-and-15 with the game on the line, Bay turned to “Grimace,” an imitation of the Philly Special. Cleary took the snap and handed off to Jack McManamon, who pitched to Sedivec. Sedivec then threw back to Cleary for a first down, extending the decisive possession.

That conversion set up McManamon’s 20-yard touchdown run, which tied the score at 20-20. Ruppe followed with the winning extra point, completing a 3-for-3 night on extra-point attempts and giving the Rockets their first lead since Westlake’s second-half surge.

Sedivec sealed the result with an interception with less than a minute remaining, adding the final defensive play to a night that also included a touchdown catch and the third-down trick-play pass. Bay plays next at Rocky River on Friday, Oct. 23.