Cale Burdyshaw is known as the tall, talented, strong-armed quarterback of the Perry Pirates.
Who knew the 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior had running back-like legs, too?
That was proven last week, when Burdyshaw carried the football 46 times for 276 yards and scored three touchdowns in Perry’s 38-33 shootout win against visiting Orange in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division opener for both squads.
Turns out, even Burdyshaw’s coach, Matt Rosati, was caught a bit off-guard by what Burdyshaw did.
“It was surprising to us as well,” Rosati said. “Orange did a great job of taking our passing game away, but they allowed us to outnumber them in the run game.
“By having Cale run the ball, we were able to outnumber them, at times, by two players.”
Rosati said it was not the intention to have Burdyshaw carry the mail that much.
“It was not something we had planned, but it was something they gave to us,” he said. “And we could not pass it up, so he ran the ball (46) times.”
You can bet third-year West Geauga coach Lou Cirino, a Rosati disciple who led the Wolverines to a 7-3 regular season and a birth in the Division II, Region 5 playoffs a year ago, will have his Wolverines (2-2, 1-0) prepared to combat that this week.
“West Geauga is a well-coached, tough group of kids,” Rosati, a former head coach at West Geauga before coming to Perry from West G in 2007, said. “They are also playing a lot of young guys.”
The Wolverines, who blanked Harvey in its home opener last week, 40-0, feature quarterback Connor Krouse (6-1, 175, junior) and tailback Domenick Varga (5-9, 205 senior) on offense and linebacker Michael Duffy (5-9, 180, senior) on defense.
“Varga, Krouse and Duffy are three really good players who we are going to have to defend,” Rosati said. “We are going to have to have success stopping them from running the ball and forcing them to throw.
“Controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides will be the key to victory for both teams. They can really rush the passer, so we will really have to make sure we are solid with our protections.”
Perry will again be without junior wide receiver/defensive back Zach Carnovale (shoulder) and junior running back/linebacker Mason Martin is questionable because of a head injury.
The two schools have played 16 games all-time, West G leading the series, 10-6, including a 16-10 triumph at Alumni Stadium last fall.
The Pirates, outgained the Wolverines in that game, 291 yards to 269, but West G capitalized on two interceptions, one returned 73 yards for a touchdown by Joe Ziccardi to claim the win.
Even though he is six years removed from being the head coach at West G, Rosati admits that while this matchup is becoming more and more like a regular game, there are still some special feelings.
“It is getting closer to being one of 10, but it will never be just another game,” he said. “Having Coach Cirino coaching means a lot to me because he is like my son, and I feel that the program is in very good hands because I still take a lot of pride in its history.
“It is easier for me because I do not recognize many names, but watching the jerseys wearing certain numbers makes me have flashbacks of great players that we coached.”
He knows emotions will be running high, as it always is in this matchup, come Friday night.
“It will be a great atmosphere and over the last few years, we have both been undefeated going into this game,” he said. “But nonetheless, it will be exciting.”
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon replica edition.
