The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chardon reaches hilltop once again
MASSILLON » The peak seemed out of sight for these Hilltoppers.
Then Chardon, improbably, reached the zenith anyway Nov. 21 in the Division III state championship game against Columbus DeSales in Massillon.
The Hilltoppers rallied from two touchdowns back in the fourth to force overtime, Nathan Tager kicked a 33-yard field goal in double OT and DeSales had a field-goal attempt go wide left as Chardon recorded a pulse-pounding 31-28 win.
For the first time since 1994, an immortalized autumn in the capital of the snowbelt, the Hilltoppers are state champions on the gridiron.
“You know, it’s unbelievable,” Chardon quarterback Drew Fetchik said. “I told my guys, ‘We’ve got to stay level.’ We weren’t going to quit on this community and this team.
“We stayed level, and we did it. We won it, and I am just so grateful to bring this title back to Chardon.”
In the fourth and under eight minutes to go, trailing, 28-14, Chardon faced a fourth-and-goal from the DeSales 14. The Hilltoppers went for a hook-and-lateral, but the receiver was ruled down before the lateral was made.
Chardon forced a quick punt. For the second time on the evening, a Fetchik connection with Blake Barker proved fruitful. The signalcaller found his fellow senior for a 36-yard TD to pull within 28-21 with 6:09 left.
The Hilltoppers forced a three-and-out, including a third-down TFL by Barker, to get the ball back.
Chardon, which until this game had not trailed all season, marched 91 yards to tie it at 28. Brady Toth hauled in a 47-yard reception after an initial tip of the pass as it was coming in, and Alex McDonald had a 34-yard grab to the 10. Evan Ash went in from the 9 two plays later to make it 28-all with 2:13 to go.
“We were down one or two touchdowns, so we knew we had to throw,” Fetchik said. “It’s just a testament to the coaches for enhancing the passing game. Because we knew we had to beat the better teams by throwing. It’s what we practiced — and we’re state champions.”
The teams traded blocked field goals in the first overtime, the first coming from the Hilltoppers’ Trey Liebhardt.
In the second OT, Tager was true from 33 yards out with room to spare.
Chardon bore down on defense from there. DeSales’ Quintell Quinn, who had 216 yards and three TDs on 28 carries in a yeoman’s performance, ran for two yards on first down. Myles Mendeszoon stacked Quinn for a two-yard loss back to the 20, and a pass fell incomplete in the back of the end zone on third down.
DeSales went for a tying field goal, but it sailed wide left into the cool autumn night — allowing the 2020 Hilltoppers to traverse into school and local lore for all time.
“It’s what I’ve seen all season long,” Chardon coach Mitch Hewitt said of his squad’s resiliency. “It’s what I saw starting back in June. It’s what I knew was going to be the case in June. And I couldn’t be more proud for these kids and this community. For a brief moment in time, we got to put all our worries and fears away and celebrate together. And it’s neat to see.”
Chardon found itself in a 14-14 game early in the third, after Fetchik connected with Barker on a well-executed screen for a 63-yard TD. But a key sequence swung the tide.