The Hilltoppers capitalized on takeaways, leading them to a 26-9 victory over visiting Erie McDowell.
The Hilltoppers capitalized on takeaways, leading them to a 26-9 victory over visiting Erie McDowell.
On the night, Chardon created four turnovers, leading to 14 points.
While the Toppers offense turned the ball over three times, the defense held the Trojans out of the endzones on those possessions.
With both teams combining to average nearly two turnovers per quarter, the opportunities for momentum swings were plentiful, but it was Chardon (2-1), who took advantage of the McDowell (0-3) miscues.
It’s not often that an offense scores on an interception, but that was the case on Friday night, as a pick changed the complexion of the game.
Down 9-3 midway through the second quarter, Chardon sophomore quarterback Andrew Cole was picked by Kameron Bastow near the Hilltoppers sideline. Bastow, seeing an opportunity for a big play, headed toward the McDowell sideline looking for an opening.
What Bastow didn’t anticipate was Chardon senior fullback/linebacker Jayden Buth not giving up on the play. Buth chased after Bastow, stripped the football and returned it 40 yards for a fumble recovery touchdown. The ensuing PAT gave Chardon a 10-9 lead they would not relinquish.
“We drew it up like that; practiced it all week,” joked Chardon head coach Brian Landies. “Throw it to them, rip it away from them and take it to the house.”
“I saw it picked, so I started coming the other way,” explained Buth of the play. “I took the outside edge because my big boys were coming across and were going to lay him out. So I thought I should try and strip the ball. I got a good grip on it, saw it in my hands and ran the other way.”
Cole credited Buth for bailing him out of a big mistake and talked about the Toppers practice philosophy.
“We have a double whistle rule at practice,” he said. “You run until you hear the double whistle.”
“It’s coaching and it’s kids willing to be coached and practice hard and play hard,” Landies added of Buth playing until he heard the whistle on that play.
Three weeks into the season, and Landies is happy Buth’s performance.
“He’s having a great season already,” said Landies. “He flies around and plays fast.”
The Hilltoppers defense kept the momentum going on the next drive, as junior linebacker Drew Platz intercepted a Deonte Flemings pass and returned it to the Trojan 30-yard line.
The Toppers capitalized on the turnover when Cole scored on a fourth and goal play from the McDowell 2-yard line to up the lead to 17-9 with 7 seconds left in the second quarter.
Things got worse for the Trojans, who the fumbled the kickoff return with 2 seconds to play before halftime.
A promising Hilltopper drive to start the third quarter ended with a Cole fumble at the Trojan 5-yard line.
Once again, Chardon made the most of its turnover, as the defense brought down Flemings in the endzone for a safety to make it 19-9.
On their next possession, Chardon marched down the field, keyed by a 25-yard reception by junior wide receiver/cornerback Rocco Tarantino on fourth down and seven.
Platz ended the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 26-9.
The Hilltoppers first points of the game came on a 29-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Jordan Higham late in the first quarter.
Outside of a 54-yard touchdown run by McDowell senior Brody Bonsell on the Trojans first possession, the Chardon defense kept McDowell’s offense in check.
On the night, Chardon’s defense gave up less than 150 total yards to the Trojans, while the Toppers offense churned out more than 350 yards.
“Defense is key for us,” said Buth. “We got a lot of new guys. I’m trying to lead them, McIllroy is trying to lead them.”
After two games where the defense spent significant time on the field, they had an opportunity to watch the Wing-T eat up large chunks of time off the clock on most series.
From the onset, it was clear McDowell head coach Aaron Slocum did not want Chardon senior Drayton Allgood to have a big game. The Trojan defense keyed on Allgood, opening up the middle and opposite sides of the field for Chardon ballcarriers.
This allowed Cole and his fullbacks to have a big night. Cole, making his third career start, broke the 100-yard rushing mark in the third quarter.
“When a defense is keying in on a guy like that with a four-headed monster like we have, it’s good for us,” said Landies. “Drayton is going to have to live with that being the focal point.”
“The offensive line punched them in the mouth and our backs did a great job today,” said Cole. “I ran as hard as I could. We made some mistakes today and could have put up way more points. We’re going to continue to grow as a team.”
For Chardon, it was good to finally play a home game after starting the season on the road for the first two games.
The win also marked the first home win for Landies as head coach.
“Being home just felt good,” said Landies. “We’ve been on some long trips, so it’s a great atmosphere to return to here at home. It’s a special place, and you can’t get a better night of weather. The whole thing was great.”
