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Comets set up showdown with St. Edward
(by Tony Lange - November 17, 2010)
Comets set up showdown with St. Edward
By TONY LANGE
Top-seeded Solon dominated fourth-seeded Austintown-Fitch Falcons 41-0 in a Division I, Region 1 semifinal victory last Saturday at Mollenkopf Stadium in Warren.
Solon (12-0) faces third-seeded Lakewood St. Edward (12-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Byers Field in Parma. They are two of 17 undefeated teams left out of 715 football-playing schools in Ohio.
Before the Comets' offense stepped on the field against Fitch, which finished 10-2, sophomore Ryan Pastor blocked a punt to give Solon the ball on the Fitch four-yard line. Quarterback Chris Humphrey carried the ball into the end zone on second and goal to give Solon the early lead.
The Comets scored on five of their seven first-half possessions. Three of those scoring drives started in Falcons' territory.
Head coach Jim McQuaide said that's part of Solon football.
"That's our game," he said. "We always talk about playing complementary football. With our special teams, the offense and the defense -- each aspect has to play off each other. When we do that with all three areas, running and playing off each other, we're pretty good."
Humphrey said he wanted to make an early statement after having to leave the game at halftime the previous week.
"I was frustrated when I had to leave the game at halftime for just a poked eye," he said. "I knew this game there was going to be a lot of talking, so I had to shut them up quick with me and Kyle (Hammonds) just running on them."
Hammonds also scored the ball in the first quarter at the 3:24 mark. He dove into the end zone from the two-yard line, which capped off an 80-yard drive led by quarterback Pat Kramer.
In the second quarter, Hammonds had another running touchdown, and Humphrey also racked up two more touchdowns to put the Comets up 35-0 at half.
"Teams have to focus in," Hammonds said. "They can't just key in on one of us. They have to key in on both of us. It makes it easy for both of us to do what we have to do each week."
The Comets recorded 15 first downs in the first half, and that was a direct effect of the line's blocking, Hammonds said.
Two of Solon's veteran big men are senior Sam Camiener and junior Nate Hoff. When next to each other on the offensive line, they pancake opponents more often than not.
"You just got to go as hard as you can every single play," Camiener said. "You just work your butt off until you get into the end zone, until the game is over and we're up."
The atmosphere on the line starts with Monday's practice, Hoff said.
"We just had to come out and pound and pound and that's what we came to do," he said. "We got a lot of pancakes between me and Camiener, and Kyle had a lot of runs through it, so that's what we came to do, just tear it up."
On the defensive line, it's really important to keep the other team off the scoreboard, Camiener said. "We come out here to not let them score and that's what we do. That's our game."
Also on defense, senior linebacker Jovon Johnson often makes his way through the line of scrimmage and wraps around opponents for a loss of yards. He had 67 tackles going into Saturday's game.
"I just read the offensive line and just watch which way they are going and then I just click down on the play," he said. "If I read high hat, it's most likely a pass because they're dropping back and if they're coming down, it's going to be a run."
On offense, Johnson is also known to block for Humphrey or Hammonds.
"It's pretty easy, because they're playmakers," he said. "They read blocks well and they cut inside and out whenever they need too."
To finish off the scoring, Hammonds ran the ball 33 yards into the end zone at the 7:22 mark of the third quarter. He has 108 points on the season, and Humphrey has 102 points.
Also coming up big for the Comets last Saturday were senior Cory Stuart and sophomore Darian Hicks.
Each had an interception in the second quarter. Hicks also had an interception in the fourth quarter, which he ran back 93 yards into the end zone, but it was called back on a penalty that took place after the pick.
For McQuaide, it was his 150th career win as a head coach, including 74 with Solon. But that is meaningless he said. It's much more important that the Comets are 2-0 in the playoffs, he said.
"Remember, to be 5-0, you have to be 2-0," McQuaide told his players during the post-game huddle.
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