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Tigers tame Wolves in CVC showdown
(by Steve Novak - October 21, 2009)
Tigers tame Wolves in CVC showdown
By STEVE NOVAK
Chagrin Falls scored once in the first half, once in the second half and let its defense do the rest of the grunt work on a rain-soaked Friday night when the number of unbeaten teams in the Chagrin division of the Chagrin Valley Conference was whittled to one.
Chagrin Falls' 14-7 victory over West Geauga kept the Tigers unbeaten through eight games. The Tigers also stayed in first place in the Chagrin Valley Conference and another load of computer points to maintain their top spot in their region of Division IV teams.
West Geauga coach Dave Bors said the Tigers didn't seem to deviate a bit from the standard offensive attack they had used during the first seven games of the season.
"They did exactly what we thought they'd do," he said. "They didn't deviate from what they'd done all year."
What the Tigers did was to first establish their running game and then to support that threat with an occasional pass to keep the defense guessing.
In the opening period of the game, Chagrin Falls let its running game do most of the work in getting the team past midfield and into the red zone. With the ball on the 10-yard line, quarterback Chris Trinetti faded back and connected on a touchdown pass to David Powers on a clear-out pattern. A Point-after-touchdown kick by Chris Gorman made the score 7-0.
It took another quarter of play for West Geauga to formulate a comeback. With the ball on the 20-yard line, tailback Kevin Sonnie rolled to his right, but suddenly stopped and let loose with a pass to a wide open Mike Pukay. The Wolverines made the extra point, and the teams were tied at seven points each.
"That was an option pass. We don't call that play unless we see a rotation on the defense," Bors said. "The other option would have been for Kevin to just tuck the ball and go."
A steady rain made it difficult for either offense to make much headway, but the Tigers were finally able to break through for a second touchdown about halfway through the fourth quarter. Tailback Bobby Winkelman crossed the line on a 2-yard run, and Chagrin Falls held a 14-7 lead.
A last-minute drive by the Wolverines came to a shattering halt when defensive back Andrew Vento intercepted a Joe Drenski pass with only a few ticks remaining on the clock.
The game also represented the 100th career victory for Tigers' coach Mark Iammarino. He said defending against West Geauga's triple-option offense meant that defenders had to split up coverage to watch for any possible ball carrier.
"It is assignment football when you play a triple-option team," he said. "It was huge win for us. It was all about heart."
The Tigers (8-0, 4-0) visit Orange Friday night, while West Geauga (7-1, 3-1) travels to Kenston.
Kenston 33
Geneva 13
Kenston won its sixth game of the season with a 33-13 nonconference triumph over Geneva, which lost for only the second time this year.
Senior fullback Pat Porter rushed for 218 yards in 27 carries with three touchdowns on runs of 67 yards, 48 yards and 13 yards. He also kicked three extra points.
Pat Behm scored another of the Kenston touchdowns on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Weninger in the first quarter.
Coach Roger Vasey said one of the team's major objectives was not to allow the Eagles' running game to become a threat.
"We had a good defense against the run, he said. "They had established the run in all of their previous games, and we responded to that very well."
Vasey said that Porter's 200-yard plus rushing game came largely through the efforts of veteran offensive linemen, including right tackle Matt Reedy, center Drew Ross and left tackle Randy Toth.
Cuyahoga Heights 36
Hawken 0
Hawken School dropped its second straight game after six victories, this one a 36-0 decision to Cuyahoga Heights.
The usually potent Hawken wing-T offense was held to 106 rushing yards, while the Redskins rolled up 349 yards on the ground.
The leading ground gainer for Hawken was tailback Teddy Hook with 59 yards in six carries. Quarterback Zach McMains completed 4 of 13 passes but threw two interceptions.
Hawken hosts Cardinal Friday night.
Orange 17
Beachwood 12
Orange picked up its second win of the season when the Lions traveled to Beachwood last Saturday, 17-12.
Coach Adam Bechlam's Lions defensive squad did its fair share of ensuring the win,as the Orange secondary accounted for five interceptions.
Two of the interceptions belonged to Julian Turner, and he returned one for a 23-yard touchdown.
Quarterback Ryan Bitzer, who also plays safety, stopped a final Beachwood drive in the last two minutes of play with an interception.
Orange's other touchdown came on a halfback pass when Josiah Rogers threw a 51-yard pass to Cameron Macklin. Bitzer added another three points with a field goal in the second period.
"We executed our defensive game plan," Bechlam said. "We were able to get a big lead and then ride that out for the win."
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