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Tigers bite late, beat West Geauga, 30-16
(by Tony Lange - October 18, 2012)
Tigers bite late, beat West Geauga, 30-16
By TONY LANGE
When they had to have it, they got it.
Close games are won in the fourth quarter, and when Chagrin Falls (7-1, 4-1) was down, 16-9, late in the game, the Tigers settled in and scored 21 unanswered points to win, 30-16, against West Geauga (3-5, 2-3) at CS Harris Stadium last Friday.
"We just couldn't get out of our own way early on," Chagrin Falls head coach Mark Iammarino said during the post-game huddle. "I'm just glad we dug down deep when we needed to."
To start the fourth quarter, Chagrin Falls led, 9-8, and the Wolverines faced a third-and-42 situation from the 50-yard line. West Geauga quarterback Connor Krouse ran the ball 23 yards to make it fourth and 19. Krouse then completed a pass to Tory Palmer for a 27-yard touchdown and the Wolverines' 16-9 lead.
At that point in the game, Chagrin's star running back Jack Campbell was wearing a medical boot on his foot after a first-half injury. And center Wes Bomback and tackle Grant Lingafelter had gone down earlier in the game but re-entered the contest despite their afflictions.
The Wolverines seemed to have a flame lit and just needed to keep it burning for 12 more minutes.
But that's when the Tigers dug deep - real deep.
"It's just, it's the rivalry, you know? You've got to bite down your mouth guard and finish strong when you need to," Lingafelter said. "Unfortunately, our team doesn't have much depth. So even if we're a little banged up, we've got to go for it."
With nine minutes to play, The Tigers had the ball at their own 45-yard line, and quarterback Tommy Iammarino tossed up a 38-yard pass to his brother Matt Iammarino for a big first down.
"Rival games like this, it's what we live for at Chagrin," Tommy Iammarino said. "Matt made a great catch. I couldn't really see anyone open, so I kind of just threw it up to him, because I've thrown it up to him all my life, and he made a great catch."
On the next play, Tommy's head motion hinted that he was looking for Matt again, this time in the end zone. But his demeanor quickly averted as his little bro was in thick coverage.
Bradley Munday, who was back on the gridiron for the first time since an ankle injury in week-four football against Aurora, was wide open in the middle of the end zone.
Tommy rocketed the pigskin his way for the 17-yard touchdown reception and the 16-16 tie.
"It was definitely nerve-wracking being down in the fourth quarter like that," Munday said. "On that touchdown, I just saw the safety shifting over, and I figured no one was going to be there in the middle, so I just went there and hoped Tommy would see me where I wasn't supposed to be, and it worked out great."
After a few punts, the Tigers regained possession at their own 33-yard line with 4:23 to play and still a tie game.
Tommy completed a 33-yard pass to Matt, then ran a quarterback keep, then completed a 15-yard pass to Matt, then ran a quarterback keep and then found his brother a third time on a 19-yard pass to the end zone as Matt made a diving catch for the 23-16 lead with 2:02 to play.
It was the Iammarino show.
"It's really cool," Matt said. "When we got down to the end of the game, it's just like playing in the backyard. Tommy knows me as well as any of his receivers, so he knows where I'm going to be and how I'm going to run my routes, and I think that really helped us win the game when we really needed to make plays."
On the Wolverines' next offensive play, Chagrin's Joey Casarona came up with an interception to secure the Tigers' win.
"One guy went deep, one guy went short, and I just picked up the guy who went deep, and I was able to see the pass coming from his eyes," Casarona said. "The fourth quarter comes down to our defense on the field, and we knew we had to make a play."
Driving in the dagger, Munday scored on a 6-yard run for his third touchdown of the night and the Tigers' 30-16 win.
Watching Casarona come up big in the fourth quarter was a great sight, Bomback said.
"Joey's got a big heart for his little size," Bomback said about his teammate, who weighs 135 pounds less than he does. "He runs the ball hard, and he never really gives up.
"Beating West G is just the best feeling ever right now."
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