ORWELL—No. 9 Cuyahoga Heights scored two second-half touchdowns to upset fifth-seeded Warren John F. Kennedy, 21-19, in a Division VII, Region 25 semifinal clash on Friday at Grand Valley.
The Red Wolves trailed 13-7 at halftime but flipped the game to give themselves a 21-13 lead with just over four minutes left in the fourth.
“The defense set up short fields and the offense finally executed,” said Cuyahoga Heights coach Al Martin. “It came down to a two-point conversion, and we were able to stop them.”
The Eagles drew first blood with Marcus Komara’s 80-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Devon Dzik responded with a kickoff return to the Eagle 16-yard line, setting up Gavin Chamberlin’s 12-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game.
Warren JFK reclaimed the lead when LaMarcus Provitt juked out would-be-tacklers en route to a 40-yard dash to end the first. Jaylen Murray then burrowed up the gut for a 15-yard trip that gave the Eagles a 13-7 lead.
Cuyahoga Heights opened the second half with a game-tying touchdown drive.
Chamberlain picked up eight yards to start the third quarter and Zach Shafer pulled on the read-option to flip the field with a 27-yard scamper down to the Eagles’ 22-yard line.
From there, Dzik polished off the four-play drive with a 22-yard burst to the endzone for a game-tying touchdown.
Bryce Rusch converted the extra point for a 14-13 Cuyahoga Heights lead.
The Red Wolves added to their lead with Shafer’s five-yard rushing touchdown with 4:17 left in the fourth quarter.
JFK moved down the field and tied the game on a Freddy Bolchalk touchdown run but the Red Wolves held on the two-point conversion try to seal their win.
Zach Unger was a one-man wrecking crew for the Red Wolves’ defense all night, with three punishing sacks.
“I just kept getting opportunities to make a play,” Unger said. “I just wanted to execute. I saw something (their offense) didn’t, and I got home.”
The tenacious defense and grind-it-out offense is the bread and butter of coach Martin’s squad, which paid dividends in the win.
Those few factors have seen a second-half resurgence from Cuyahoga Heights, going from 2-4 to 8-4 with a trip to the elite eight forthcoming.
“It’s a great feeling to get back there,” Shafer said. “When we were 2-4, we all looked ourselves in the mirror. We talked in the group chat and agreed that we needed to grind out the season. We couldn’t lose another game.”
Unger added, “It’s a dream come true, to be honest. I remember watching that (regional final) game in my seventh-grade year. I knew I wanted to be there. It feels great.”
Martin cited his team’s win against conference-leading Trinity for the turnaround.
“The key was the win against Trinity, the top team in our conference,” Martin said. “Our kids went into that game determined to show what type of football team they could be. We got a close win, and that inspired us.”
Chamberlain led the way on the ground with 19 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Shafer finished with nine rushes for 68 yards with a score and Dzik went for 35 yards on three attempts with a touchdown.
The ninth-seeded Red Wolves have played spoiler in each round, with wins over eighth-seeded St. Paul, top-seeded Western Reserve, and fifth-ranked JFK.
Cuyahoga Heights will play second-seeded Hillsdale in a Division VII, Region 25 championship game next Friday at a site to be determined.
OTHER CVC SCORES
Perry 45, Streetsboro 21
Perry fumbled away the football on the first play of the game, but the Pirates regrouped and made big plays throughout in a 45-21 win over Streetsboro in a Division IV, Region 13 semifinal at Berkshire.
The Pirates outgained the Rockets, 425-250, and Walter Moses completed 17-of-21 passes for 327 yards and five touchdowns.
Kirtland 41, Columbia 7
Danny Alfieri continued his unbelievable postseason run with a four-touchdown night as Kirtland topped Columbia in a Division VI, Region 21 semifinal at Brooklyn, 41-7.
Alfieri ran for 105 yards on 12 carries and now has rushed for 468 yards and 12 touchdowns in three playoff games.
