Original article posting September 19, 2013: This week the Chardon Hilltopper football team will be taking on the Eastlake North Rangers at Eastlake Friday at 7:00pm. After a shaky start to the season losing to West G. and Kenston, and a big win against John Adams, the Hilltoppers are looking forward to their Premier Athletic Conference, P.A.C., opener against North. The team’s record so far is 1 and 2 looking to make that 2 and 2 after Friday. North’s record this season is 0 and 3 losing to Kirtland, Medina, and Garfield Heights.
Chardon and North have been playing each other for years. The Toppers have won the last 7 out of 10 times they have played North starting back in 2002, but this is no reason for the team to overlook this week.
“We are not as concerned about North as we are for us. We are still not executing at a high enough level to worry about what other teams are doing.” Head Coach Mitch Hewitt said while talking about the team’s performance.
Coach Ty Merkle said “We’re preparing for this game just like any other because every game is a must win for the Toppers!” He also stated “One of this season’s goals is to win P.A.C. so this will be the first step to achieving that goal this Friday.”
Coach Hewitt also explained “Being the first P.A.C. game of the year, this game adds more value to the players and staff.
The Hilltoppers defensive will be a key factor in this Friday’s game. With linebacker Pete Lemaster, defense lineman Marty Keppler, and safety Joe Connick leading the intensity of the defense, the Rangers will have a hard time scoring any points against this shut down D.
“The defense is going to rock hard against north!” safety Teddy Gould said while talking about this upcoming game.
The offense, lead by Junior QB Patrick Sullivan, will be hard to stop this Friday as they are developing into a multi-threat offense with a running and passing game. After last weeks win against John Adams, the Hilltoppers have set a new school / area record of 528 rushing yards in one game. The previous school to hold this area record was South with 510 yards of rushing back in 2011. Some other key players to look out for on offense are running back Jordan Barrett, tight end Andrew Gray, and fullback Ben Cyvas.
“We are expecting big things in this game from our junior quarterback Patrick Sullivan.” Coach Merkle said when talking about the explosive offense.
The Toppers are hoping to see a big crowd for this Conference opener. They also hope to see the Chardon Crazies there in big numbers supporting the team. This will be a fun game to watch as the Hilltoppers look to top the North Rangers!
Update: The Hilltoppers beat the North Rangers 35 to 0. The game ended during the third quarter because of the lightning and thunder storm that passed through.