The end of a rivalry is always bitter-sweet. Kenston will miss the knock down, drag out fights it has had with its fiercest WRC opponent, but will certainly not rue not seeing the Hilltoppers on the schedule any time soon.
The Bombers fought through numerous injuries to give Chardon everything they had but ultimately lost 34-13 to close their regular season with a 6-4 record.
After a three-and-out series to start the game for Kenston, Chardon scored on a 70-yard touchdown run to give them a 6-0 lead.
Kenston fumbled away their next possession but Chardon could not capitalize and were forced to punt.
Kenston was forced to punt again and Chardon scored on a 20-yard touchdown run to give them a 12-0 lead.
On the Bombers' next possession, they were finally able to hit on a big offensive play when Will Hamm tore off a 65-yard run down to the four-yard-line. A couple plays later, Colin Weiland plunged into the end zone to make the score 12-6. That closed the first half scoring.
Chardon went on a 15-point run to open the second half to take a 27-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
At that point, senior Jack Bryner came in at quarterback in relief of Adam Barr and sparked Kenston to its second scoring drive which culminated in an 18-yard TD scamper by Bryner to make it 27-13.
Kenston got the ball one more time to try to make a comeback, but the Chardon defense was too tough. The Hilltoppers would score one more time to close the game with the 34-13 advantage.
Hamm turned in the best performance for the Kenston offense, rushing nine times for 71 yards and catching one pass for 23 yards. He also set a season-high for tackles with six.
Ethan Black had five solo tackles, a sack, two tackles for a loss and a QB pressure to lead the Bomber D.
Kenston will now await their playoff fate as games taking place across the Northeastern Ohio landscape will affect the Bombers' placement, anywhere from the #7 to #9 seed according to Joe Eitel. If they end up the 7 or 8 seed, they will host their first game on October 31.
Official playoff matchups will be announced on Sunday, October 26.
