by Akron, Ohio – The Chardon Hilltoppers pitched a shutout of host Akron Buchtel, 42-0, on a steamy Saturday afternoon.
Alex Henry led off the scoring with a 14-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing possession, Youngstown State commit Nate Sulka picked off a pass and took it to the house for another score to increase the lead to 14-0.
Later, Buchtel defensive back Shiraud Tomlin picked off a pass and got down to the Chardon 25. But the defense held the line and the Griffins off the board.
The Hilltoppers would parlay that momentum into another scoring drive. Alex Henry rushed for his second touchdown run of the game with :36 left in the half.
This pushed the Hilltopper lead to 21-0 going into the halftime break.
In the second half, Chardon picked up where it left off. Senior running back Sean Carr rushed for a 21 yards touchdown, pushing the lead to 28-0.
On Buchtel’s following possession, sophomore defensive back Leo Colombi stepped in front of a Tyson Purter pass and took it 66 yards to the house. This increased the lead to 35-0, triggering the running clock.
After Ryan Petersen picked off another pass, the Toppers drove down the field once again. Backup quarterback Zoran Vujaklija, who came in late in the third, capped off the drive with a six-yard score.
“The first thing you think of when you think of Chardon is tradition, and they ran the Wing T very well.” said Buchtel head coach Bryan Williams.
Saturday’s win was the first win over Akron Buchtel in the Hilltoppers’ program history.
For a team with plenty of turnover from last season’s state championship run, the Toppers didn’t skip a beat all afternoon.
Chardon (2-0) hosts Ursuline next Friday to continue non-conference play.
Buchtel (1-1) travels to New Philadelphia next Friday to continue their non-conference slate.
Check out extended highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoQrZ1OiF-s
