The rivalry of Kinsman Road is beginning to lean heavily in the Berkshire Badgers football team’s favor. The Badgers secured the Kinsman Cup for the third straight season when they dominated Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division foe and Geauga County rival Cardinal 49-6 last Friday evening at Richard A. Moss Stadium in Middlefield.
“It’s nice to have the Kinsman Cup at home,” said Berkshire Coach Josh DeWeese. “We did what we were supposed to do tonight. We were supposed to control the ball. We ran the game plan so we are happy.”
It marks the first time that the Badgers (5-1, 1-0) have won three consecutive Kinsman Cup championships since they did so during a stretch from the 2006-2009 season. It was also the final time that the teams will face each other as CVC Valley rivals as Cardinal (1-5, 0-1) is leaving the CVC after this school year to join the Northeastern Athletic Conference.
While it may be the last time the teams meet as conference rivals, the Geauga County rivalry will not end there as they have already made plans to continue facing each other in the foreseeable future.
“They are on the schedule week three next year,” noted the 12th-year coach. “A rivalry is a rivalry, I don’t care if it is in conference or non-conference, it does not matter.”
In the first quarter last Friday, after the teams traded a possession, including both sides turning the ball over on downs, the Badgers’ offense came alive when they engineered a six-play, 67-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 16-yard touchdown run by senior tailback/linebacker Justin Phillips, pushing the Badgers ahead 7-0.
Berkshire caught the Huskies by surprise by attempting an onside kick on the ensuing kick-off and recovered the ball at their 47. The Badgers needed only four plays to march down the field and double their lead on a five-yard touchdown run by junior fullback/offensive lineman/defensive end Danny Tiller.
Igniting its offense through the passing game, Cardinal scored on its next possession when senior quarterback Cal Cimenello hit senior tailback/wide receiver/outside linebacker Reese Soltis on a 74-yard touchdown pass, trimming Berkshire’s lead to 14-6 after the extra point was blocked.
The Badgers countered when junior quarterback Sam Barcikoski completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end/linebacker Brady Wadsworth, pushing the lead to 21-6.
After a wild first quarter where the teams combined to score 27 points, Berkshire seized control during the rest of the game with Phillips scoring two more touchdowns in the second period, one on a 24-yard touchdown run and again from four yards out.
“That is our grit and heart of our team,” Phillips said. “I look at our offensive line and just want to hug them. They feed me so I get those yards and they provide for me and that is what we want.”
The Badgers relied on their rushing attack to dictate their offense and the 6-foot Phillips anchored his team by recording for 174 yards and four touchdowns on only 15 carries.
“Justin was Justin,” DeWeese said. “That is what we expect from him.”
The Huskies continued to try sparking their offense with big passes but the Badgers’ secondary kept Cardinal quiet, recording two interceptions to squash any sort of Cardinal rally.
“It was more like containing Reese Soltis,” acknowledged DeWeese. “He is going to get his but they were five-of-24 on passing at halftime. I was very happy with it and am very happy with the production on the defensive end.”
After scoring another touchdown in third quarter, the Badgers triggered the running clock en route to another resounding victory against their Kinsman Road foes, sending Cardinal to its third straight defeat.
In addition to three-peating as the Kinsman Cup Champions, the Badgers continued their strong start to the season by improving their record to 5-1, their best start to the season since the 2019 campaign.
“It is perfect,” said Phillips. “We have hard competition coming up and that is what we are looking onto now, so the job is not finished.”
Berkshire will welcome CVC Valley Division powerhouse Kirtland to Great Lakes Cheese Stadium in Burton on Friday at 7 p.m., while the Huskies will hit the road and take on conference rival Crestwood at Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua at 7 p.m.
