Thanksgiving football training is an unfamiliar concept to the Chardon football team, but Hilltoppers is embracing it.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 football season was shortened to the state championship weekend which is November 20-21. So the 2000 state champion Chardon Hilltoppers completed their championship battle before the holiday.
This is not the case this year.
With a resounding 31-3 defeat to Dover, Chadeng advanced to the semi-finals of Level III for the second consecutive year. Hilltoppers will face West Sherlock Holmes in the state semifinals at the Winesburg Tiger Stadium on November 26.
This means that Chardon has participated in Thanksgiving football training for the first time since 1998-well before any current Hilltoppers were born.
"This is very exciting," said senior Nathanael Sulka. "We failed to do it last year, but we are looking forward to it."
Chardon will practice at 8:30-10:15 on Thanksgiving morning. They will open the memorial hall with gratitude to fans who wish to watch the final practice before the game against West Sherlock Holmes.
Participating fans were asked to donate hats, gloves and socks to veterans and their families.
"Andy Fechick and his wife (Julie) brought this idea to us," coach Mitch Hewitt said of the practice of Thanksgiving, which is a kind of charity. "When Andy was in Mentor, coach (Steve) Trivisonno always did this, bringing in alumni and providing practice as a service to the military.
"What the army does is more than just a game, but both symbolize hard work and dedication, and our children respect this. This is our opportunity to give back to them."
Chardon defeated the Dover team with a 12-0 record, which is impressive. The high-scoring Tornado team's field goal percentage is limited to three points to open the game. In addition, Chardon's defense suppressed Dover, keeping their total offensive distance to 186 yards-35 of which came from the first game of the game.
"I think this is a testament to our children because we challenged them after the game with Canfield last Saturday and really knocked them out," said Hewitt, who was very concerned about defeating the Cardinals in 27-14. The defense in the regional semifinals was dissatisfied. "We have increased our efforts in the practice throughout the week, and the children responded."
Alex Henry ran for 129 yards and scored. He also completed a pass for 19 yards. In the past two weeks, Charlton ran for more than 500 yards, but only threw 19 yards.
"Our offensive line and running back have been trying to stop," running back Sean Carr said. "We just let people down."
In the victory over Dover, Karl ran for 60 yards and had two touchdowns. He is now tied with James Pettyjohn (a senior last year) with 78 points for the most points in playoff history. Chatton kicker Nathan Tiger ranked third with 76 points.
"It's great, but I am more focused on winning," Carl said. "I talked to James. He was in Friday's game. He wanted me to break it."
Chardon's next game is West Holmes, who beat the Holy Name 31-21 in the 10th Division Championship with a score of 14-0. The Cavaliers lost an average of 18 points per game, and six teams scored more than 20 points against them, but they used fast-paced offense and sophomore running back Sam Williams Dickson averaged 39 per game. To make up for this, he has scored 35 touchdowns this season.
"He is a very talented kid," Hewitt said. "They try to move forward at a human speed and attack as much as possible. They won't wait for you. This will be another great game."