CHARDON, Ohio — The magical run continues for the Chardon Hilltoppers
The No. 1 team in Division III advanced to the Region 9 final Friday night with a convincing 31-0 victory over New Philadelphia. The Hilltoppers scored on their first series of the game and then forced a Quakers interception, setting the tone for a night of ball control and solid defense.
Chardon (9-0) received the opening kickoff and got a long swing pass from Drew Fetchik to James Pettyjohn, setting up a 1-yard score by Sean Carr. New Philly (7-2) appeared to be driving on its first series, but Caden O’Neill was picked off at the goal line by Kevin Doyle. While the Hilltoppers ended up punting on the ensuing drive, the Quakers never really got it going after that.
Fetchik later scored on a beautiful fake from nine yards out, and Nathan Tager added a 37-yard field goal to give Chardon a 17-0 halftime lead. New Philly got the ball to start the third quarter and drove all the way to the Chardon 25, but chose to try a field goal on 4th-and-5. Elliot Warner's attempt came up short, and the Hilltoppers subsequently went on an 80-yard drive capped off by another Carr touchdown.
In a testament to just how good Chardon has been, 31 points was their lowest output of the season. Star running back James Pettyjohn had more than 100 yards on the ground, while the defense recorded its second shutout of the year.
The Hilltoppers will host second-seeded Canfield next Friday after the Cardinals took down the Streetsboro Rockets 24-6 in a battle of unbeatens. Chardon is gunning for its first state championship since 1994, while Canfield is trying for its first-ever title.
Re-listen to Dave "Dino" DeNatale's call of the game in the player below, or keep scoring for more scores from around Northeast Ohio:
