The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
’Toppers win battle of ‘D’
It was a defensive battle at Chardon Memorial Stadium as Chardon and Riverside opened Western Reserve Conference play Sept. 10.
Both offenses struggled to move the ball throughout the game with strong play by both defensive fronts.
Toward the end of the first half, Riverside began to string together plays and move the ball. But two turnovers early in the second half, one that resulted in a touchdown for the Hilltoppers, took all momentum the Beavers had.
Chardon scored twice in the final frame to put the game out of reach for Riverside, 28-7. The Hilltoppers moved to 4-0, while Riverside fell to 2-2.
The scoring started at the opening kickoff, as Trey Liebhardt made a 91-yard return to put Chardon up 7-0 early.
That was the only score until the third quarter, as both teams struggled to move the chains.
The first Hilltoppers possession of the second half saw Alex Henry throw an interception to Riverside’s Drew Fisher. But Chardon responded on the next series as Andrew Bruce recovered a backward pass for a 22yard touchdown for the Hilltoppers.
Bruce wasn’t done there, as the next possession, Bruce picked off Riverside to give the ball back to his offense. It was a big night for the sophomore, and he knew he and the defense needed to step up for the Hilltoppers.
“We preached defense all week because we knew that we had to stop them up front,” Bruce said. “It felt great to be there for my team. Both of those kind of just fell into my lap. I wasn’t really ready for that fumble, I just scooped and happened to grab it. And I was able to make the read on the interception and make the break that I needed to be there in time.”
While the Chardon defense was able to put some points on the board, the offensive struggled in the first three quarters. Coach Mitch Hewitt gave credit to the Riverside staff, as it put together a game plan that challenged the Hilltoppers.
“We need to get a lot better up front,” Hewitt said. “Coach (Dave) Bors did a great job getting his team ready for this one tonight. They kept battling and beating us up front a lot. It’s hard to call plays when you lose the line of scrimmage, and we lost it a lot tonight.”
The offense was finally able to get some points on the board with a 50-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alex Henry in the fourth quarter. Another turnover gave the Hilltoppers the ball back and the ensuing drive resulted in a Sean Carr oneyard touchdown run.
“We knew that we were making adjustments,” Henry said. “It wasn’t just during halftime but all through the game and the fourth quarter we saw it come through and were able to put some points on the board.”
The Riverside defense was able to keep the Chardon offense off the scoreboard for three quarters, the offense also struggled for the Beavers. Coach Dave Bors knew his team played three good quarters of football, but had missteps in the fourth.
“You can’t make mistakes against a team like that,” Bors said. “You can’t waste a play. They had a good scheme and were flying to the ball. They were getting off of blocks and getting more than one hat on the ball.”
The Beavers attempt to return to their winning ways when they travel to WRC foe Madison on Sept. 17. Chardon looks to make it 17 wins in a row as the Hilltoppers are also on the road at Mayfield.
“It’s hard to call plays when you lose the line of scrimmage, and we lost it a lot tonight.” Chardon coach Mitch Hewitt, complimenting Riverside after a 28-7 win