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Week 2 County Division Football Report

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By Jim Manion
September 9, 2010

 

Two weeks into the grid season and the County Division teams have a combined non-league record of 9-7. That is the exact same record after two games last year.

Mogadore, Woodridge and Rootstown — for the second consecutive year — have gotten out of the gate with two wins.

ROVER CHALLENGE

The Rootstown team is looking forward to this week’s challenge when it hosts United. Rovers head coach Randy McCoy says United is tough with a bunch of junior and senior veterans on a team that handed Rootstown a 7-0 defeat last season.

“They have their quarterback returning, and he’s a good athlete,” McCoy said of United. “We contained him last year, but he is a real good scrambler.”

United beat a good Malvern team in Week 1, then lost last Friday to a talented Salem team 31-27.

“We like our non-league setup because United is better than our first two opponents (Sebring and Jackson-Milton),” McCoy said. “It is a good challenge, because I told our players this team could be as good as some of the top teams in the PTC. They are big and have some good skill players. We have had a great week in practice, and I hope we have worked out our penalty problems.”

WILDCATS BANGED UP

Mogadore has racked up a pair of wins and faces Northwestern this week — a team it beat last year 28-7 in a televised SportsTime Ohio game. 

The Wildcats are trying to get healthy with several players sidelined with injuries. The biggest loss in the young season is two-time All-County Division running back and linebacker Kodey Chance, who is nursing an injured shoulder.

“Northwestern has about 19 seniors on the team, and they expect to have a good season,” said Mogadore head coach Matt Adorni.

After two home scrimmages and two home games, the Wildcats will get on the bus for an hour trip to West Salem in Wayne County.

“The team is playing as hard as any team I have coached,” Adorni said. “Talent wise this might not be as tough as other Mogadore teams, but their effort is fantastic.”

BULLDOGS STRONG

Woodridge has been impressive in two games, with a 38-13 win over Fairless and a shutout (41-0) over Gilmour Academy.

This week the Dogs will host a PTC cross-division foe Norton. The Division III Panthers replace Chagrin Falls on the Woodridge schedule.

The Bulldogs lost to Chagrin Falls twice last year — once in Week 3 and the regional championship game in Week 13.

Friday’s game has the potential to be a real shootout. Norton has scored 64 points in wins over Chippewa (32-22) and Akron Kenmore (32-25).

“The first two weeks have been good for us, but we have a lot of mistakes to correct,” Woodridge head coach Eric Ervin said. “We are taking it one week at a time and this week will be a big game against a good Norton team.”

VIKINGS KICKOFF ON SATURDAY

Waterloo will travel to Cleveland Heights for a Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) game against Cleveland Lutheran East.

The Vikings have already scored more points in only two weeks of this season than they scored for 10 games in 2009. Waterloo did not score in the three non-league games last season and only tallied 52 points for the year.

The Vikings have already scored 74 points with a 47-0 Chalker win and the loss last Friday to Malvern 34-27.

Viking quarterback Klay McBroom has already run for five touchdowns, while passing for another. A controversial and questionable fumble recovery in the final minute of the game was a heartbreaker in the Waterloo loss last week.

KICKERS

In only two weeks we have already had several teams show the ability to put points on the board without crossing the goal line.

Woodridge and Rootstown both have strong soccer programs and borrow players to boost the kicking game.

Hunter Niewander booted a 37-yard field goal for Woodridge in Week 2, while Rootstown’s Dillon Murray kicked a 28-yard field goal in Week 1 against Sebring.

The strongest leg in the division, however, just might belong to Mogadore tight end Alex Roebken.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound junior was the Wildcats’ kicker and punter last season as a sophomore and has already split the uprights from 47 yards away.

With Mogadore power offenses in the past, a kicker on the team was seldom used and the Wildcats have never had a soccer program.

However, Roebken spent his younger years in the Cincinnati area before moving back to Mogadore. Adorni reports that Roebken has made good from over 50 yards in practice.

 




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