The Cardinal Huskies football team’s season ended the same way it began with a shutout loss. Cardinal was overpowered by Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division powerhouse Kirtland, losing 38-0 last Friday night at Richard A. Moss Field in Middleton.
“I have spent a lot of time in the CVC as an assistant coach and I have definitely gotten my whippings from good Kirtland teams but as a head coach this is the first one,” said Huskies’ Coach Chris Perrotti. “They are a good football team. They are not as big as they have been in years’ past but are certainly tough as they have been. We played them relatively well but shot ourselves in the foot a few too many times.”
The Huskies (6-4, 3-2) still earned the ninth seed in the Ohio High School High School Athletic Association Division VI, Region 21 and will hit the road to take on Canton Central Catholic in the first round at Central Catholic Stadium in Stark County on Friday at 7 p.m. Cardinal will seek to earn its first postseason victory since the 2002 playoffs.
“I was a sophomore in high school on the West Geauga team that lost to Cardinal,” added the third-year coach. “It is something I talk about a lot because that was a great football team and we have of similarities. Getting that week 11 win is crucial. These guys want that week 12 so bad.”
On Friday night, the Hornets struck quickly, engineering a three-play 55-yard opening drive capped off by a 35-yard touchdown reception by senior wide receiver Will Sayle, giving Kirtland an 8-0 edge after a successful two-point conversion.
Kirtland carried its momentum over to the defensive side, sacking senior quarterback Logan Strever in the end zone for a safety, pushing its lead to 10-0 and added another touchdown when senior tailback Will Beers burst free for a 24-yard touchdown run, propelling the Hornets’ lead to 17-0.
“I thought we did a great job making them drive down the field,” Perrotti said. “They earned those points for the most part. They threw the ball over the top of our cornerback who had his eyes in the backfield a little too much but I thought we could have done a better job at making them string that first series out a little more.”
The Huskies’ offense could not break through against a Kirtland defense that has allowed only 21 points in conference play this season and had recorded four consecutive shutout victories from Sep. 9 to Sep. 29.
The Hornets controlled the rest of the first half, with junior running back Danny Alfieri scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run and Beers scoring his second touchdown, this time taking the ball in from 46 yards out, pushing Kirtland’s lead to 31-0 at the half, triggering the running clock in the second half.
In spite of the Hornets’ dominating first half, Cardinal made some impressive defensive plays, forcing two turnovers on an interception by junior quarterback/linebacker Cal Cinmenllo, fumble recovery in their territory by senior wide receiver/defensive back Troy Domen and blocking a 37-yard field goal attempt by Hornets’ senior kicker Nick Barisic.
“Cardinal kids do not quit,” said Perrotti. “It is engrained in their blood. It was huge. It would have been nice to capitalize on those takeaways but by just preventing them from scoring more points, overall those were huge.”
The Huskies only recorded four first down conversions in the game and continued their scoreless drought against Kirtland, not having tallied any points against the Hornets in five games since the 2016 campaign.
In spite of the loss against Kirtland, the Huskies still secured their third consecutive postseason berth since Perotti was named head coach before the 2021 campaign.
Prior to his arrival, Cardinal had only made the postseason twice in the last 19 years, but is now reversing that trend.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Perrotti. “But the mentality is that we play week 11. The mentality is that we play week 11 and there are no ifs, ands, or buts. It got a little dicey there at the beginning of the season and we were not sure if it would happen but the goal is to continue.”
After beginning the season with a 3-3 record, including a conference-opening loss to CVC Valley Division foe Berkshire on Sept. 22, Cardinal rallied to win its next three conference games and earn a postseason berth with a chance to spoil the Hornets’ bid to become the outright CVC Valley Division Champions.
If the Huskies can capture a playoff victory in the first round, they would have a chance to face Kirtland for a rematch in the second round and have another chance to knock off the reigning CVC Valley Division kings.
