by Cover photo by Ben Nichols
Cover photo – Zach Hackleman of St. Ed’s
Football can be a game of bad breaks, bounces and inches that don’t go your way. All of that went against St. Ed’s tonight as they were defeated by the Glenville Tarblooders 28-27. It was a game worthy of its own chapter in a book one day, as the two defending State Champions (Ed’s DI Glenville D4) went at it in a classic. As for the Tarblooders playing in the D4 playoffs, tonight proved again why that is an absolute joke. This team showed tonight, they can compete and defeat anyone in the state.
It was a game of huge momentum swings as at one point in the second half, St. Ed’s went from leading 7-6, to trailing 20-7, to leading 21-20 all in a matter of about a 10-minute stretch. In the end, Glenville took full advantage of a second chance after a fumble was called “down by contact” after the officials called the play dead, despite a fumble caused by Bradley Eaton poking it loose. It was a bang bang call that went sorely against the Eagles. The Tarblooders scored moments later to make it 28-21 and never looked back.
All of this occurring, after the Eagles had forced a punt from the Tarblooders late in the fourth quarter, that accidently bounced off the Green and Yellow, putting Glenville in prime position to take the lead. You cannot give a team as good as Glenville as many chances with the ball following bad special teams plays as the Eagles did tonight. In the end, it was a series of special teams plays that will haunt them all week. From a blocked field goal and fumbled punt return, to a two-point conversion failing, it simply wasn’t their night on special teams in various forms. They missed two field goals, and didn’t convert a two point conversion. That is 8 points left on the board, some things are just that simple and clear.
The Eagles do walk out of this with plenty of bright spots however, quarterback Thomas Csayni had the best night of his Eagles career as he threw for 350 yards on 17 of 30 passing with 3 touchdowns. As for the passing attack, it is greatly aided by the skills of Zach Hackleman who went off again tonight, finishing with 6 catches for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was a stellar night for Hackleman. Fellow wide receivers Joe Saffold and Luke Hess also had good nights. Hess went for 70 yards on 3 catches while Saffold brought in 4 catches for 68 yards.
Bradley Eaton seems to have stepped up as the new number two option on the ground just behind Tyrese Buchanan. Eaton, had a career high with 51 yards on 11 carries, including what could have been the game winning touchdown at one point.
The “pass of the night” actually came from Glenville Wide Receiver Glen Overby who hit a 67 yard pass connection to Qunicy Rogers that set up an eventual score. Backup quarterback Lamarques Greenwood come off the bench to run for 28 yards on 4 carries while scoring the game winning touchdown. However, the star once again for Glenville was JC Newell with 170 yards on 36 carries with 3 touchdowns as he truly was the Tarblooder offense.
Newell got it started by rushing 7 of 9 plays on the opening drive for the Tarblooders that saw them go 80 yards and score. The touchdown coming from Newell on a 2-yard scamper. He also caught a ball on the drive for 10 yards as the Eagles had no answer to stop him early on. The kick failed, but it was a quick 6-0 Tarblooders lead.
After their first drive stalled, the Eagles didn’t waste time attacking the next time they touched the ball as Csanyi hit Zach Hackleman on a 73-yard touchdown pass. Hackleman made a good move to get open 20 yards down the field, he caught it and then just sped the next 50 plus yards down the middle of the field for the touchdown strike. This closed out the first quarter with the Eagles in front 7-6.
The next time the Eagles had the ball, they were sparked by a 39-yard connection from Csanyi to Saffold to get them moving. The drive stalled however and came up empty when Kellen Moyer missed a 29-yard field goal attempt. The Eagles received another chance after a Glenville turnover at midfield, but once again were stopped for a 3 and out. The game went to half by that same score.
The Eagles came out in the second half, red hot and matched right down the field with zero issues. The big hitter was a 35-yard connection to Nate Gregory, his first catch of the season. They had to settle for a field goal attempt however that was blocked and returned all the way to the Eagles 28-yard line. It was a huge momentum swing in favor of Glenville. Only moments later Newell made them pay with his second rushing touchdown of the game, this one for 12 yards.
Minutes later, back on defense, St. Ed’s got caught by a trick play that saw them get burned by a 60-yard pass to Quincy Rodgers. A stunned Eagles team was then scored upon on the next play with a Rommell Phillips touchdown run of 10 yards to move the score to 20-7. Not long before this, the Eagles had a chance to make it 10-6 and instead, they now trailed 20-7 in a matter of minutes.
An 18-yard run by Eaton jumpstarted the next Eagles drive as they were in urgency mode to get back in it. Two plays later, they found a streaking Zach Hackleman over the middle of the field who took it to the house for a 47-yard touchdown. This cut the lead to 20-14 within seconds and sparked an Eagles team that sorely needed it.
It wasn’t long after that until the Eagles had the ball back to begin the fourth quarter and went to work with it. Only 52 seconds into it, Csanyi hit Hackleman for his third touchdown of the night in the corner of the endzone from 19 yards out. Just like that, the Eagles retook the lead to take the 21-20 advantage.
A fluke special teams mistake on a punt, hit an Eagle, and allowed the Tarblooders to take over at the St. Ed’s 37-yard line with 8:40 to go. Yet again, a special teams mistake led to points for their opponents for the second straight week. This time a Greenwood 25-yard run, led to a Greenwood 4-yard touchdown run, as the speed demon quarterback couldn’t be contained. Bradley Eaton caused a fumble moment’s prior to the touchdown, but the refs said the ball carrier was down. Regardless of that, it was now 28-21 Glenville with 4:11 to go.
The Eagles went back to their bread and butter on their next possession, as a big hook up to Hackleman put them at the Glenville 28-yard line with 3:05 to play in the game. A 19-yard pass to Luke Hess seconds later, made it first and goal Eagles. On the very next play, Bradley Eaton took it the rest of the way off the left tackle to score and cut it to 28-27. Glenville jumped offsides on the initial extra point attempt, so Coach Tom Lombardo decided to go for the win and end it in regulation instead of the extra point to tie it. Nate Gregory was stuffed on the attempt and the Tarblooders clung to a 28-27 lead.
With the loss, St. Ed’s falls to 3-3, with all 3 of their losses to defending state champions. ( Boyle County, Massillon, Glenville)
