Chardon had plenty of opportunities to beat Western Reserve Conference foe Mayfield, but multiple mental mistakes cost the Hilltoppers dearly in their 28-21 loss.
Chardon had plenty of opportunities to beat Western Reserve Conference foe Mayfield, but multiple mental mistakes cost the Hilltoppers dearly in their 28-21 loss.
Despite the mistakes, the two teams were tied 21-21 late in a back-and-forth game.
Mayfield freshman quarterback Dario D’Agostino proved to be the difference on the Wildcat’s last drive.
Staying calm and collect, the freshman marched his team down the field and capped it off with a game-winning 7-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the game.
Upon getting the ball back, Chardon moved the football to midfield, but could not do more and turned the ball over on downs.
As the Wildcats celebrated the end of a five-game losing streak to the Toppers, Chardon’s players quietly walked off the field, likely wondering what could have been.
Both teams entered the contest 4-3 and 1-1 in conference play.
The win allows Mayfield 5-3 (2-1 WRC) to stay in the Div. II, Region 5 playoff picture.
Thanks to Kenston’s win against Riverside, it also means the Wildcats are in a four-way tie for the conference title with the Bombers, Beavers and Willougby South.
The loss placed Chardon 4-4 (1- WRC) in a precarious position. They are now sitting in 10th in Div. III, Region 9, and need to win at least one, if not both of their final games, in order to make the postseason.
The top 12 teams in each region will make the playoffs.
The loss could prove costly, and if it does, the Toppers may look back to this game and ask, “What if?”
A well-coached Mayfield team made far fewer mistakes, which ultimately made the difference in this one.
Wildcat senior defensive lineman Micha Linn recovered a Chardon fumble on the Hilltopper 7-yard line. Two plays later, junior John Harris punched it in from 1-yard out to put Mayfield up 7-0.
The Hilltoppers responded on their ensuing drive, as senior halfback Drayton Allgood ripped off a 69-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7.
On Mayfield’s next drive, junior outside linebacker Ivan Chuha recovered a Wildcat fumble on the Mayfield 39-yardline.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Cole capped off a short drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to give Chardon a 14-7 lead less than a minute into the second quarter.
The Wildcats would tie the game up on their next possession — thanks to more Hilltopper mistakes.
Twice on the drive, Chardon players were called for false start penalties, giving the Wildcats a first down. The new set of chains kept the drive alive and junior running back Ben Koret made them pay as he cashed in a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:19 to play before halftime.
“We had them in third and eight,” said Chardon Head Coach Brian Landies. “They didn’t snap the ball and got a first down.”
He added: “I don’t know how to fix it,” he said. “We do every drill known to man not to jump offsides.”
Following a Chardon punt, Mayfield moved the ball down the field.
This time, the Toppers defense held tough and forced Mayfield head coach Ross Banderia to decide to go for a field goal.
The move backfired as senior defensive lineman Matthew McIlroy blocked the punt. Junior Jack Weaver scooped up the loose ball and outraced the Wildcats into the endzone for the score.
“That’s McIlroy; he’s a beast,” Landies said. “We take most of our starters off the field on most special teams just to get them a blow. I think that’s his third or fourth block this year; he’s a beast.”
Landies created coach Bob Francis for his work with the special teams, which gave Weaver the wherewithal to know the ball was still alive and to pick it up and run with it.
“It’s something coach Francis teaches. Every time we practice, he makes sure to remind them the live ball is on their side of the line of scrimmage,” said Landies. “It’s a dead ball on our side.”
The touchdown gave Chardon a 21-14 lead that they would take into the locker room at halftime.
Mayfield tied the game on their first drive of the second half, as Koret scored his second touchdown of the game midway through the third.
For the rest of the game, the Toppers offense struggled, due in part to more mental mistakes that led to penalties and missed assignments.
“They do a good job schematically,” said Landies of Mayfield. “They do a good job getting the free runner to the ball a lot of times. But, they leave themselves vulnerable and we kind of found those here and there, but not often enough”
Chardon will travel to Willoughby in week 9 for a showdown with South (5-3, 2-1).
