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Winning ways continue for valley teams
(by Steve Novak - September 23, 2009)
Winning ways continue for valley teams
By STEVE NOVAK
If winning is contagious, it seems that three Chagrin Valley Conference teams are showing the initial signs of having contracted an unbeatable virus.
Chagrin Falls, West Geauga and Hawken have gone through the first four weeks of the schedule without a defeat.
Chagrin Falls 23
Aurora 3
Visiting Chagrin Falls drubbed defending Division III state champ Aurora last Thursday by holding the Greenmen without a touchdown in a 23-3 rout.
In the first three games this year, it was largely the passing of senior quarterback Chris Trinetti that guided the Tigers. Last week, it was the ground game that carried the team.
"We knew we were going to have to run more to beat Aurora," Trinetti said. "We got together at halftime. The running game had been working, so we decided to stay with it."
Chris Gorman led the Tigers with 164 yards in 30 carries. Trinetti carried 13 times for 76 yards and Erik Schultz gained another 50 yards.
Both Trinetti and coach Mark Iammarino credited the Tigers' offensive line for allowing the team to control the game on the ground. The Tigers scored 20 of their 23 points in the second half.
Friday night at 7, the Tigers host arch-rival Kenston, which is 3-1.
Chagrin Falls holds the top spot in the region in Division IV computer rankings.
West Geauga 56
Painesville Harvey 13
Host West Geauga was impressive on the ground in rolling over Painesville Harvey, 56-13.
Coach Dave Bors' team accounted for 358 yards of rushing offense and piled up a 42-7 lead by the end of the first half. This was the second week in a row the Wolverines have scored more than 50 points and they are averaging 46 points per game.
Bors' triple-option offense allows the choice of several players to carry the ball. Senior tailback Kevin Sonnie gained 101 yards, while Anthony Catalioto gained 53 yards, Andy Powers picked up 94 yards and quarterback Joe Drenski rushed for 50 yards. Sonnie and Powers each scored three touchdowns.
Bors said despite the fact his team has not used many passing plays in the past few games, he is pleased with the constant good job of blocking turned in by the wide receiver corps of Mike Pukay, Matt Molle and Brandon Doering.
"You look at the stats and see we don't have much passing yardage, but these guys do a big job in helping to block on each of our running plays," Bors said.
He said that despite being pleased with the 4-0 mark, the team still has make fewer and get called for fewer penalties. The Wolverines lost 45 yards on four penalties.
West Geauga travels to undefeated Perry (4-0) for a 7 p.m. contest Friday.
Hawken 31
Kirtland 28
With still another week to go before October, Hawken already has won as many football games as it did in the 2008 season.
Last Thursday, the Hawks traveled to Kirtland, a team which finished undefeated in the CVC last year. In the game which was in every way indicative of the score, the Hawks got in the last score and came out a 31-28 winner.
Veteran tailback John Wilson was the all-purpose tool that fixed the Hawks all night whenever the team's engine started to cough and sputter. He ran for a touchdown, threw for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and scored the two-point conversion on the team's final touchdown.
Wilson, a 5-foot-11 senior, scored the winning touchdown with less than three minutes remaining on a 91-yard kickoff return. Then he caught a pass from quarterback Zach McMains for the two-point conversion.
Hawken coach Cliff Walton said Wilson "does a lot of things. He could play anywhere." Wilson also gained 79 yards in five rushing attempts.
McMains completed 6 of 13 passes for 86 yards. Jeremy Simmons gained 104 yards in 14 carries.
Walton said both teams had a lead at different points. However, he said he believes that senior leadership and the team's victories in the first three weeks have helped to create an attitude which allowed the team to regain the lead from Kirtland late in the fourth quarter.
"This was a back and forth game. It was another huge step for them," he said. "We've talked about it a lot, but we have 18 seniors. They've been around for a long time. We're to a point where we stress to them, that we believe that we're never out of a game."
The Hawks host Fairport Harbor (0-4) Friday night at 7.
