Fremont Ross Clinches First League Title in 16 Years Under Winters

Fremont Ross ended a 16-year championship drought Friday night, shutting out Napoleon in the second half to secure at least a share of the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division title with a 21-7 road victory.

The Little Giants improved to 6-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in division play under first-year head coach Ken Winters. The program had not claimed a league crown since finishing atop the Greater Buckeye Conference in 2010, a season that also concluded with a four-game winning streak.

Winters arrived this offseason with an explicit directive to restore the program’s historical competitiveness after years outside the conference championship conversation. The NLL formed in 2011 through a merger of several northwest Ohio leagues, fundamentally altering the competitive landscape for Fremont Ross and forcing the program to adapt to new geographic rivals and deeper divisional rosters.

Napoleon dictated the opening tempo, consuming nearly the entire first-quarter clock on its opening drive to score a touchdown. The Wildcats’ strategy focused heavily on time of possession to limit Fremont Ross’ offensive snaps.

“They had a game plan to limit our possessions,” Winters said. “We knew we couldn’t make too many mistakes.”

Ross answered before halftime when Ben Waggoner punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. A Dylan McDonald interception provided the defensive anchor needed to keep the contest level heading into the locker room.

The third quarter shifted entirely toward the visitors. Junior Kayden Moreland recovered a fumble immediately after Ross committed a turnover, halting a potential Napoleon scoring threat and flipping field position. Zacarius Burel capitalized on the short field, breaking loose for a 38-yard rushing touchdown to give the Little Giants their first lead.

Moreland then anchored a fourth-down defensive stand at the Napoleon 30-yard line. Quarterback Breylen Garza finished the resulting drive with a rushing score to seal the outcome.

“All year, he’s made plays,” Winters said of Moreland. “We need him to keep doing that.”

Fremont Ross leaned almost exclusively on its ground attack once it took the lead, abandoning any urgency to establish a passing game against a defense already struggling at the point of attack.

“It was working,” Winters said. “Why go away from it — they weren’t stopping it.”

Defensive back Kevin Jones has drawn consistent attention from opposing offensive coordinators throughout the fall, frequently discouraging quarterbacks from targeting his side of the field and funneling passing attempts into congested coverage zones.

The Cardinal Division race may not be finalized. Depending on results elsewhere in the NLL this weekend, Ross could claim the outright championship rather than sharing the hardware. Moreland made clear the roster’s expectations extend beyond co-championships.

“We don’t want to share it,” Moreland said. “We want to dominate the league. We brought a new coach in — we want to win it. That was the No. 1 priority.”

Most current players were toddlers during the 2010 Greater Buckeye Conference run, making this the first varsity-level championship experience for the roster.

“These kids were 1 or 2 years old,” Winters said. “It’s very significant. We’re not satisfied. We want the whole thing to ourselves.”

Fremont Ross closes the regular season next week with a road trip to Bowling Green.