PERRY — A turnover in the end zone and a marathon West Geauga Football scoring drive threatened to derail Perry Football‘s perfect season, but the Pirates responded with 42 unanswered points to claim a 42-7 victory over the Wolverines in Friday’s Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division championship showdown.
The win completed a 10-0 regular season for Perry, which claimed its fourth consecutive Chagrin Division championship behind four rushing touchdowns from quarterback Nate Trefzger and two more from Carter Hopkins.
West Geauga Football, which entered the game at 8-1, executed its opening game plan nearly to perfection, but the Pirates eventually seized control and never looked back.
“You couldn’t draw that up better than West G did. Fourteen-ish minutes, 21 plays. I mean, that’s unheard of,” Perry coach Bob Gecewich said. “But the ability to answer back with a score right after that was huge for us and huge for our confidence going forward.”
The Wolverines struck first after Mikey Gideon intercepted a Trefzger pass in the end zone.
West Geauga then put together an impressive 21-play, 80-yard drive that consumed approximately 13 minutes and ended with Anthony Dzurilla scoring on a 9-yard touchdown run.
The lengthy possession gave the Wolverines a 7-0 advantage and initially kept Perry’s explosive offense on the sideline.
The Pirates, however, needed little time to respond.
Trefzger broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run to even the score at 7-7.
Perry’s defense then forced a punt, and Trefzger connected with Brody Krantz for a 41-yard gain that set up his second rushing touchdown, a 1-yard plunge that gave the Pirates a 14-7 halftime advantage.
The second half belonged entirely to Perry.
The Pirates recovered a West Geauga fumble to open the third quarter, and Trefzger capitalized with an 8-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 21-7.
Chase Sivon then intercepted West Geauga quarterback Mickey Keenan, and Trefzger followed with his fourth rushing touchdown, this time from 25 yards out.
Suddenly, Perry’s lead had grown to 28-7.
Hopkins joined the scoring parade with a 29-yard touchdown run that stretched the advantage to 35-7 entering the fourth quarter.
After another defensive stop forced a West Geauga punt, Hopkins delivered the finishing blow on Perry’s first play of the ensuing possession, racing 35 yards for his second touchdown and triggering the running clock.
Trefzger finished with 92 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just seven carries. He also completed 3 of 5 passes for 66 yards with one interception.
Hopkins added 102 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, averaging 12.8 yards per attempt.
Traxton Richards contributed 44 total yards on five touches as the Pirates completed their unbeaten regular season.
Beyond the offensive production, Gecewich pointed to his team‘s ability to respond to adversity as an important sign of its postseason readiness.
Perry battled through an uneven offensive performance in a 21-14 win over Chardon two weeks earlier, then overcame West Geauga’s early momentum Friday.
“I think what’s really helped us and is going to help us is having Chardon a couple of weeks ago, when we weren’t at our sharpest offensively, and still battling through and winning that game, and then a little bit of adversity at the start of this game, turning it over in the end zone, and then that long drive,” Gecewich said. “Those are the things that our kids know they can fight back from those situations, and those are situations you’re going to face in the playoffs.”
For West Geauga, the defeat ended a five-game winning streak, but it did little to diminish the progress the Wolverines have made under second-year head coach Rossi Santo.
West Geauga finished the regular season at 8-2 and secured its second consecutive postseason appearance.
“I’m proud of our kids. I love them. They play hard. Perry is just really, really good. Hats off to them,” Santo said. “I thought we played well in the first half, and we had a good game plan. We executed perfectly in the first half, but after that turnover, the wheel just kind of fell off in the second half.”
Keenan led the Wolverines with 51 rushing yards on 13 carries, while Dzurilla added 32 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts.
Although West Geauga couldn’t maintain the momentum established by its 21-play scoring drive, Santo believes the experience will help prepare his team for the postseason.
“That was our game plan the whole game. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t sustain that in the second half, but it’s over and done with,” Santo said. “Our kids are super hungry for the playoffs and everything. We have a lot of football left to be played.”
Playoff outlook
Perry, which entered the final week ranked first in Division V, Region 17, has secured a first-round bye and will open postseason play at home in the regional quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 6.
West Geauga also has secured a home playoff game in Division IV, Region 13. The Wolverines’ final seed will determine whether they play in the opening round on Friday, Oct. 30, or receive a bye into the regional quarterfinals.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association will announce the final computer ratings and playoff pairings Sunday, Oct. 25.
For Perry, the championship celebration will be brief as the Pirates turn their attention toward an opportunity to extend their unbeaten season.
“As far as a 10-0 league championship, it’s all good and well, and we’ll celebrate that at the banquet,” Gecewich said. “But I think our kids are solely minded on just improving, and right now that’s what we have to do this next week to get ready for the playoffs.”
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