The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
South out-wings North by one
Eating contest kicks off festivities for N-H Senior Bowl
When it comes to the rivalry between Willoughby South and Eastlake North, there is no sacred ground.
Not in football, baseball, softball, basketball ...
Not even when it comes to food.
When it comes to the NorthSouth Rivalry, every competition counts.
Maybe that’s why the thrill of victory was splashed all over the face — literally — of South’s Jitesh Patel after the eighth annual News-Herald/ Varsity Chalk Talk wing-eating contest at Hooley House in Mentor.
His hands and face still covered in barbecue sauce, Patel smiled broadly after he and teammate Sean Scherl devoured 34 jumbo-sized wings to best a field of 14 two-man teams as part of a kickoff show to the upcoming News-Herald Senior Bowl.
Hooley House is the presenting sponsor of the football extravaganza, set for June 16 at Mentor’s Jerome T. Osborne Stadium, in a game of the top senior football players from this past football season.
The wing-eating contest was part of the Varsity Chalk Talk show, hosted by Bill Tilton.
“I’m not going to lie, it was a battle,” Patel said, licking his sauce-covered fingers. “I still gotta clean up, I know.”
Patel and Scherl ate one more wing than secondplace North, besting their Willoughby-Eastlake counterparts, 34-33. Finishing in a tie for third were Mayfield and Madison with 30 wings eaten.
“That’s a lot of wings. Good wings, though,” said North’s Joe Ginter.
“We’ll beat them on the football field and let them have this one,” said Ginter’s wing-eating partner, Mark Fonovic.
“Yeah,” Ginter said. “Wings don’t count.”
Actually, on this night, wings did count. Each team had three minutes to eat a pan of 40 jumbosized wings.
A capacity crowd rose to its feet and cheered on the competitors, many taking photos and video. When the countdown for each session went from 10 down to the final buzzer, the crowd roared even louder.
“Man, that was fun,” said Geneva’s Juan Rodriguez. “It’s hard to eat for time.”
The winning team of Scherl and Patel had a good game plan.
“Knowing how to eat them helped,” Scherl said. “Take the ones with two bones, break them in half.”
“The drumsticks, just turn them and smash,” said Patel, his face still
“I’m not going to lie, it was a battle. I still gotta clean up, I know.” — Jitesh Patel, South football player and wing-eating champion
caked with barbecue sauce.
Finishing third behind the South and North tandems were the Mayfield duo of Alan Shapiro and Yanni Sarris, and the Madison pair Clay Smith and Jacob Glass with 30 wings per team.
The rest of the field included: Kirtland’s Brett Diemer and Jack Bailey (29), Geneva’s Kody Brown and Juan Rodriguez (28), Gilmour’s Jarret Fox and Mario Grk (27), Harvey’s Deontae Turner and Kevin Long (27), Brush’s Ray Stewart and Nick Loya (27) Mentor’s Ryan Jacoby and Tyler Churney (25), VASJ’s Isaiah Gary and Carl Chaney (24), Perry’s Ryan Burko and Hayden Makad (23), NDCL’s Harrison Richardson and Mike Varcelli (20) and University’s Jayden Cunningham and Tim DiStefano (20).
For those players chosen to play in the NewsHerald Senior Bowl who have not already turned in their paperwork (consent form, physical, player profile), email JKampf@ News-Herald.com
For those players who have not yet tried on a jersey to be ordered for them, they can come to The News-Herald office from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, to try on a jersey.
For more information email JKampf@News-Herald.com.