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Tigers tamed in state championship game
(by Steve Novak - December 09, 2009)
Tigers tamed in state championship game
By STEVE NOVAK
The greatest season in Chagrin Falls High School football history came to a disappointing end Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, in the shadows of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Tigers and defending state champion Kettering Archbishop Alter put sterling 14-0 records on the line in the Division IV championship game. In the end, it was Alter posting a 37-7 triumph before 6,659 fans.
"Although we didn't get the 15th win, we made history, regardless," senior quarterback Chris Trinetti said. "But the season was more than just about wins and losses. It was about other things, too, like the relationships we made this year."
Coach Mark Iammarino tried to instill a message in his team following the contest.
"He told us that we should be proud of the season we'd just had," Trinetti said. "He said we'd done something great."
Senior wide receiver Marc Geraci said, "It's hard to believe it's over. The season has been so long. We thought football was just going to keep going on and on. But we had a good season, and we did a good thing for our community."
The community turned out for a send-off in the morning and greeting the team when it returned in the afternoon. Signs of support were seen throughout the village and thousands of fans made the journey south.
With Alter leading 9-0 at halftime, Chagrin pulled close early in the third period when Chris Gorman scored on a 5-yard run. He also kicked the extra point to make the score 9-7.
But the rest of the game belonged to Alter's offense, and it received help from Chagrin Falls turnovers. By the end of the third quarter, Alter added two more touchdowns.
Alter rushed for 301 yards compared to only 66 yards for Chagrin Falls. The Tigers were a team which often rolled up 300 rushing yards or more during the regular season.
On defense, the Knights' front seven recovered four out of six Chagrin Falls' fumbles. The Knights' secondary intercepted three of passes.
"Alter flies to the ball really well," Trinetti said. "It was like their whole defense was all linebackers. There would be holes to run through, but then they would come and plug them up real quick."
The Tigers were the undefeated champion of their division of the Chagrin Valley Conference. They held the top spot in the computer rankings in their region all season and averaged 33 points per game.
Iammarino said that Alter presented a facet of the game which none of the Tigers' opponents this year could claim.
"In all of all other games, it was us that had the advantage of speed," he said. "In this game, it was the other way around."
That is why Alter is wearing another state championship crown.
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