Glenville's Elliott shows his resolve in win: High School Football Insider

Bob Fortuna, Tim Rogers and Tim Warsinskey, Plain Dealer Reporters, November 27, 2009 8:59 a.m.

Jayrone Elliott is a 6-3, 210-pound senior defensive end/linebacker for Glenville and is proof of the intense hitting that went on during last Saturday’s 28-27 Division I, Region 1 championship victory over Solon.

Elliott gingerly walked off the field after the Comets cut their deficit to 28-14 with 3:08 left in the first quarter on Christian Jackson’s 2-yard touchdown run.

“He just got the wind knocked out of him,” said Glenville offensive coordinator Tony Overton.

Elliott returned for his team’s next defensive series and eventually turned in what ended up being the clinching play when he blocked Kevin Hicks’ extra point attempt three minutes into the third quarter and Glenville leading, 28-27.

“We noticed [Hicks’] kicks were going low,” said Elliott. “I put my hands up, I jumped and [the ball] hit my helmet. We finally caught a break.”

It wasn’t the only break the Tarblooders caught. Hicks’ 50-yard field-goal attempt with seven seconds left in the fourth quarter had the distance but sliced left.

“We were scared for our season,” said Elliott. “This was a lot of pressure. Pressure bursts pipes but we didn’t burst.”

Frustrating half: Solon held a 27:46 to 20:14 edge in time of possession and dominated the second half, holding Glenville to just three plays from scrimmage in the third quarter and 48 yards the entire half.

“That was frustrating because we expected to come out in the second half and do what we did in the first half,” said Glenville junior quarterback Cardale Jones, who passed for 201 of his 206 yards and three touchdowns in giving his team a 28-7 lead at halftime. “We only had the ball one time in the third quarter, we didn’t get much out of that and it really killed our confidence.”

Guessing game: It can be difficult or fun, depending on the perspective, to decipher what to expect from Chagrin Falls’ offense each week because it is so balanced.

Most games, tailback Chris Gorman (1,276 yards rushing, 10 TDs) is the featured back. Some games, or in some series, fullback Bobby Winkelman (485 yards, 9 TDs) is the man.

Other times, quarterback Chris Trinetti can run or throw with equal effect. He has 1,642 yards and 22 TDs passing and 644 yards and 13 TDs running. Last week, he scored four rushing TDs and threw two touchdown passes.

“We try to look and see where we match up,” coach Mark Iammarino said. “When we looked at Lakeview, we thought we might have a better advantage on the perimeter. With Campbell Memorial, we felt like we could run it pretty good.”

This week, Chagrin faces an Ottawa-Glandorf defense that has 21 interceptions and has allowed seven touchdown passes. It is allowing a respectable 115 yards rushing per game.

“We’ve been able to adapt to different teams and fields and weather conditions,” Iammarino said. “We feel comfortable throwing or running.”

Lining up right: While watching film Monday of last week’s 34-21 victory over Toledo St. Francis de Sales, Maple Heights coach Todd Filtz raved about his offensive line, telling the trenchmen it was their best game of the season.

“They were very aggressive off the ball and were finishing blocks,” Filtz said. “It was a full offensive line performance. Sometimes we get four out of five, or three out of five playing well. This time we had all five playing well.”

The starting linemen are senior left tackle Dominic Flewellyn (6-3, 275), junior left guard Donavon Garner (6-3, 275), center Terrace Tisdel (5-9, 200), right guard Tim Love (6-0, 210) and right tackle Kavin Henry (6-2, 215). Flewellyn is the Mustangs’ most recruited player with offers from Air Force, Navy, Bowling Green, Toledo and Ball State.

Kicker comparison: First-year Lake Catholic place-kicker Kresimir Ivkovic is 50-of-50 on extra-point kicks this year, and has made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts.

Maple Heights has not attempted a field goal and has made five PAT kicks, including a 2-for-3 performance by sophomore Chevan Trammell last week. Trammell, a straight-on kicker, made his debut in Week 10. Trammell just started to learn how to kick this season.

Ivkovic, a 6-0 junior from Euclid, also is a standout soccer player and said he has been practicing place kicks since the eighth grade with friends who kicked for Euclid and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin. He also has attended kicking camps and hopes to kick in college.

“Pressure doesn’t bother me or affect me at all,” Ivkovic said.

Lake Catholic special teams coordinator Chuck Grebenc said the Cougars have not missed a PAT kick since the first attempt of the 2007 season.

Connor’s clan: Chagrin Falls standout two-way end Connor Clegg, who is being recruited by Princeton, comes from an athletic family. His father and older sister played basketball at Chagrin Falls. His twin, Maggie, is a cross country runner. Maggie also is president of student council and Connor is vice president.

To reach these Plain Dealer reporters: bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665

trogers@plaind.com, 216-999-5169

twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-6177