GAME PHOTOS: http://smu.gs/2fvw64k
With an estimated 4,000 people in the stands for their school’s first home playoff game since 2012, the Chardon Hilltoppers were in the midst of school history, 10-0 for the first time since 1998.
And this game was just another running clock blowout, run of the mill for a Hilltoppers team always exceeding expectations.
By the time fans had found their seats, Chardon had scored five times in five possessions, shocking a Bearcats team that was 7-3 by a 56-6 final score.
“As I told them after the game, they exceed my expectations every week,” said head coach Mitch Hewitt. “Just when you think you can’t trust people anymore, then you trust them, they continue to grow up.”
Tommy Benenati and Joey Dinko accounted for those touchdowns, with fullback Joe Cyvas breaking a 82-yard run that ended inside the 5 yard line.
Fans who made it to their first game this week just shook their heads and smiled as they had finally seen it for themselves: this team is really that good.
“It was probably the biggest game of my life, the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen,” said Dinko, a senior who scored from around the outside three times in the first half. “It’s a nice feeling.”
Dinko wasn’t surprised that Chardon’s offense dominated the line of scrimmage. The more film they watched, the more he knew, he said.
Line leader Justin Stanko said the Bedford defensive line was fast and showed them different fronts, but he was happy he and his teammates performed “the way that we should.”
“We’ve got a great offense, and we have a bunch of dudes who play as a team,” Stanko said.
Chardon will play Warren Harding (10-1) this Friday at Ravenna High School at 7:30 p.m.
While Hewitt thinks the Hilltoppers will be the underdog this week, he added, “I think we’re going to embrace that role.”
“The teams only get better from here on out, but we’re not intimidated by anyone,” Dinko said.
Chardon’s defense held Bedford to 89 yards of offense at halftime, that coming from two long-pass plays. But the Hilltoppers intercepted two Bedford passes, returning one — by Mason Ziegenfuss — for a touchdown.
The defense continues to be the silent partner in Chardon’s dominant performances because the offense has been so explosive.
Tommy Benenati now has 1,985 rushing yards this year from his position as quarterback. When Mitch Hewitt was a senior in 1998, he ran for 1,994 yards, which is a school record he has held for 18 years.
Hewitt rushed for the yards while reaching the Division 2 state championship game that season. Benenati will almost certainly break that record three games earlier. And Hewitt told a local paper he’s fine with it: “He’s going to get nine yards on Friday night. He better.”
“The level of football today is much better than it was back when I played,” Hewitt said. “No one who played in the old days likes to admit that, but the skill level, the speed of the game, it’s a totally different animal.”
That his team has been confident all season long is a source of pride for Coach Hewitt.
“They haven’t had a slip,” Hewitt said. “Confidence can be dangerous, too. There’s a fine line between being confident and arrogant, and when you’re arrogant, you lose. These kids are treading that thin line.”
