It has been a long time since the Chagrin Falls Tigers football team could say it was off to an undefeated start to the season.
It has been a long time since the Chagrin Falls Tigers football team could say it was off to an undefeated start to the season.
The Tigers won only their second season opener in 11 years Aug. 18 when they rallied to defeat Chagrin Valley Conference foe Berkshire, 15-12, at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium in Burton.
“It’s great,” Chagrin Falls Head Coach John Scott said. “Everyone wants to start 1-0. That is the proverbial adage: that you want to win each week and take it one week at time. So getting off to the right start and getting that first one is key, especially with an inexperienced team against a team that has a lot of experience.”
For the Tigers’ third-year coach, it was the first season-opening victory recorded since he took over the program. The last time Chagrin Falls won its season opener was during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
On Friday, the Tigers (1-0, 0-0) relied on chunk plays to stay close in the first three quarters but could not sustain drives.
In the fourth period, with Chagrin Falls trailing 12-7, the Tigers gained momentum, engineering a 12-play, 60-yard drive fueled by a rushing attack led by sophomore tailback Jack Gellin.
The 5-10 sophomore tailback rushed for 22 yards on seven running attempts and capped things off with a seven-yard touchdown run, pushing Chagrin Falls ahead 13-12 with 1:54 remaining in regulation.
Gellin acknowledged he felt his momentum taking him out of bounds on the run but found a way to stay on his feet, punching the ball in for the go-ahead score, then scored on a two-point conversion, creating the final score.
“I made contact with an outside linebacker on the edge, but I had some of my boys behind me,” Gellin said. “Charlie Bazzone, in particular, helped push me into the end zone.”
Berkshire (0-1, 0-0) still had two timeouts remaining to come up with a game-winning drive, but the Tigers’ defense prevailed when senior defensive back Luke Neimeier intercepted Badgers’ senior quarterback Miles Miller at the Berkshire 35.
Chagrin Falls bled the clock down to only a few seconds before giving the ball back on a turnover on downs, preserving the victory.
Gellin propelled the Tigers’ offense, recording 107 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 26 rushes.
According to Scott, the Chagrin Falls’ running back was even more of a workhorse than anticipated.
“Obviously our game plan was not to turn around and hand it off to a sophomore as much as we did, but he just got stronger as the game went on,” he said. “Obviously he is a tremendous talent. I have said that in some of the previews, that we are real excited about having him in the backfield.”
The Badgers struck first in the second period, marching down the field with a nine-play, 99-yard drive capped off by an 18-yard touchdown run by Miller to take a 6-0 advantage.
Chagrin Falls responded, taking a 7-6 lead when Gellin erupted for a 69-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive.
In the third quarter, Berkshire’s senior quarterback ignited his team again, delivering a seven-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Mason Mendolera to give the Badgers a 12-6 advantage, but Chagrin Falls finally mounted a long drive to deliver the decisive blow.
“In the first half, we were winning the time of possession and driving the ball,” Berkshire Head Coach Josh DeWeese. “We had the 99-yard drive and another drive over 10 plays, and in the second half we had another nice long drive. But in the fourth quarter they ate up a lot of clock. They had it with seven minutes left and took it down to two.”
After a 2022 season when Chagrin Falls’ offensive line was often pushed back at the line of scrimmage, the Tigers won the battle of the trenches against Berkshire, recording 188 rushing yards.
Chagrin Falls will welcome CVC foe Beachwood to C.S. Harris Stadium this week, while Berkshire will host Coventry.
