SPORTS
Thursday, December 6, 2018
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Geauga County Maple Leaf
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Kenston Convincing in State Title Win By Rich Kelly sports@geaugamapleleaf.com It was the matchup of a playoff juggernaut and a team making its first playoff appearance in five years. And yet it surprised nobody in Geauga County when he Kenston Bombers dismantled Ketting Archbishop Alter 42-6 in a game played at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Alter Knights made their 18th consecutive playoff appearance and 24th overall. The Bombers, who hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2014, made their 10th appearance in school history. With title losses in 1986 and 1995, many parents and fans supporting Kenston remembered well opportunities just lost. “I’m just so proud of all of our kids and our coaches,” coach Jeff Grubich said in the post-game conference. “Did you see how many people we had in the stands today? Getting here has been our goal for seven years now. Being able to finish the job is what we wanted. We even had some alumni coming in on Thursday to talk with the kids for motivation. It’s just been a total effort from the entire community, and you media guys have been a big help, too.” It started how some would have expected — with an Alter touchdown. Connor Bazelak, a Division I Missouri recruit for next year, found Derek Willits from 19 yards out with just under six minutes gone in the game. There didn’t seem to be much that could stop their high-powered offense. Yet the Bombers had other ideas, and as a result, a second state championship resides in Geauga County, joining a Chardon Hilltoppers win in 1994. The game didn’t start out like a title game. Kenston quarterback Jon Tomcufcik was stripped of the ball on his team’s first play. Tyler Mintz returned the favor with an interception, the first of three for Kenston, on Alter’s third play. After the Willitts touchdown, Kenston quarterback Tomcufcik found Bransen Stanley on a slant route from the left from 14 yards out to cap a 70-yard, 11-play drive. On a first down play on the first play of the second quarter, tailback Jack Porter, the object of the Alter defense all day, took a pitchout to the right. Alex Robarge and Justin Schroeder crossed each other’s paths to block, and Porter didn’t have anybody get
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Senior LB Joe Staudenbaur holds the championship trophy after helping his defense allow seven points or less in the Bombers’ final three playoff games en route to the team’s Division III state finals win.
close. He dashed, untouched, 58 yards to open a 13-6 lead for Kenston. In providing Kenston’s first state title, another, possibly more long-range history also came into play. After Stanley’s score, Anna Sanders became the first female in Ohio history to score a point in football in a title game. She added five more to answer any doubt as to the legitimacy of her feat, all solidly booted. Tomcufcik found Stanley for a second time in the second period from 40 yards out, and Sanders made it 21-6 at the half. Clearly Alter was having problems dealing with the Bombers’ size. Alter had only 48 yards on the ground in the first half.
After opening the second half by holding Alter to a three-and-out to start things off, Tomcufcik found Mintz from 16 yards away to cap a nine-play, 59-yard drive, and the air could almost be seen leaving the Knights’ side of the field with only 7:10 to play in the third period. Porter scored his second touchdown from 11 yards out by breaking several tackles along the way, his normal outing with the ball, and he closed out the day’s events with his third score from 11 yards out, again, in the fourth period. Sanders kept folks amazed by booting each try through the uprights. Although she missed wide right on a field goal, her six extra points were all solidly propelled, providing in-
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spiration for young women of the future. Stanley later shared his feelings. “I got that first touchdown on a sluggo play we have,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of using if a lot, but winning this title is something else we’ve all dreamed of for years.” Porter was proud, but also dealt with the reality of this being his last game with these See Kenston • Page 18
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