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Comets dig big hole with penalties, mistakes
(by Tony Lange - November 29, 2010)
Comets dig big hole with penalties, mistakes
By TONY LANGE
Top-seeded Solon colored the field yellow as flags flew early on during a loss to third-seeded Lakewood St. Edward in a Division I regional final matchup last Saturday at Byers Field in Parma.
The Eagles (13-0) beat Solon, 42-14, and advance to play Toledo Whitmer (12-1) at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Comets' season ended at 12-1.
Solon's first-half mistakes against St. Edward happened on offense, defense and special teams, head coach Jim McQuaide said.
"It was all aspects of the game," he said. "They have a very good team and we played as bad as we could play in the first half. They took advantage of it and that's why we were losing 35-nothing at halftime."
The Eagles put together an 80-yard opening drive with 10 rushing plays and five first downs that resulted in a touchdown.
On the Comets' first possession, they went three-and-out after an unsportsmanlike penalty put them at second-and-19 from their own 17.
When the Eagles got the ball back, a late-hit penalty gave St. Edward the ball on the Comets' 27. The Eagles then went up 14-0.
Solon had another flag on their ensuing possession to put them at second-and-15. The Eagles got the ball back and threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to go up 21-0 before the end of the first quarter.
Solon had three more flags in the second quarter. Two of them were back-to-back offsides penalties that gave the Eagles an automatic first down after they were in punting formation at fourth-and-six.
The Comets' also had two fumbled punts in the second quarter when the Eagles took over on Solon's 23-yard line and then on their 21 and scored touchdowns both times.
"We can't make mistakes like that in the regional final game," McQuaide said. "It's not what you wanted. It was due to them, but some of it was self-inflicted also."
At halftime, the Comets knew what they had to do -- take it one play at a time, McQuaide said.
"We needed to do a better job of representing ourselves, our school, our fans, all the guys who played before and do a better job of playing like Solon football because we didn't do that in the first half," he said. "We played much better in the second half."
In the second half, the Comets' induced the Eagles to have three-and-outs on four possessions. The Comets also had two interceptions.
Ryan Schwenke picked off the first one and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to put the Comets on the board at the 4:37 mark of the third quarter.
When the Comets got the ball back, an Eagle defender delivered a hard hit to Anthony Restifo as a pass went over him. The Solon fans booed.
On the next play, quarterback Chris Humphrey scored on a 56-yard run when he zipped by defenders at the line and then out-legged three defensive backs down the right sideline.
The Comets closed the lead to three touchdowns at the 2:29 mark of the third quarter.
Darian Hicks then picked off an Eagle pass in the beginning of the fourth quarter and the Comets' moved the ball into the red zone, looking to score again. Their momentum, however, was shortlived by a fumble at the 15-yard line.
St. Edward then took the life out of the Comets with a 64-yard touchdown pass for the final score of the game.
Going into the game, the Comets outscored their opponents 99 to seven in third-quarter action. The Eagles proved to be no different.
"We just played the way we were able to play," McQuaide said. "We didn't have any penalties or mistakes. We just played how we had played all year. Like I said, we had a terrible half. It was not the time to have a terrible half when you're playing a very good team in the regional final."
McQuaide said he told his small senior class after the game that he was pleased with their achievements during the past two seasons.
"We're proud of everything they've done," he said. "We only have 15 seniors. So, for those guys to be 10-0 two years in a row and go to the regional final two years in a row, I think it's a tremendous accomplishment. We're going to miss them. That's for sure. They've set a great example to live up to for the guys returning."
"I think our program thrives on the success and doing things the right way and guys buy into that, and hopefully they'll be successful doing other things in life after they leave the program."
Looking forward, the Ohio High School Athletic Association requires a mandatory 30-day period off following the last game of the season.
"When we come back from winter break Jan. 3, we'll start working out again," McQuiade said. "I know a lot of guys that wish they were in the Division I regional final two years in a row. Our goal is to win it and keep going on, so I think our guys will be very hungry to get back to work to go further than we have in the last two years."
"We put a lot into it. That's why you've got to make every game count because you've got 10 shots and hopefully you'll get more than that. But football is the only sport in the state you're not guaranteed to make the postseason tournament. So, you got to do everything in your power to get ready to play."
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