Kenston 42
Wickliffe 7
Now, that's the way to dedicate a new football field!
More than 2,000 fans turned out to witness the unveiling of the new athletic turf field at Kenston High School and they were treated to a grand show in the home opener.
The Bombers posted their third consecutive victory, a 42-7 decision over Wickliffe in a Chagrin Valley Conference opener. That sets up Friday night's 7 o'clock showdown at arch-rival and undefeated Chagrin Falls.
This was another case of the ground game leading the way as the Bombers churned out 335 rushing yards.
Quarterback Kyle Weninger accounted for another 100 yards through the air on 10 of 13 completions.
The defense held Wickliffe to 75 rushing yards and allowed just a 33-yard scoring pass in the second quarter.
Running back James Tomcufcik led the running game with 171 yards on only eight carries. Pat Porter picked up 136 yards in 15 carries.
Kenston coach Roger Vasey said he's very impressed with the team's ability to stay focused on the overall game plan, and to share the burden of leading the offense.
"The kids are believing in what we're doing now," he said. "This is the second game where we had five different people catch the football."
Vasey praised linebacker James Romanowski, who recorded 15 tackles and linebacker Pat Behm who had eight tackles, one sack and one interception.
Perry 27
Orange 7
Host Orange faced a tough opponent last Thursday and undefeated Perry gained a 27-7 victory.
The Lions kept the game competitive in the first half, holding Perry to a 14-7 lead. Orange scored on a 12-yard pass play from Ryan Bitzer to Darian Johnson.
Orange coach Adam Becklam said his team would have tied the score in the third period, had it not been for a penalty.
"We were right with them," Becklam said. "We scored a touchdown on a punt return that would have tied the score in the third quarter, but it was called back for a penalty."
However, the Pirates' defense held the edge throughout the contest, holding Orange to only 59 rushing yards.
Bitzer completed 8 of 18 passes for 97 yards. He also kicked the extra point after the touchdown. Safety Julian Turner and cornerback Chase Ullman both had interceptions.
Becklam said he is encouraged by the constant progress that his young team has been displaying.
"They're getting better on their assignments. The offensive line is getting better every game," he said. "There are lot of young kids out there who are still learning to play this game."
The Lions (1-3) host Aurora Friday night.
Willoughby South 41
University School 40
It is often a game of inches, but for University School, it has often been a game of being just a few points short. In last Thursday's nonconference contest, visiting Willoughby South made its last touchdown of the game hold up in a 41-40 triumph.
Two weeks ago, the Preppers lost a contest to Villa Angela-St. Joseph in overtime, 34-33.
In last week's game, the two squads displayed a prime example of what high school teams can do with a spread offense. Both teams made frequent use of multiple wide receiver sets, resulting in 10 touchdowns that came by way of the pass.
US senior quarterback Dan Frate put the ball in the air 51 times and completed 25. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Frate finished with 297 passing yards and four scoring tosses.
Sophomore John McKelvey was on the receiving end of eight of Frate's passes for 108 yards and scored two touchdowns.
US's lone victory was a Sept. 11 win over Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 31-3. The Preppers host winless Shaker Heights (0-4) Saturday.
Cleve. Cent. Cath. 26
Gilmour 24
Gilmour Academy came close to notching its first win of the season last Saturday, but Cleveland Central Catholic managed to stay undefeated with a 26-24 victory.
Gilmour marched to a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, but CCC grabbed the lead by halftime. Each team had one touchdown in both the third and fourth quarters.
Junior running back John Harper had a pair of touchdown runs and Frank Pines scored on a 5-yard run in the fourth period. The touchdown culminated a 68-yard drive with less than six minutes to go.
CCC scored the winning touchdown on a 29-yard pass play.
Rob Catanese put the Lancers on the scoreboard early with a 20-yard field goal.
This week, the Lancers under first-year head coach Matt Simon travel to Wheeling, W.Va., to face Linsly High School (1-3).
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