It was the last game of the regular season and the first cold game to be played. I wouldn’t want it to end any other way––unless we’d had some warmer weather. This is the one game I always look forward to, because no matter what the season holds for these two teams, they are always prepared for this game, every year. And so are we.
Prior to the game, the seniors were walked across the field with their families for their last home game. CLICK HERE to see photos.
Berkshire hosted this year’s game, and so they received the opening kickoff. The Badgers hit the ground running, but were soon forced to punt to the Huskies. Cardinal ate away a huge chunk of time, then put the first points on the board when Kyle Simms sent a 35-yard pass to Zach Retych for a touchdown. Kyle Gubanyar’s extra-point kick was good, giving Cardinal a 7-0 lead. These would be the only points of the first quarter, as both teams were held scoreless during the last 3 minutes.
The second quarter didn’t start out the way the Badgers had hoped either. On their first drive, Cardinal’s Chris Guinn snagged himself an interception and returned it for a 32-yard touchdown. Gubanyar sent his kick through the uprights, making the score 14-0. Even though the Badgers weren’t able to do anything on their next possession, Kyle Storm made a huge defensive play on Cardinal’s next drive. The Huskies were facing 4th down and long on their own end, so they went for a punt. Storm blocked the punt and recovered the ball, giving his team a short field.
But, with penalties and field conditions as they were, they just weren’t able to get into the endzone. Cardinal was though. With less than a minute to go in the half, Clark Thurling ran the ball 33 yards into the endzone to give the Huskies their 3rd touchdown of the night. Gubanyar put up a good kick to make the score 21-0. The whistle blew, and that was the end of the half.
During halftime we were entertained by both bands. Cardinal and Berkshire’s dancers showed off their moves across the field. Two of Berkshire’s majorettes performed with their batons on fire while their band played along. Neighbors, friends, and coworkers mingled and joked around about their teams’ playing each other. You could feel the excitement everywhere in the stadium. As the teams came out to prepare for the second half of the Big Battle, everyone headed back to their sides of the field.
Cardinal would receive the kickoff to start the second half. The Badger defense was able to hold them this time, and neither team was able to make any progress on the field for the first minutes of the half. With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Berkshire made their first mark on the scoreboard when Kyle Storm ran the ball in for an 18-yard rushing touchdown. Jacob Hanson’s kick was on target, making the score 21-7. The Badgers were then able to hold the Huskies scoreless in the 3rd quarter after a lot of back-and-forth play.
The final quarter was then upon us. After nibbling yards off the field, Simms threw his second touchdown for Cardinal. This time, he sent the ball 5 yards to Cody Purpura for 6 points on the board, which is all they would get––Gubanyar’s kick was wide and bounced off the post. That didn’t matter for the Huskie’s though; they were up 27-7 by then.
About 4 minutes later, Cardinal struck again. This time Khaleel Samir took off the last yard of the field, running the ball into the endzone for the final touchdown of the night. Gubanyar sent out a perfect kick to make the score 34-7. The whistle blew and the Huskies ran to grab the Kinsman cup and bring it home, having defeated the Berkshire Badgers 34-7.
Both teams left everything they had on the field that Friday night. They fought in the toughest field conditions either team had dealt with all season. It was cold, wet, and very muddy. Getting their feet under themselves for the running game was the most difficult challenge the two teams faced.
Berkshire may not have put many points on the board, but their defense still worked hard. James Speelman and Frank Kaschalk both recovered fumbles. Kaschalk made sure to talk up his line whether he was on offense or defense. He helped keep his team calm and ready for the next play. Ben Blechschmid capped off a record-breaking season for most rushing yards and tied the record for rushing touchdowns.
Storm had plays on both sides of the ball to keep his team going. In fact, the entire Berkshire team played their hearts out and ought to be proud. However, it was Cardinal that was able to overcome every obstacle: Jeff Guinn provided several defensive stops; Simms was able to run, fake, and throw the ball well; Lester Troyer was there to help gain his team yards when they needed them. All of these boys played hard.
The emotion showed after the game. The seniors shook hands, stopped on the field, and took one last look around. Hugs were given, tears were shared, and smiles were shown as the players left the field.
CLICK HERE to see more photos from the game.
Congratulations are due to all of our Geauga County football players for a great season! I had the privilege of watching you all this year, and I thank you for that. Good luck on your future endeavors after graduation in the spring!
Three of our schools are headed to the playoffs. Here is where and when they will be playing so that you can cheer on our teams in the postseason!
Nov. 7, 7:30pm, Chardon @ Akron St. Vincent St. Mary
Nov. 7, 7:30pm, Kenston @ Aurora
Nov. 7, 7:30pm, Notre-Dame Cathedral Latin @ Field
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Author: Trent Ford
Trent is a graduate of Madison High School and a new resident of Geauga County. He enjoys spending time with his family, history, and the outdoors, but his passion is sports, both local and professional.