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CVC showdown looms for undefeated teams
(by Steve Novak - October 01, 2009)
CVC showdown looms for undefeated teams
By STEVE NOVAK
West Geauga and Chagrin Falls football players probably have circled week eight -- Oct. 16 -- on their schedules. The undefeated juggernauts are headed toward a Chagrin Valley Conference showdown that night.
West Geauga 28
Perry 21
West Geauga stayed unbeaten by handing previously undefeated Perry a 28-21 loss on the Pirates' home field.
The game was like a reunion for the head coaches. Wolverines' coach Dave Bors took over the West Geauga skipper's job that was vacated three years ago by Matt Rosati, who is the Perry coach.
Bors said he cautioned his players not to let Perry's explosive offense be the difference.
"With an offense like they have, it's explosive," Bors said. "So we said, OK, we're not going to get beat by the big play. We want our offense to control the ball and we want to limit their big plays."
But, it was West Geauga that came up with the first big play. A 42-yard pitch-out to tailback Bill Sonnie was the first score of the game early in the second quarter.
West Geauga followed this with another big play, this one a 62-yard run by Sonnie. A quarterback keeper by Joe Drenski put the Wolverines up 21-7 at halftime.
Drenski ran another keeper 35 yards for a score in the third quarter and then the Wolverines hung on for the triumph.
Perry mounted a rally, answering with two touchdowns, but the Wolverines' defense held the Pirates after that.
Sonnie finished with 133 yards rushing.
Bors said the five consecutive victories seems to provide its own incentive for the team because the last half of the season will make or break their chances of making the playoffs.
"Sure, the five victories are nice, but we've got tough games coming up in the second half," he said. "We've got Aurora. Then we've got Kenston and Chagrin Falls. We could lose all three of those games and not make the playoffs. A lot of people didn't expect us to win five games at this point, but we've got to continue what we're doing."
West Geauga hosts Aurora Friday at 7 p.m.
Chagrin Falls 20
Kenston 13
Chagrin Falls held off neighborhood rival Kenston, 20-13.
The Tigers scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Chris Trinetti to David Powers and then got from a 30-yard field goal by Chris Gorman in the fourth quarter.
However, it was the running of Gorman which accounted for a big portion of the Tigers' offense. The senior running back gained 98 yards in 19 carries, which was all but 31 yards of the team's total rushing yardage.
Kenston took the first lead on a 5-yard touchdown off a quarterback bootleg by Kyle Weninger. The Bombers' other touchdown was a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter by Pat Porter.
Kenston coach Roger Vasey said he regretted that a second Kenston touchdown in the second period was called back because of a penalty. "That would have made the score 14-0, but we were called for holding," he said. "I'm not making excuses, because we still have some young players, but that could have been the turning point of the game."
Weninger completed 7 of 20 passes and Vasey credited the coverage of the Tigers' 6-foot-5 defensive lineman Connor Clegg with knocking down several passes.
Vasey said linebacker Pat Behm accounted for 20 tackles for Kenston, which fell to 1-1 in the CVC and 3-2 overall.
For Chagrin Falls coach Mark Iammarino's Tigers, the next hurdle is Friday night at 7 at Wickliffe, which is 1-2, 1-4.
Chagrin Falls is ranked first in computer points in its region in Division IV.
Kenston hosts Orange Friday night at 7.
Hawken School 51
Fairport Harbor 14
For the first time in more than a decade, Hawken's football team has a 5-0 record.
The Hawks' 54-14 victory over Fairport Harbor last Friday in the CVC was a good example of the multiple offensive weapons the team has at its disposal this year.
Hawken runners combined for a total of 406 rushing yards, and quarterback Zach McMains completed 6 out of 8 passes for another 154 yards. Seven different players crossed the goal line for Hawken.
It was a game that included several big plays for Hawken. Jake Willen scored on a 55-yard pass reception from McMains in the first quarter. On a sweep play, tailback Jeremy Simmons reversed his field, evaded a half-dozen tacklers and scored on a 71-yard run in the second quarter. Co-captain John Wilson scored on a 70-yard run later in the contest.
Wilson was again at the top of the rushing chart for the Hawks with more than 100 yards. Last Friday, he carried the ball only six times and gained 126 yards. Nick Rose amassed 97 yards in just four carries.
Hawken coach Cliff Walton has said that because this year's team is heavily dominated by seniors, the team's undefeated mark hasn't surprised him to any great degree.
The next test for Hawken is Friday night at 7 at Richmond Heights (0-2, 0-4).
Aurora 35
Orange 9
Orange faced a tough CVC opponent last Friday when the Lions came up against defending state champion Aurora and fell to the Greenmen, 35-9.
Lions' coach Adam Bechlam said Aurora (1-1, 3-2) took advantage of a pair of big plays which helped the Greenmen move out to a 21-9 lead at halftime.
"There was a long kick return and a long punt return, and that set up two of their touchdowns in the first half," he said.
Orange's two scores in the first half came on a 23-yard run by Chase Ullman and a 32-yard field goal by Ryan Bitzer. Ullman's score was set up by a 60-yard run by senior tailback Josh Rogers.
Rogers rushed for more than 100 yards. His sophomore brother, Josiah, accounted for 11 tackles from his linebacker spot and also had an interception.
Orange, 1-2, 1-4, travels to Kenston Friday night at 7.
University School 48
Shaker Heights 0
University School added another win to its season total as the Preppers (2-3) traveled to Shaker Heights last Saturday and let their offense do the talking in a 48-0 victory in the nonconference game.
Quarterback Dan Frate had another game of impressive numbers, as the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior completed 10 of 18 passes for three touchdowns. Frate also accounted for another score when he broke free for a 31-yard keeper in the third quarter.
Preppers' coach Jim Stephens said this year's Shaker Heights team has several underclassmen and as a result, his defense was able to take advantage of Shaker Heights' youth.
"It was our defense," he said. "We took advantage of their youth. We blitzed a lot and rattled the quarterback a little bit."
Frate's touchdown passes were delivered to Chris Harris, Julius Cartwright and Jeff Reimann. Another touchdown came on a fumble recovery by Will Gilkeson. Cartwright accounted for another score on a 35-yard interception in the second quarter.
University School travels to Pennsylvania for a game against Kiski Prep on Saturday. "We drove out there last week, a 2 1/2-hour drive, to see them play," he said. "We're well prepared."
Linsley 40
Gilmour Academy 6
Gilmour Academy traveled to West Virginia last weekend and returned to Ohio still seeking its first win of the season. The Lancers dropped a 40-6 nonconference decision.
Gilmour (0-5) fell into a hole early in the contest at Linsly's home field in Wheeling as the Cadets rolled to a 26-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Gilmour managed just seven first downs. Running back Brian Hyland rushed for 64 yards and John Harper had 33 yards on the ground.
Gilmour travels to Gibsonburg, near Fremont, Friday night at 7:30.
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