The Hilltoppers came up short in their bid for a third state title game appearance in four years, as they fell to Toledo Central Catholic 35-7 in the Division III state semifinal game.
Game photos click here.
The Hilltoppers came up short in their bid for a third state title game appearance in four years, as they fell to Toledo Central Catholic 35-7 in the Division III state semifinal game.
The Fighting Irish, the reigning Division II state champions who fell to Division III this season, were simply too much for Chardon.
“They’ve won 30 games in a row, beat (Archbishop) Hoban last year, and returned every lineman from that team, so we knew we’d have our hands full,” Chardon Head Coach Mitch Hewitt said. “Ultimately, what happened was a bunch of public school kids got together and fought their asses off and gave it everything they had. It was just not enough.”
TCC, with a roster featuring multiple players headed to the Big Ten upon graduation, displayed their speed and athleticism out of the gate. Senior Marvon Greenlee took the opening kickoff 89 yards to the house.
Chardon, though, responded right back on the next drive.
It began with a good kickoff return by sophomore Drayton Allgood to the Irish 48. From there, the Hilltoppers took five minutes off the clock as they marched toward the end zone. With 6:32 to go in the first quarter, junior halfback Caleb Hewitt took a jet sweep five yards to the right side for Chardon’s only score of the night.
After that, it was all Fighting Irish.
“Ultimately, we lost up front,” Hewitt said. “There’s nothing you can call offensively. Defensively, plays that we would have made for tackles for a loss, we just got blow off the ball.”
An 18-yard touchdown reception from senior quarterback Terry Collins to Iowa recruit Jaylen Watson made it 14-7 late in the first quarter.
The team added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, including a run by Watson out of the wildcat formation to make it 28-7 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter, Greenlee hauled in a 40-yard reception to end the scoring at 35-7.
As the game progressed, it was clear the Toledo Central Catholic players did not like the physically punishing style of football played by the Toppers. But their height, weight, speed, quickness and athleticism proved to be the difference in this contest.
Chardon’s offense simply had no answer for TCC’s defense following its first drive.
On the night, the Toppers gained 85 yards of total offense, with most of those yards coming on the first drive.
The Irish gained 341 yards of total offense, with 214 coming on the ground.
For Chardon, the loss ended a season filled with ups and downs.
Chardon started the season with high hopes of a state championship, but saw those hopes nearly dashed after a brutal five-game stretch. Following that 3-3 start, the Hilltoppers ripped off eight straight wins, including a regional championship title against Youngstown Ursuline.
“We were 3-3 and there was a lot of doubt outside of our circle, and all these kids did was turn it around and rattle off a final four appearance,” Hewitt said. “It’s a testament to these seniors — a great senior class. They won state titles in ’20 and ’21, lost to Canfield last year in the Elite 8, who ended up winning the state title, and we just lost to the state champ in D III…probably the Division II state championship as well. Who knows, maybe the D I state champ.”
Midway through the season, things could have gone awry, but Chardon’s seniors stepped up and helped right the ship.
“When we were 3-3, it was the decision that we made to go out there and give it our all every game,” said senior defensive back and split end Leo Colombi.
“It’s quite a resume,” Hewitt said. “What they’ve accomplished over the course of their careers at Chardon, it’ll be hard to replace those guys. They were a quite bunch in a lot of ways, all had unique personalities, and that’s what makes high school coaching so special.”
While it can be easy to get caught up in the record, there is definitely more to it, Hewitt continued.
“When you see kids grow, it’s a reminder of why you got into the business of coaching,” he said. “Football is a microcosm of life, and what we are trying to do is set these kids up for life in the real world. Losses hurt, but we’re ultimately producing young men who will be successful later in life.”
“We had a tremendous four years of high school football,” said senior halfback Drago Vujaklija. “Most people think this loss is the end of the world, but we did something only four other teams in the state did this year, and it’s still something special.”
Hewitt credited the team for its grit and determination throughout a trying year featuring a tough schedule. The Toppers had a bullseye on their backs the entire time.
“To think we battled that long (15 weeks of football, plus preseason), and after a loss, it’s easy to lose sight of what they accomplished, but I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said their coach.
Vujaklija said this senior class is a close group; they played together since they were four or five years old in youth football.
“Coming together in middle school was a great way to bring us closer together,” he said. “We weren’t that great of a team, weren’t winning against the teams we wanted to beat, and through our bonds we created great relationship. It translated onto the field, and we eventually became a really great team. Being able to spend time with your friends is really special.”
Seniors AJ Bruce and Colombi both started as sophomores, and both are set to play college ball in Division I next year.
Both also spoke about the bond the senior class has developed over the years.
“We’ve been playing with them our whole lives, and it’s been great seeing us all grow up and how close we’ve become,” Colombi said.
“I love them all to death and wouldn’t trade it for the world to play with those guys,” Bruce said. “It was a blessing to practice with those guys and be a part of that community with them. I’m so grateful for all of them.”
As he reflected on the season, Vujaklija recalled the Riverside and Kenston games.
“Beating Riverside was something special,” he said. “After the Kenston loss, the morning after was not great for the team, but it pushed us to get where we are.”
Bruce said the South game brings back good memories.
“Logan Bryant and I weren’t paying attention, and the team was getting ready to run through the banner,” he said. “We ran through the banner without any else following us. It was pretty funny. We just looked at each like ‘let’s go.’”
Playing with his younger brother Vinny also meant a lot to Colombi.
“It was something we always wanted to do since we were little kids playing football in the backyard,” Colombi said. “It was special.”
The loss will sting for a while, but Hewitt knows the program is in good shape for the future. Despite the upcoming loss of 28 seniors to graduation, a good junior class will be returning.
“We’ll be all right,” Hewitt said.
