Eastlake North Athletics

North Football didn't attempt a pass Thursday night. The Rangers didn't need to. North pounded away on the ground, wore down host North Olmsted, and got a pair of interception returns for touchdowns from senior Brand Bambrick in a 51-17 victory to open the 2026 season. Bambrick returned interceptions 64 and 75 yards for touchdowns in the second half as the Rangers turned a 16-10 halftime lead into a rout. “It feels good stepping into the senior role for the younger guys to watch and learn,” Bambrick said. “It only helps the program in the future. It was an exciting opening game.” North established its physical approach immediately. After the Rangers' defense stopped North Olmsted on fourth down at the North 38, King Mattice broke a long run into Eagles territory. North eventually settled for a 28-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Rangers forced a punt on North Olmsted's next possession, and Josh Fenick capped the ensuing drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 4:48 remaining in the first half. North's 10-0 advantage lasted just 11 seconds. North Olmsted's Koen Beasley returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 10-7. North coach Shawn Dodd wasn't pleased with the breakdown, but he was encouraged by his team's response. “That was really, really disappointing,” Dodd said. “There was a little bit of lack of effort on the kick return, and we addressed that and got after the guys. We've got to do a better job of covering the kick. “But the way the kids responded after that, they didn't let that get to them. Sometimes in the past our heads go down, and that starts to snowball, and maybe you start finger-pointing, but the kids really rallied. We just corrected it. They did a good job of being coachable.” Bryson Palmer quickly restored some breathing room. Facing third-and-short, Palmer took a direct snap and raced around the right end for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:31 left in the half. The extra point was blocked, giving North a 16-7 lead. North Olmsted closed the half with a 32-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to make it 16-10. “I thought our kids did a really good job of keeping their composure, keeping focus,” Dodd said. “We had a couple lapses in focus, but it didn't kill us.” The Rangers wasted little time taking control after halftime. Javion Whaley returned the second-half kickoff from the North 12 to the North Olmsted 19, and Mattice finished the short drive with a 4-yard touchdown run at the 9:29 mark to make it 23-10. North's defense then stopped the Eagles on fourth down at the Rangers' 35. Fenick eventually added his second touchdown, breaking loose for a 13-yard scoring run on fourth down with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 30-10. Dodd believed North's depth, size, and commitment to its running game began taking a toll on the Eagles as the game progressed. “Their kids play tough, man. They're hard-nosed kids,” Dodd said. “Credit Coach Tim Brediger and his kids. They really battled. They really did. “We've got some big bodies, and we're leaning on you out there in this heat. We told our kids in the second half things might kind of go our way a little bit just because we have fewer guys going two ways, we had a size advantage, and the way we run the ball, we thought we might be able to kind of chip away at that a little bit. Fortunately for us, it kind of worked out that way.” Then Bambrick turned a comfortable lead into a commanding one. On his first interception, Bambrick was in man coverage on the No. 3 receiver when the pass went toward the No. 2 receiver. The ball was tipped, and Bambrick grabbed it before racing 64 yards around the left side for a touchdown and a 37-10 North lead. “The first pick-six, I had man up on the No. 3 receiver,” Bambrick said. “I saw the ball come out toward the No. 2 receiver and I was going to make a play on the ball, but thanks to my teammates playing great coverage as well, I was able to get the tipped ball into the end zone for six.” North Olmsted answered with a 56-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-short to make it 37-17, but the Eagles would get no closer. North recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Rangers later appeared ready to give the ball back on a punt, but a roughing-the-punter penalty extended the possession. Mattice eventually finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, his second score of the half, to increase North's advantage to 44-17. Bambrick provided the final blow with 2:50 remaining. This time playing the hook-curl zone, Bambrick dropped underneath the No. 2 receiver, intercepted the pass, and saw nothing between himself and the end zone. “The second pick-six, I had the hook-curl zone, and I dropped under the No. 2 receiver to make another play on the ball and get another pick,” Bambrick said. “After that, all I saw was open green grass.” He covered 75 yards for his second defensive touchdown of the game, giving North its final 51-17 margin. Bambrick's two interception returns accounted for 139 yards and 14 points. North's offense did the rest without putting the football in the air. Fenick and Mattice each scored twice on the ground; Palmer added his 41-yard touchdown run, and the Rangers consistently leaned on their offensive line and rushing attack. Ball security had been a point of emphasis throughout the summer for Dodd, and the Rangers played a clean game offensively while their defense created scoring opportunities of its own. “We played a clean game as far as that goes,” Dodd said. “We were able to get a couple defensive scores by Brand Bambrick. That was big.” For Bambrick, North's ability to score 51 points without attempting a pass summed up what the Rangers wanted their opener to say about them. “What this game says about our team is that we come to play physical football,” Bambrick said. “We didn't throw one pass the entire game and ended up with 51 points. It shows that teams can know we're gonna run the ball, and we're still gonna run the ball right at ’em.”