Most teams, if they want to be successful, focus on the game at hand each week. Occasionally, though, rivalries come into the mix.
Game photos click here.
Most teams, if they want to be successful, focus on the game at hand each week. Occasionally, though, rivalries come into the mix.
As Ohio’s playoff now are in full gear, and with the successes many local teams are having, rematches are inevitable. One such game happens this week at Nordonia High School in Macedonia, where the Kenston Bombers and Chardon Hilltoppers will tangle for the second time this season in Division III action on Friday night.
However, reaching this level, the regional semi-finals, means playing other teams first, most likely good teams that could beat you on any given night. And that was the theory as the Bombers took on fifth-seeded Youngstown Chaney at Judge William Rayen Stadium on Youngstown’s north side.
Coming in with a 10-1 record, the Cowboys were loaded with size and speed, but they fell far short on two qualities the Bombers possess. This all equated to a solid thrashing of the home team by Head Coach Jeff Grubich’s Bombers in a 31-7 victory that was not as close as the score indicates.
While Chaney had a good season based on several burners and big boys, one thing it came up short on was conditioning. The first period was played to a scoreless tie as the teams felt each other out for weaknesses and strengths.
Then the Bomber conditioning took over. Kenston tallied 17 second-period points for a 17-0 halftime lead, put up 14 more points in the third period, and then let the younger kids get into some game action.
About the only highlight for Chaney came with 4:07 left in the game, when the Cowboys blocked a Bomber punt in the end zone for their only points of the night.
Before that, the Kenston linemen and linebackers made things miserable for them in the lines by simply overpowering them at the points of attack on both sides of the ball.
The total output for Chaney came to 168 yards of offense. One quarterback was a great runner, and Kenston held him to 11 yards in the first half. Chaney’s other burner found himself facing Bombers at either end of the line on each carry.
Switching to a more open attack in the second half, with a quarterback with a cannon for an arm, the Bomber lines, led by Sean Doyle and linebackers Ben DiMarco and Lucas Simmons, pushed the bigger Cowboy linemen around and totally frustrated them all night.
Smaller penalties in the first half stopped Cowboy drives in their tracks, and larger ones in the second half were costly in yardage. They finished with 12 penalties for 93 yards.
The second advantage Kenston had, of course, was motivation for a rematch with the Hilltoppers. Chardon won a few weeks ago, 35-18, and the Bombers wanted another chance against the two-time defending state champs. And they got it.
Senior quarterback Nikko Georgiou had a big game in this tilt, scoring two touchdowns while gaining 29 yards on seven carries. A solid first half throwing the ball, though, set Chaney on its heels early, and as the game wore on, the Cowboys ended up on their backsides more frequently.
“I was injured last year for quite a bit,” Georgiou said. “The coaches kept me quiet so that I could recover for the playoffs, but while I felt better, it didn’t work out so good.
“They really worked hard with me over the offseason and summer to be in good shape, and this season has been great for us. With a guy like 31 (Sean Patrick) to hand the ball to, it’s opened up many opportunities for me to make plays, too. Then again, we want another crack at Chardon. With two great teams in our county, this should be one super game to be part of or see.”
Doyle, listed at 6-1 and 270, was tiny compared to several of the Chaney linemen. His skill sets, though, especially blowing between blockers to the ball carrier, made it look like a man-among-boys event, with him being the man.
“We wanted to bring a lot of pressure on their offense tonight,” he said — which was a major understatement.
Chaney quarterbacks were either running for their lives, into the arms of Bomber tacklers, or forced to throw the ball too soon. With a strong-armed passer in the second half, Chaney saw the QB fire several balls over 50 yards in the air.
That said, all but two were fired at receivers who had only run 50 yards. Chaney gained only 41 yards through the air in the game
Meanwhile, Georgiou hit Tymir Cardona for four completions, 64 yards, and the first score of the night with 8:30 left in the second period.
Chaney was not intimidated by the Kenston reputation. They held Patrick to “only” 68 yards and a score on 16 carries, but the Bombers played good ball control when necessary.
“We’re pretty healthy right now,” Coach Grubich said. “We came into this game with a specific game plan that we built by watching film and being in top condition and ready to play. That showed up for us tonight, because they (Chaney) have some really good athletes.
“Our defense was focused, and it’s been in the back of our minds for a few days now about playing Chardon again. Now we get the opportunity, and we need to play basically mistake-free football to beat them, but we think we are capable.”
There will be several good games for football fans to see this weekend, but it will be tough to find one with more emotion involved than Kenston and Chardon. Get there early.
