Home | Back

Greenmen claim outright CVC title

Share_print Print Story    |    Comments    |   
By Brent Hovey
October 25, 2008

By Brent Hovey
Aurora Advocate
WICKLIFFE - As if there was any doubt, the Aurora Greenmen proved that they are kings of the Chagrin Valley Conference for the fourth consecutive year on Friday night with a commanding 47-19 win over Wickliffe in the regular-season finale.
The Greenmen capped a perfect run through the CVC with a 7-0 league record and clinched the outright league title, their fourth in four years.
The rout also sends Aurora to the Division III state playoffs - their fourth consecutive appearance - on a seven-game win streak. The Greenmen will host a first-round playoff game on Nov. 1 at InkStop Field at Veterans Stadium.
"I'm proud of that," Aurora head coach Bob Mihalik said, when asked what four consecutive CVC titles means. "That's quite an accomplishment, and I'm proud of these kids. I'm really happy for our whole high school program."
For Aurora's 20 seniors, winning the CVC is nothing new. During their high school careers, the class of 2009 was 27-1 in the CVC, with the team's only loss coming last year at Perry on a last-second touchdown.
Mihalik had nothing but praise for his seniors.
"What can you say about them? They were undefeated as freshmen, and many have been a part of our three other CVC titles," he said. "All they know is CVC titles and playoffs."
One of those seniors is Chris Jenkins. While the fullback and linebacker had a quiet game, he's had a solid season.
"It feels so good," Jenkins said after the game, while celebrating with his teammates. "It's what we've been waiting for all year. I'm just so happy right now."
In the victory over Wickliffe, Aurora was led by - who else - its seniors.
Running back Steven Yung had a monster game. He racked up 317 total yards, including 83 yards on one return, 77 yards receiving and a touchdown on one catch, and 157 rushing yards on 21 carries with three scores.
Yung has been Aurora's feature back since midway through his sophomore season, but his 157 yards pushed him past the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.
Senior quarterback Brendan Gallagher was about as efficient as a quarterback can be. He completed 5-of-5 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Dee Brizzolara caught two passes, both for touchdowns, totaling 71 yards.
It wasn't all picture-perfect for the Greenmen, as Wickliffe did run the ball effectively at times. The Blue Devils outrushed Aurora 248-232, but Wickliffe had zero passing yards.
"I think we are playing about as well as we can offensively," said Mihalik. "Defensively, we need to keep working and trying to get better. But now the fun starts. That's why you work hard all winter and all summer. Now we are one of 32 teams with a chance to win a (Division III) state title."
Junior Steven also scored for Aurora on a 4-yard run.




Comments
By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed. Recordpub.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.

Login above or Register to comment.
 0 Total Comments Home | Back