MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP—Fairport Harding ended an eight-year winless streak against Berkshire with a 19-14 win over the Badgers at Sidley Field on Friday.
The game was played at the former home of the Ledgemont Redskins. Ledgemont closed four years ago and was absorbed by Berkshire.
Richie Klemencic gave the Badgers an early lead when he hauled in a 35-yard second quarter pass from quarterback Jacob Brown but Berkshire failed to convert the extra point.
Cody Paugh returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and Sam Schuster connected with Jayden Alston on the two-point conversion that gave the Skippers an 8-6 lead.
Ryan Pennypacker’s 52-yard run and two-point conversion put the Badgers back on top, 14-8.
Jayden Alston booted a 32-yard field goal to pull the Skippers to within 14-11 at halftime.
It stayed that way until the third quarter when Schuster’s one-yard touchdown run and Paugh’s two-point conversion put the Skippers on top for good.
With the win, the Skippers improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division.
The last time the Skippers started a season with three wins in their first four games was back in 2012 when they finished 7-3 and qualified for the playoffs.
Fairport’s win also was notable because it was the first time the Skippers have opened CVC play with a win since 2011 and it was their first win over Berkshire since 2010.
