Staff photo / Brian Yauger South Range quarterback Tristan Toy throws a pass during South Range’s win against Springfield in Week 1.

A 31-game regular-season winning streak that spanned at least parts of five different seasons came to an end Friday when South Range fell to Green, 21-7.

South Range began its historic run on Oct. 11, 2019, with a 56-7 home win over Jefferson. The Raiders’ final victory of the winning streak occurred Aug. 18 with a 41-14 win at Springfield.

According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association football history page, South Range’s winning streak is the longest ever recorded by an area school. Niles McKinley posted a 48-game unbeaten streak in the early 1960s, but the streak included a pair of ties.

The Raiders not only won 31 straight, they did so in convincing fashion. South Range won those games by an average score of 43-13. Just two games were decided by a margin of less than 10 points.

South Range pitched six shutouts and held seven other opponents to one touchdown. Meanwhile, the offense scored 40 or more points 22 times and surpassed the 50-point barrier on seven occasions.

South Range also manhandled some stiff competition. Excluding 2020 when all schools qualified for the playoffs, 15 of the Raiders’ other 24 wins were against teams that went on to play in the postseason.

South Range, which competes in Division V, defeated 22 opponents who were Division IV schools or larger during the streak.

The Raiders’ success also carried over to the playoffs. They owned a 13-3 postseason record from 2019-2022, including last year’s Division V state championship.

FOOTBALL FRENZY

In addition to being the home of the Liberty Leopards, Leopard Stadium is also serving as the home field for both Warren John F. Kennedy and Valley Christian this season. Both schools are renting out the facility from the Liberty School District to utilize for their scheduled varsity home games.

This past weekend, all three schools were scheduled to play a home game, resulting in a trio of games being played at Leopard Stadium in 24 hours.

On Friday night, Liberty hosted Girard. On Saturday afternoon, JFK played host to Garfield. Later that evening, Valley Christian entertained LaBrae.

“Honestly, it’s not really much of a problem thanks in large part to the work of (Liberty groundskeeper) Jason Hunter,” said Liberty athletic director Todd Smith. “Jason is always on top of everything, he’s detailed and extremely organized. He makes for a very smooth and headache-free transition from one game to the next.”

Liberty installed field turf before the start of the 2019 season. When the idea of a turf field was first proposed, Liberty school officials stressed the fact that such a move would save the district money in the long run, and even provide opportunities to generate additional revenue.

Smith noted that in addition to rental fees, Liberty booster clubs profit from additional concession sales.

“(The additional games) provide other sports programs the chance to benefit financially when they otherwise wouldn’t,” Smith said. “The Little Leopards, the soccer program, have a unique opportunity to generate some revenue through sales at these games.

“It’s also a chance for us to showcase our stadium to other communities. I strongly believe that our stadium is a hidden gem. This is a chance to show people that Liberty maybe isn’t what they thought it was. We’re proud of our facilities.”

Smith said his biggest concern in renting out the stadium to two other schools was the turf would be overused, shortening its lifespan.

One phone call eased his mind.

“I spoke to representatives of the company who made and installed the turf, and they assured me that we had absolutely nothing to worry about,” Smith said. “Their reply was that we are using it as it was intended to be used. It’s serving its purpose.

“If anything, I’d like to see our stadium used for even more community events in the future. It’s a great asset to our school and to our community.”

SIDELINE NOTES

Leopard Stadium failed to provide a home-field advantage for any of its host schools this weekend. Liberty, JFK and Valley Christian all suffered defeats. The three schools were outscored by a combined total of 130-33…..With South Range’s loss, Lowellville now owns the area’s longest current regular-season winning streak. The Rockets have won 14 games in a row…..Lakeview is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2015…..Salem and East Liverpool will meet for the 99th time when the two teams square off Friday at Patterson Field. The series, which began in 1911, is deadlocked at 48-48-2. The Quakers have won the last nine meetings.