The word humbling might be best used to describe Chardon’s 41-9 nonconference loss to Bishop Watterson on homecoming night.
The word humbling might be best used to describe Chardon’s 41-9 nonconference loss to Bishop Watterson on homecoming night.
Watterson (5-0) was simply too much for the Hilltoppers (3-1), who could not match the speed, playmaking ability and toughness of the Eagles.
“That’s the best team in the state of Ohio, and they might be one of the best teams I’ve ever seen,” Chardon Head Coach Mitch Hewitt said. “They are physical, and I thought we flinched tonight.”
Added Chardon senior linebacker Alexander Ash: “That’s a great team who’s very physical and comes to play. Our preparation could have been better this week. We were all over the place and killed ourselves tonight.”
The speed and athleticism of Bishop Watterson was on display from the get-go.
For the first time this season, Chardon won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.
That move backfired as senior Jake Uhlenhake took the opening kickoff and returned it 95 yards to the house for a score.
Chardon responded; junior quarterback Drayton Allgood engineered a drive that ate more than four minutes off the clock. He connected with multiple receivers, and the running game kept the Eagles guessing — even on Allgood’s 25-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7.
“I thought that was our best drive of the season,” Hewitt said.
Unfortunately for the Hilltoppers, the wheels fell off and it was all Watterson from there.
After Chardon kicked off, the Eagles needed one play to score, as junior quarterback Drew Bellisari connected on a 75-yard touchdown reception with Uhlenhake to make it 13-7.
Bishop Watterson tacked on another score before the end of the first quarter to extend its lead to 20-7.
An 11-yard touchdown reception from Bellisari to senior tight end Dominic Theado midway through the second quarter was the last score of the first half.
In the second half, the Hilltoppers scored when a bad punt snap deep inside Eagle territory led to a blocked punt that Watterson fell on in the end zone.
It was the second safety of the year for Chardon, whose defense also recorded a safety in week one.
Watterson tacked on two more touchdowns in the second half, resulting in a rare running clock on Chardon.
A year after falling 14-10 to Watterson in Columbus, the Hilltoppers had no answers as the Eagles punched Chardon in the face. With multiple players on their roster who are the sons or relatives of former NFL or Ohio State players, their opponents won the battle on both lines all night.
“They got dudes,” Hewitt said. “We got our butts kicked, and hopefully there’s a lot of lessons learned. We got to get a whole lot tougher if we’re going to win another game.”
The contest was thought to be a matchup of two of the three best teams in the Division III, but in reality, it was a one-sided affair.
“I knew we were overrated,” said Hewitt, who explained that the rankings are more based on what last year’s team did.
While humbled, Ash said he wants to use the loss as a learning experience in order to get better and also believes the team should not be judged on one game.
“The real season starts in the postseason, and that’s where we come to play,” Ash said. “We’re Chardon. Don’t count us out.”
Chardon will next focus on its upcoming Western Reserve Conference schedule, which kicks off with a short trip to Geauga County rival Kenston.
Kenston (2-3) fell to Lake Catholic (5-0) Sept. 19 in Mentor, 34-20.
“It’s going to be a war,” Hewitt said of the upcoming rivalry game. “The only good thing is we got out of this one relatively healthy, which was not the case in Avon Lake, so we should be a little bit more at full strength.
“But if we’re not tough, we’re nothing. Ultimately, if I’ve had six or seven weeks of coaching and we’re not tough enough, then it’s a reflection on me. Somewhere along the way, we haven’t given them enough opportunities to grow in that area.”
Ash, like his coach, looks forward to Kenston, who defeated the Hilltoppers at Chardon last year, 21-13.
“This is our game, this is our rival,” he said.
