Last week the Cardinal Huskies football team took a little time to get going.
This time Cardinal got off to a fast start, beating Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division rival Crestwood 34-14 to celebrate homecoming last Friday night at Richard A. Moss Field in Middlefield.
“Losing to a rival is always tough but bouncing back against Crestwood, which is a great football team and holding them to 14 points is huge,” said Huskies’ Coach Chris Perroti. “Playoff-wise, beating a team with four wins is great.”
When the Red Devils joined the CVC Valley Division in 2021, they stunned Cardinal, erasing their hopes for a conference banner.
The Huskies (4-3, 1-1) returned the favor last year, beating Crestwood at home and continued to defend home turf with its second straight victory against their conference rivals.
“That first year against Crestwood, that loss stung a lot because it decided our CVC Valley Division fate,” said the Huskies’ third-year coach. “That was a great team and Coach Jack D’Amato does a great job of coaching his football team up. They were young last year so they got those guys experience and have a lot coming back next year so we will see what happens in the future.”
The Red Devils (4-3, 0-2) started moving the chains on their first drive, fueled by junior tailback Nate Blasiole, who ran the ball on four consecutive plays for 46 yards, advancing Crestwood to the Huskies’ 6.
Cardinal’s defense finally stopped Blasiole and the Red Devils stalled out, failing to convert a fourth down and forcing a turnover on downs.
Junior wide receiver/defensive back Reese Soltis then erupted for an 81-yard touchdown run, putting Cardinal ahead 6-0 after the extra point was blocked.
The Red Devils responded with Blasiole continuing to ignite the offense, striking pay dirt on a 15-yard touchdown run, tying the score at 6-6 in the second quarter.
The Red Devils had a chance to extend their lead after forcing another punt from Cardinal but once again turned the ball over on downs in Huskies’ territory.
The Huskies capitalized on another defensive stand when senior wide receiver/defensive back Troy Domen broke off a big play, taking the ball in on a 34-yard touchdown run, stretching Cardinal’s advantage to 13-6.
“We always have to capitalize,” said Domen. “No matter what week we are in and what team we play, we have to capitalize especially with these CVC games. We have to bring our best. It’s great that we came out and gave it to them.”
Both times Crestwood’s drives were halted, the Huskies struck with explosive plays.
“That’s a big deal,” acknowledged Red Devils’ Coach Jack D’Amato. “Both times were inside the 20 so that is a big deal not coming out with any points but we will bounce back next week and try to get it again.”
Crestwood continued to rely on Blasiole to spark its offense and he frequently broke free for big gains, but the Huskies’ defense took away the passing game, allowing junior quarterback/defensive back Charlie Sommer to complete only three passes out of 13 attempts for 44 yards.
Cardinal’s offense used some trickery to confuse the Red Devils, constantly realigning their offense with pre-snap motion, and it continued to work when Domen scored on another big play, this time running the ball in for a 48-yard touchdown, stretching its lead to 20-6 before the half.
Blasiole sparked Crestwood’s offense on its first drive of the second half, scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run, trimming the Huskies’ lead to 20-14 after successfully completing a 2-point conversion.
The Huskies’ pre-snap motion remained effective and junior quarterback Cal Ciminello capped off a nine-play, 65-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to 27-14.
According to Perroti, the Huskies took a page out of the Garfield G-Men’s playbook, by frequently using pre-snap motion.
“It gave us a free five yards one time and they were still not prepared for it,” he added. “We have to do a better job at getting those penalties out of our way a little better. If we could keep a team on their toes then we are in for a good one.”
Despite Blasiole recording 209 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 39 attempts, the Red Devils’ offense went nowhere without a passing attack to complement their running game.
“It was fairly tough,” said Crestwood’s four-year coach. “They did a good job in coverage. I give credit to those guys because they did a really good job in coverage and we had some guys open at times but we had some protection issues a little and some guys missing the ball so it was tough to get going.”
The Red Devils will welcome CVC Valley Division rival Berkshire to Jack Lambert Stadium in Mantua on Friday evening at 7 p.m.
Crestwood will hit the road and take on conference foe Grand Valley at Mustangs Stadium in Orwell the same night.
