The Hilltoppers survived a slew of mistakes and did just enough to defeat neighborhood and county rival Kenston 10-7 to advance to the Division III Region 9 regional finals.
Game photos click here.
The Hilltoppers survived a slew of mistakes and did just enough to defeat neighborhood and county rival Kenston 10-7 to advance to the Division III Region 9 regional finals.
With the win, Chardon (11-1) will play Canfield (11-1) at Ravenna Stadium on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. — the winner of that game proceeding on to the Division III state semifinals.
The rematch for the Battle for Geauga County was played in Boardman, a miserable night thanks to consistent rain and gusting winds.
While neither head coach refused to use the weather as an excuse, remnants of Hurricane Nicole definitely played a factor.
“It is what it is when you play playoff football,” said Kenston Head Coach Jeff Grubich. “You have to find a way to overcome it, and we could not do that tonight.”
Weather conditions created a wet ball that was hard to throw and hang onto, leading to issues for both offenses and the kickers.
To make matters worse, not only did the Hilltoppers have to battle the Bombers and the weather, they also dealt with drive-killing penalties throughout the night.
Chardon Head Coach Mitch Hewitt called the penalties unbelievable; when addressing his team after the game, he told his players they are better than they played.
This is an issue the Toppers will have to fix before their upcoming slugfest against the Cardinals, or Chardon’s season will end two games short of their goal.
“These kids will spend most of Monday’s practice running,” Hewitt said. “It (the penalties) won’t get us where we need to go.”
Facing its rivals for the second time this season, the Hilltopper defense could not play much better.
“We relied on our defense tonight,” said senior Cooper Felger. “Things didn’t go our way all the time, but we grinded it out and came out on top.”
“Our defense plays so fast and physical every single week,” added sophomore Caleb Hewitt, “and Coach Landies comes up with such great game plans.”
Amid penalties and turnovers, the offense struggled.
On its opening possession of the night, Chardon marched down the field and had the ball on the 2 yard line, but could not punch it in.
Facing a third and goal, the wet ball sailed over the head of quarterback Alex Henry, who managed to dive on top of it.
Senior Joseph Evans then split the uprights on a 29-yard field goal attempt to put Chardon up 3-0.
The score remained that way until late in the second quarter, when the Hilltoppers fumbled the football and the Bombers recovered on their own 32-yard line.
Kenston quarterback Nikko Georgiou, who struggled throughout the first half with the rain and wind, figured Mother Nature out and began to pick apart the Toppers.
With four seconds to go before halftime, Georgiou found sophomore Tymir Cardona in the endzone for the game’s first touchdown.
It would be Kenston’s only score.
The Hilltoppers answered back to start the third quarter when sophomore Caleb Hewitt took the opening kickoff of the half down the home sideline for a 98-yard touchdown score. Evans chipped in the extra point, and that was it for scoring.
“I saw the blocks form up, I hit the hole, and we were gone,” Hewitt said, adding that he did think about letting the ball bounce and go into the endzone. “I 100-percent did. But I know my dad would be like ‘pick it up and take it,’ so I had to go get it.”
“I usually dog him,” admitted Coach Hewitt about his son. “I’m proud of him. Proud of him playing both ways. He’s exceeded my expectations as a coach.”
Kenston had an opportunity to tie the game midway through the third quarter, but Trey Liebhardt blocked the kick.
Chardon, though, could not take advantage of the blocked kick, as an AJ Bruce touchdown run was called back due to a holding penalty. The drive eventually ended when the Bombers stopped Chardon on a fourth down run.
In the fourth quarter, Kenston once again had a chance to tie the game, but Grubich elected to go for a fake punt, which was intercepted by Branden Maurna.
With just under six minutes to go, the Toppers were again closing in on a touchdown, but fumbled the ball.
Sean Patrick recovered the fumble, and instead of being down by two scores, the Bombers had an opportunity to potentially tie the game or take the lead.
The turnover provided a spark, and Kenston had a late run in them, but Chardon’s defense buckled down and forced a turnover on downs to end the threat.
Thought the Bombers got the ball back, Chardon’s defense was too much.
“We knew what was on the line,” said Felger. “We’ve been working for this all year, and I can’t be more proud of the defense.”
Overall, Chardon left three touchdowns on the field.
“We’re a young team playing freshmen and sophomores,” said Hewitt. “We only have five seniors playing.”
During the week, Coach Hewitt asked the players who had played in a week 13 game.
“Only about seven of them stood up,” he said. “People say we’ve been here the last four years, but the people who had been there are not here. We’re growing up fast.”
Chardon won this playoff game despite not scoring an offensive touchdown for the first time since 1988, when an Ed Ash field goal was the difference in a 3-0 victory over Villa Angela-St. Joseph. That was a first-round playoff matchup.
Up next, now, is Canfield, a team Chardon is familiar with.
“It’s going to be another battle,” said Felger. “It’s the third year in a row we’ll be playing them. They know us and we know them.”
For Kenston, it was not the ending the 13 seed hoped for, said Coach Grubich: “The defense played pretty well tonight to hold Chardon to 10 points. Ten points was still too much.”
Reflecting on the season overall, he credited his coaches, and his players for improving every week. Grubich called the senior class special.
“They had expectations to win a state title and they worked hard for it all year long,” he said. “Unfortunately, we came up a bit short.”
