Cleveland Loses Grip on Halftime Lead, Upset of Dorsey

Cleveland High’s magical season could not carry over to the City Championship playoffs.

Despite building a 14-0 lead, the 12th-seeded Cavaliers fell to fifth-seeded Dorsey, 47-26, Thursday night in a first-round game at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

“We played a helluva football game for at least 24 minutes,” said Cleveland co-Coach Bill Paden, whose team shared its first league championship since 1978. “We surprised them a little bit.”

The Cavaliers (6-5) were ahead, 14-12, at halftime before Dorsey (9-2) took the lead for good with two touchdowns in a 19-second span in the third quarter.

James Bethea’s third touchdown run, a six-yarder with 9:28 left, pulled Cleveland to within 34-26, but quarterback Eddie Whitaker’s two-point conversion run attempt was stopped short.

The Dons sealed the victory on Delvin Hudson’s 17-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession. Hudson ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries while Jason Pickens ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns.

Pickens caught a 44-yard pass from Stanley Hollis for Dorsey’s first score.

Bethea ran for 122 yards in six first-quarter carries, but was held to three yards in nine carries the rest of the game. Bethea helped set up Cleveland’s first score, an 11-yard pass from Whitaker to Edwin Roberson, with a 39-yard gain, and scored its second on a 65-yard run.