Although the Berkshire Badgers and Cardinal Huskies’ football teams are no longer Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division foes, the Kinsman Road rivalry remains as strong as ever. Once again, the Badgers held the upper hand, shutting out Cardinal 48-0 to celebrate their Hall of Fame Weekend last Friday evening at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium in Burton.
“It was nice to get right out here with a rivalry game,” said Badgers’ Coach Josh DeWeese. “We took care of business and did what we were expected to and now we have to take momentum into Trinity next week.”
It marks the fourth straight season that the Badgers (1-2, 0-0) have reigned supreme in the Battle of Kinsman Road, guaranteeing that the senior class will graduate having not lost a game against their Geauga County rivals.
“It’s a very great feeling,” said the 13-year coach. “Any time you can get your rival four times in a row is a great thing.”
Although it marks the first season in decades that Cardinal (0-3, 0-0) was no longer a member of the CVC Valley Division, it did not diminish the importance of the rivalry as the teams still schedule each other for a non-conference duel.
On Friday, Berkshire needed only one quarter to seize control.
On the first play of scrimmage, junior running back/defensive back Oliver Miller dashed to the end zone on a 48-yard touchdown run, pushing Berkshire ahead 7-0.
The Huskies could not match Berkshire’s fast start, as their opening drive ended after four plays and Berkshire wasted little time in extending its lead as senior running back/linebacker Ayden Wise scampered for a for a 27-yard touchdown run, increasing the Badgers’ lead to 14-0.
According to the 5-foot-10 senior, the Badgers were finding immediate success utilizing an outside run scheme.
“Our outside run worked really well for us,” he said. “We watched a ton of film this week and we saw that our wide receivers have the ability to make great blocks on the outside and saw that Cardinal’s weakness was the outside run so the coaches decided to try something new.”
Berkshire continued pulling away in the first period, as Cardinal’s junior quarterback/linebacker Jaiden Fix’s pitch to the tailbacl on third down sailed into the backfield and junior tight end/linebacker Devon Marker scooped the ball up and returned it to Cardinal’s end zone for a 12-yard touchdown fumble recovery, extending the Badgers’ lead to 21-0.
The Badgers’ offensive efficiency continued on their next drive, needing only one play to score again as the 5-foot-8 Miller broke free from the line of scrimmage for a 33-yard touchdown run, increasing Berkshire’s lead to 28-0.
According to Miller, after experiencing two games against some high-powered offenses in crossover CVC games against rivals Harvey and Hawken, it was a nice change of pace for the Badgers to dictate things from the onset.
“We came out and wanted to set the tone and we did,” he said. “We were coming off two big losses, so we were pretty hyped up about coming in here and getting a win.”
Miller finished the game with only two carries, but scored on each one, recording 81 yards and two touchdowns.
The Badgers’ defense continued overpowering Cardinal, forcing another punt and Berkshire scored once again, this time in on an 8-yard touchdown run by senior wide receiver/defensive tackle Nate Fultz in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 35-0.
Berkshire added one more touchdown in the second quarter to take a 42-0 lead into the half and triggered the running clock at the beginning of the second half as the lead had reached 30 points or greater.
Although Cardinal threatened with a few long drives, the Badgers’ defense remained stout, shutting out the Huskies and keeping them winless on the year.
DeWeese noted that although the Badgers had suffered consecutive losses to conference foe Harvey and Hawken, they had gone up against high-caliber offenses which served as a nice learning experience at the beginning of the season.
“When you play against a running back like Harvey’s Shaun Alston and a quarterback like Hawken’s Donovan Moorhead, they are great football players,” he added. “It is tough to defend, and it is nice to bounce back for sure.”
The Badgers will attempt to keep the momentum going by facing CVC foe Trinity in a crossover duel at Ralph P. Adams Stadium in Cuyahoga Heights on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Cardinal will try and secure its first victory of the season when it hosts Northeastern Athletic Conference rival Fairport Harding for its NAC debut at Richard A. Moss Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
