The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NDC’s Conliffe of South looks sharp in scrimmage
John Carroll LB Brian Robinson of Lake Catholic expected back from injury
The countdown to Sept. 4 intensified for the Notre Dame College, John Carroll and Case Western Reserve football teams Aug. 19.
The teams open the 2021 campaign on that Sept. 4 date, and each used Aug. 19 to scrimmage in some capacity.
The Falcons and Blue Streaks fashioned intrasquad scrimmages, while the Spartans played host to Kenyon. Some of the highlights:
• At NDC, Willoughby South graduate Devanaire Conliffe is going to be a problem for opposing defenses at wide receiver.
Coach Mickey Mental said Conliffe arrived to camp having shed a few pounds, and so far in he looks in top-notch form.
In the scrimmage at Mueller Field, quarterback Chris Brimm and the starters drove the field against the first-team defense and it was finished off when Brimm found Conliffe across the middle for a touchdown.
Conliffe is a transfer from fellow Division II program Ohio Dominican. He recently became a father, and the move to NDC allowed him to be closer to his family. He isn’t a newbie to the Falcons. Conliffe arrived and played last spring in the five Falcons games.
He produced with 349 yards on 15 receptions and six touchdowns in five games.
“He’s a man-child,” said Mental about Conliffe.
Another transfer, Davis Patterson from FBS James Madison, started with Conliffe in the scrimmage. The pair are big receivers, create separation and are threats downfield.
• At JCU, starting QB Jake Floriea of Mentor looked solid early on guiding the first-team offense against the first-team defense. He took the Blue Streaks down the field before a red-zone TD pass to Kenny Cross.
From that point on, the defense controlled much of the action.
Another Mentor QB product — Tadas Tatarunas — had some solid plays leading the reserves on a drive that reached inside the 10yard before stalling. Tatarunas appears to be in contention for the backup spot to Floriea.
• Off the field at JCU, linebacker Brian Robinson of Lake Catholic looks like a coach during preseason camp — but he hopes not for long.
In the spring, Robinson, a senior, played well until a shoulder injury put him out of competition. Robinson isn’t done as a player. He expects to get the green light to return to the field by the third week of September.
How that translates to Robinson — who’s been in on 86 career tackles as a starter since 2018 — getting back on the field remains to be seen. In the meantime,
Robinson isn’t wallowing. He’s assisting defensive coordinator Jeff Long by mentoring
the linebackers.
“I’m enjoying working with the guys,” said Robinson.
When he’s done playing at JCU, Robinson said he’s interested in coaching.
• At Case, QB Drew Saxton looked extremely sharp during 11-on-11 situations, including one in which he threw three TD passes in a matter of minutes.
“(He’s) the starting point of what we build our offense around because Drew is so experienced, so successful,” said Case coach Greg Debeljak of Saxton, who’s thrown for nearly 6,000 yards and 60 TDs as Case’s starting QB.
The Spartans were 9-2 in 2019, but did not play in the spring. So Debeljak is amping up his camp with two scrimmage opponents. After Kenyon, Case travels to John Carroll for its annual scrimmage against its Division III neighbors. It’s set for Aug. 27 at 6:45 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium.
• A rarity occurred during special-teams drills as the Spartans blocked three consecutive field-goal attempts by Kenyon.