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CHESTERLAND NEWS Volume 55, No. 12 • Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Wolverines Shut Out Lions 40-0 By Alan Kornspan sports@karlovecmedia.com The West Geauga Wolverines defeated the Orange Lions, 40-0, on Oct. 20. West G scored early and often throughout the first half. In fact, the team scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, then added two more in the second en route to the victory. “I thought we came out and played real well offensively and defensively,” West Geauga Head Coach Matt Rosati said. “We threw the ball well when we needed to, and when it started raining we were able to run the ball. “I thought we did a good job of mixing things up and the guys played well.” Added senior Andrew Marino, “Great game plan coming out of the gate. We executed really well, in my opinion.” As Marino alluded to, the Wolverines started quickly. They scored first when Marino caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Finn Keenan. After converting a two-point conversion on a pass from Elijah Gudger to Daegan Katz, the Wolverines led 8-0 with 6:18 left in the first quarter. In his post-game interview, Marino talked about how meaningful it was to score a touchdown in the last high school football game of his senior year. “Perfect play call by the coaches,” Marino said. “We came out knowing that we wanted to throw the ball for the first couple drives to set the tone. But no other feeling like it, to score in your last game ever. It’s going to be a moment to remember.” Marino led the Wolverines with three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, he also provided four tackles. After Marino’s touchdown, the Wolverines scored again when sophomore quarterback Finn Keenan connected with sophomore wide receiver Matthew Osters for a 40-yard touchdown pass with four minutes left in the first quarter. Osters described the touch-
ALAN KORNSPAN/KMG
West Geauga’s Joseph Moore, left, and Brian Denamen make a tackle during the Wolverines 40-0 win against Orange.
down catch. “I just wanted to put it on the line for everyone, and Finn threw me the ball and I came down with it and I scored for my first touchdown of my career,” Osters said. “I was wide open. “Finn hit me on a line, I did a spin move, and I caught it and walked into the end zone.” After the Marino and Osters touchdowns, quarterback Finn Keenan scored on an eight-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left in the first quarter. In that first quarter alone, Keenan threw two touchdown passes and also ran for one. For the contest, he was six of eight for 120 yards and also ran six times for 15 yards. The Wolverines’ early-second-quarter 25-yard touchdown
run was made by senior John Julian with 10:53 to go in the first half. Julian also talked about making a touchdown in the last game of his senior year: “I got it up the middle and spun off the guy and ran outside (for the touchdown).” He also spoke on his gratitude for the opportunity to play on the offensive side of the ball. “I came into this game (asking) Coach to see if I could play a little bit of offense tonight,” Julian said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, Johnny, you’re good to go.’ “ Julian was certainly ready for the game, as he averaged 14 yards per carry on five rushes for 70 total yards and a touchdown to lead the Wolverines in rushing. Less than four minutes after Julian scored, the Wolverines added their final touchdown of the first
half on a 15-yard run by Quentin Artino. After the extra point by Elijah Gudger, the Wolverines led 33-0 heading into halftime. In the second half, the Wolverines added their final points of the game on Christian Mulica’s fiveyard touchdown run. The West G defense was stellar all night, as it limited Orange to just 69 yards rushing and only 15 yards passing. Leading the Wolverine defense in tackles for the game were Marino (4), Dan Donofrio (3.5), Paul Flowers (3.5), Daegan Katz (3), Brian Denamen (3), Sean Leonard (2), Tyler Fink (1.5) and Grady Zerokata (1.5). With the victory, the Wolverines finished the season strong, winning four of their last six games.
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