When West Geauga Football and Hawken Football meet in conference play, little seems to come easily.
Thursday night was no exception.
The Hawks struck early, watched a 14-point lead disappear, and then answered in overtime to knock off the visiting Wolverines, 27-26, in a Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division thriller on Sept. 10.
West Geauga entered the game having pitched three consecutive shutouts and had not allowed a point through the first 12 quarters of the season.
That streak lasted only two Hawken possessions.
“We took an early swing, and that was a big thing for us,” Hawken senior Charlie Mallett said. “After that loss to Gilmour last week, we wanted to use it as fuel, and we came out firing. That West G defense is amazing, physical, and hadn’t allowed a point in 12 quarters. We thought they hadn’t seen a passing attack like ours. We felt like we had a lot of weapons on the outside to make plays, and we just had to trust our guys to make plays.”
Hawken drew first blood on its second possession when Tanner Brandt connected with Mallett for 19 yards and then found him again for a 42-yard touchdown that gave the Hawks a 6-0 lead.
That score held through the end of the first quarter.
Brandt struck again through the air in the second, connecting with Brady Wise for 44 yards to set up a 5-yard Mallett touchdown run. Mallett caught the ensuing two-point conversion to extend Hawken’s lead to 14-0.
West Geauga finally broke through late in the second quarter.
Anthony Dzurilla ripped off a 42-yard run and later finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown to cut Hawken’s halftime advantage to 14-7.
The Wolverines carried that momentum into the second half.
Dzurilla intercepted a pass early in the third quarter, setting up a rushing touchdown by Mickey Keenan. Hawken blocked the ensuing kick, keeping the Hawks in front, 14-13.
West Geauga eventually grabbed its first lead in the fourth quarter after Vince Vecchio broke loose for a 29-yard run and Keenan finished the drive with his second rushing touchdown.
After surrendering 20 unanswered points, Hawken responded immediately.
Patrick Murphy sparked the drive with an 18-yard run, Mallett added an 18-yard reception, and then scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game at 20-20 with approximately five and a half minutes remaining.
Neither team scored again in regulation.
West Geauga received the first possession of overtime and needed only two plays to regain the lead. Dzurilla capped his big night with a 17-yard touchdown run that put the Wolverines ahead, 26-20.
The two-point conversion failed, leaving Hawken an opportunity.
The Hawks took advantage.
Mallett hauled in a pass to move the ball to the 5-yard line, and Brandt followed by rolling out and finding a crossing Wise for the tying touchdown.
That left the game in the hands — or, more accurately, on the foot — of Drew McNamara.
McNamara had not been called upon to kick all night. Now, with West Geauga’s band and student section directly behind the goalposts, he lined up with a chance to win the game.
He delivered.
McNamara drilled the extra point to give Hawken the 27-26 overtime victory.
“I was pretty nervous, but I was just focusing on silencing the crowd,” McNamara said. “They were really loud. I was focusing on just breathing deep and keying on just me and the ball, and I kicked it, and it went through, and it felt amazing.”
Hawken’s fast start gave the Hawks a 14-0 advantage, but West Geauga answered with 20 straight points to take control.
Brandt and the Hawken offense never flinched.
“Tanner Brandt did a great job managing our team as a quarterback and doing what he needed to do,” Hawken head coach Mark Iammarino said. “I thought Patrick Murphy had a couple of really nice runs in there as well, but Tanner really spread the ball around. When they started to double Charlie, he hit Brady, Mitch Greenberg, and Kevin Oster a couple of times, and that was huge. But I think Tanner really stepped up tonight and showed that he’s a good quarterback.”
Brandt completed 26 of 42 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Mallett accounted for 158 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches and scored three touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass on defense.
Murphy rushed six times for 64 yards, while Wise caught seven passes for 88 yards. Mitch Greenberg finished with four receptions for 29 yards, and Kevin Oster also contributed to Brandt’s balanced passing attack.
For West Geauga, the night marked the first time this season the Wolverines found themselves playing from behind, but they responded to the early 14-0 deficit by taking the lead in the second half.
“We just came out flat tonight. Just came out flat,” West Geauga head coach Rossi Santo said. “We just didn’t bring it. I thought we played great in the second half. We came back. We took the lead. We’re not good enough to spot a team from scoring 14 points in the first half. The effort was there, but we just came out flat, and it wasn’t good enough. It starts with me. It wasn’t good enough on my part.”
Vecchio led West Geauga’s rushing attack with 179 yards on 23 carries.
Dzurilla added 133 yards and two touchdowns on 22 attempts, while Keenan rushed 20 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
For Santo and the Wolverines, the focus now shifts quickly to what remains of the season.
“We have six games left. There’s a lot of football left to be played,” Santo said. “We’ve got to get better in practice, and it starts tomorrow with our weight room and film sessions.”
Both teams are now 3-1 overall.
West Geauga hosts Orange on Sept. 18, while Hawken travels to Perry for another CVC matchup.
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