Hilltoppers run all over, throw the book at Bombers
Tim Warsinskey - The Plain Dealer - 9-1-07
They're at it again in Chardon.
The Hilltoppers' devastatingly deceptive wing-T offense, which has produced a generation of championship-caliber teams, is in peak form in just the second week of the season after rolling over visiting rival Kenston, 49-7, at Memorial Field on Friday.
Chardon (2-0) stacked up 465 yards rushing with a quartet of senior backs who had Kenston defenders grasping at air and running down guys who did not have the football. The Hilltoppers averaged 7.9 yards per carry against one of the best teams in Geauga County.
Kyle Petersen scored four touchdowns, all in the first half, and finished with 115 yards on 10 carries. Isaiah Charlton had 153 yards on eight carriers with one TD. Quarterback Chad Davis had 73 yards and two TDs, and Mason Bishop gained 95 yards.
Petersen scored twice on counter plays, but it was Charlton's TD that summed up the game. Faced with second-and-23 at the Chardon 22-yard line, Davis nearly threw an interception. On third down, Charlton took the ball on yet another counter and sprinted through the Bombers' defense for a 78-yard TD.
"We can score on any play, any time," Petersen said.
Kenston coach Rick Adams said Chardon showed some new, unbalanced formations that threw the Bombers off-kilter.
"This one is on me," Kenston coach Rick Adams said. "As a coach, you have to have your kids ready to play."
Adams shouldn't feel too bad. Chardon has more than 200 formations in a playbook that makes taking the ACT test look like a pop quiz.
"They tried to shut down our jet [sweep], and we just ran internally against their 3-3 front, and they couldn't stop us," Davis said. "We have so many formations and plays and different looks that it makes things really difficult for the defense.
"Their linebackers were just lost. They were biting on the first fake, and it was there all night."
It didn't hurt to have 6-5, 275-pound tackle Joe Madsen pulling on traps and leading the way on counters, which he did on a thunderous 12-yard running play by Petersen for Chardon's first score.
Madsen also keyed a stellar performance by Chardon's front seven, playing alongside tackle Anthony Purpura, ends Alex Coats and Thom Hummel, and linebackers Alex Petroff, Sean Lopez and Jeff Buehner.
They put enormous pressure on talented Kenston quarterback Brett Tevepaugh from the start, holding him to 64 yards on 5-of-16 passing and 56 yards rushing.
"This was a huge win. We've never beaten them that bad," Chardon coach Jim DiPofi said. "I think we caught them napping, and we were ready to go."
