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Chagrin Falls, West Geauga earn playoff spots
(by Steve Novak - October 29, 2009)
Chagrin Falls, West Geauga earn playoff spots
By STEVE NOVAK
Two Chagrin Valley Conference teams cemented their spots in postseason playoffs last Friday with one game remaining in the regular season. With victories in week nine, Chagrin Falls and West Geauga collected enough computer points to ensure their participation in postseason play.
Chagrin Falls raised its record to 9-0 with a 14-0 victory over Orange. West Geauga rebounded from its loss to Chagrin Falls two weeks ago with a 21-0 victory over Kenston.
The win by Chagrin Falls kept it in first place in its region in Division IV of the computer rankings. Also, the Tigers' overall total of computer points guaranteed them a home game in the first round of playoffs on Nov. 6.
West Geauga (8-1) is ranked second in its region of Division II teams to Mentor Lake Catholic. The Wolverines have enough computer points to be among the eight teams in their region which will qualify for playoffs.
Chagrin Falls 14
Orange 0
Chagrin Falls' 14-0 victory over Orange included a near-Herculean performance by running back Chris Gorman. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior rushed for 280 yards in 22 carries. He scored both of his team's touchdowns, one coming on a 74-yard dash.
The other touchdown was a 59-yard run from scrimmage. Gorman also kicked both extra points.
The Tigers attempt to finish the season with an undefeated record when they host Perry (6-3).
The top running back for Orange was Joshua Rogers, who gained 76 yards in 10 carries. Chase Ullman added 55 yards on the ground.
Orange (2-7) travels to Painesville Harvey (3-6) Friday night.
West Geauga 21
Kenston 0
The West Geauga victory over Kenston was the result of a combination bad weather, wet turf, bobbled balls and tough defense.
"It was largely a matter of too many mistakes across the board," Kenston coach Roger Vasey said. "They had field position on the 12-yard line, the 10-yard line and the 1-yard line. You can't do that with a team such as that."
Vasey said that two instances of West Geauga gaining good field position were the results of fumbles on center snaps.
"They're very good on defense," Vasey said. "They run to the ball very well."
He said that his team otherwise nearly matched West Geauga in defensive effort. The Wolverines had a total of 139 yards in total offense, while the Bombers had 109 offensive yards.
Fullback Pat Porter was the top ground gainer for Kenston with 56 yards of rushing yardage. For West Geauga, Anthony Catalioto picked up 80 yards in 10 carries.
Kenston (6-3) still is in the running for a playoff berth. The Bombers are ranked 11th in their region of Division II teams. They play Aurora (7-2) Friday night. The top eight schools in each region qualify for the playoffs.
Now in his third year as head coach at West Geauga, coach Dave Bors said he and his staff are extremely pleased to get the Wolverines back into the postseason mix.
"When we came in here, we wanted to start building the program and solidifying it," he said. "It was more or less a three-to-five year plan to get into the playoffs, and that's where we are right now. It's just where we hoped to be at year three."
The Wolverines travel to Wickliffe (1-8) Friday night.
Hawken School 45
Cardinal 6
In another Chagrin Valley Conference game, Hawken School kept its playoff hopes alive with a 45-6 defeat of Cardinal.
It was the seventh victory of the season for coach Cliff Walton's Hawks and ended a two-game losing streak. The Hawks suffered back-to-back losses to Independence and Cuyahoga Heights.
In the Cardinal game, Hawken had a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Then the Hawks exploded for 24 points in the second period. They added 14 more points in the second half.
Hawks' senior running back John Wilson was the recipient of a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Zach McMains. Wilson scored on passes of 6 yards and 35 yards. Eric Wenz and Jake Willen also caught touchdown passes from McMains.
The win put Hawken in the eighth and final spot in computer rankings of its region of Division V schools. Hawken travels to Beachwood (6-3) Saturday afternoon.
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