D1 Football: Diehard Support -Perry vs West Geauga

Last night D1 had the honor of being on the sidelines for the West Geauga - Perry game in support of our players and coaches on both sidelines. This was supposed to be a game that sealed a home game in the first round of the playoffs for the Pirates from Perry. This was supposed to be Perry head coach Matt Rosati battling his former team, the West Geauga Wolverines. This was supposed to be the return to the playing field for Vinny "Air" Hokavar, probably the most talented quarterback in high school football in northeast Ohio. It was supposed to be a great game. What happened stunned the big crowd as West Geauga rolled up 41 points against a team rought with injury and players deactivated for the game. Vinny Hokavar started the game for the Pirates and threw the ball sparingly, limited by the extent of pain in his throwing shoulder. Halftime saw Hokavar return from the locker room without his pads. Good move as the Wolverines had done a lot of damage in the first half already leading 20-0.

Perry did manage to move the ball in the third quarter and garner a score, but that was about all they could do without their start quarterback and leader in the huddle. Big credit to Vinny who stayed right with his teammates on the sidelines throughout this agonizing loss, their first of the season. Though they may have slipped from a home game in round one of the playoffs, they can still pull out a win next week to close the regular season and possibly reclaim that first round homer. Congratulations to Dave Bors and a nice win over the best opponent they've faced all season long. Attacking on offense and an absolute "shut down" defense.

Seeing how lethargic and hampered on offense leads me to think, for this team, can one player truly make the difference? In game play, NO, but emotionally and mentally the team may have taken a hit that they couldn't overcome. This isn't too uncommon. Hats off to Perry head coach Matt Rosati who kept his guys fired up, although you had to figure he knew he was limited to what he could do and he had already veered from his normal gameplan. He very much deserves a nod as coach of the year.

As for our official visit, we had a great time making the rounds, meeting with moms and dads, players, the youth football and various school representatives. The fans were incredible. Now here is a place that has a terrific fan base. Beautiful facility too and a great atmosphere. Below are some pictures from the night. Stay together Pirates. You're still in the thick of the playoff hunt. Believe in your coach, he knows how to get you where you want to go. Believe in yourselves. You can jump right back on the track to winning. Vinny, keep you chin up and rest that arm for the playoffs. You are your team's leader. Good luck.