by The Hilltoppers of Chardon cruised to an easy victory over the Aurora Greenmen in the OHSAA Region 9 Regional Semifinal.
Aurora burned nearly half the time off the clock in the first quarter. Unfortunately, that didn’t result in many points as they turned the ball over on downs just past midfield. Chardon got the ball for their first drive, but were also stuffed near midfield thanks to back to back tackles for loss for the Greenmen.
Both teams traded punts, and the Hilltoppers received the ball near the end of the opening frame. They finally broke through on offense with a big 42 yard rush from running back Andrew Bruce to get the Hilltoppers into Aurora territory. As the first quarter bled into the second, the Hilltoppers had to settle for a 20 yard field goal from Sam Sacerich to take an early 3-0 lead.
After Chardon forced another Aurora punt, the Hilltoppers again got deep into enemy territory thanks to the legs of quarterback Will Francis. This time, they were able to capitalize in the red zone thanks to a Francis QB keeper from three yards out to extend the lead to 10-0.
More déjà vu for the Aurora Greenmen, as their offensive struggles continued en route to another punt. Will Francis, who had only thrown one pass in the game to this point, unloaded a 70 yard bomb to Caleb Hewitt for another touchdown on the very first play of the drive, giving Chardon a commanding 17-0 lead.
After yet another drive in which Aurora failed to manage a first down, the Greenmen punted the ball away and Chardon capitalized yet again. This time, it was running back Vinny Colombi who broke through for a 59 yard run to get Chardon on the Aurora three yard line. Another QB keeper from Francis gave the Hilltoppers a 24-0 lead heading into the half.
The beginning of the second half looked like Chardon was going to add to their big lead early, but Aurora forced a fumble after a nice run from Drago Vujaklija. Unfortunately, the Greenmen offense stalled once again after the turnover. After both teams traded punts again, the Hilltoppers once again got the ball towards the end of the third quarter. After big runs from Hewitt to get Chardon on the edge of the red zone, Will Francis took matters into his own hands with a 29 yard QB keeper for his third rushing touchdown of the game. The Hilltoppers blew the game wide open at 31-0.
Aurora QB Brandon Liepins scored on a QB keeper in garbage time to put the Greenmen on the board and cut the deficit to 31-7 in the final seconds.
Player of the Game
Today’s player of the game goes to Chardon quarterback Will Francis, who made big plays with his legs all game. Francis rushed 17 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Well done, QB1!
What’s Next
The Hilltoppers advance to the Regional Final, where they will face the winner of Ursuline and Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
