Ravenna set to take on state power Chagrin Falls

Written by Colin Harris

Friday, 11 November 2011 12:24

Ravenna got over the hump last Friday, winning the program’s first postseason game in dramatic fashion against County Division champion Southeast.Now, much like Kent Roosevelt, the reward for a landmark victory is a date against the top seed in their region.Two-time defending Division IV state runner-up Chagrin Falls made the leap to Division III, Region 9 this season and is one of the favorites to make it back to the state finals.

“You don’t get to be runner-up in the state two years in a row by not being fundamentally sound,” Ravenna coach Jim Lunardi said. “They’ve got great athletes, good size and they’re very well-coached.”

The Tigers are coming into tonight’s game with a head-full of steam, pounding Firelands last Friday in a 66-14 bloodletting.

After Firelands cut its second-quarter deficit to 17-14, Chagrin Falls responded by rattling off four straight scores — in the second quarter alone. The Tigers ultimately scored seven unanswered touchdowns to pick up the statement victory.

Finding the end zone has been easy this year for a Chagrin Falls team that’s scored 52 touchdowns in 11 games. The Tigers are averaging 34 points a game on the season — including last week’s 66-point, season-high output.

Quarterback Tommy Iammarino is the trigger man for the Tigers, throwing for 1,398 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

Iammarino’s main weapons are Anthony DeCamillo (518 yards, 7 TDs) and Bradley Munday (308 yards, 4 TDs). Jack Campbell (818 yards rushing, 10 TDs) and Munday (616 yards, 5 TDs) are the Tigers’ primary ball-carriers when they go to the ground game. “I’d say that Chagrin Falls is most similar to Louisville, when they’re at full strength,” Lunardi said. “They just play really fundamentally sound football. They do a lot of things right and very few things wrong as a team.”

There has been some disappointment in the community about having to make the trip to Warren G. Harding’s Mollenkopf Stadium.

While the drive to Warren isn’t preferable to sites like Aurora, Akron or Twinsburg, Lunardi said that he’s not spending any time worrying about location — nor are his players.

“When you get to the 12th week of the season, you can’t start looking a gift horse in the mouth,” Lunardi said. “Is the drive a little longer? Maybe, but we have to just be thankful that we have a chance to keep playing football this late into the season.”