Aurora hangs on to end season for CVCA football

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Head Coach Nick Cook said he “couldn’t be prouder” of his team’s effort in a 27-24 loss to Aurora in the first round of the playoffs.

“[I’m] so impressed with our kids’ competitiveness,” said Cook as he stood on the field at Royals Stadium following the Division III, Region 9 playoff game on Oct. 28.

Though the Royals’ season came to an end with a record of 7-4, there was a lot to be proud of.

CVCA won its first Principals’ Athletic Conference championship since 2011 and its fifth in the 27-year history of the program.

That championship was won despite the fact that CVCA was the youngest team in the conference and had the fewest number of players on its roster among PAC squads. Cook tipped his hat to the competitiveness and character his team displayed in its march to the conference title.

“It’s pretty remarkable,” Cook said. “It’s life-long memories stuff.”

As for the playoff game against Aurora, Greenmen Head Coach Bob Mihalik said there were “two good teams battling to the end. I think both offenses were really rolling in the first half and I thought both defenses made some good adjustments to try and take away what the offenses were doing.”

An exciting fourth quarter with back-to-back big plays certainly tested both teams’ competitiveness.

After CVCA sophomore Calvin Warren kicked a 30-yard field goal to reduce Aurora’s lead to 21-17 about halfway through the fourth quarter, the Greenmen started their drive with a long pass that was broken up by CVCVA freshman Charley Levak and then three straight runs from their workhorse, senior Alex Tenorio (140 yards on 29 carries).

When that third run by Tenorio was stopped for a one-yard loss, Mihalik decided it was time to change things up. Senior wide receiver Sam Retton lined up in the wildcat formation, took a direct snap, ran to the outside, turned the corner and flew down the sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. That breakaway run gave Aurora a 27-17 lead (extra point attempt was blocked) with 5:41 left.

“That was a big play,” Mihalik said. That might’ve been the turning point in the game…We put [Retton] in for that play and he got the edge and made a nice cut and he was off to the races.”

The Royals answered with a big play of their own when junior running back Ricky Levak returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to the Aurora 33-yard line. A four-play drive ended with senior running back Kyle Snider scoring on a four-yard scamper to reduce Aurora’s lead to 27-24 with 3:56 left.

Snider rushed for 117 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns.

The CVCA defense then recorded a three-and-out when it held Tenorio to one yard on two carries and then sacked junior quarterback Brandon Liepins on third down to force Aurora’s first punt of the game. The punt was muffed by the CVCA return man and recovered by Aurora junior Jayce Unverferth at the CVCA 47-yard line.

CVCA’s defense again held Aurora to a three-and-out and forced a punt that rolled into the end zone.

Starting their drive with just over a minute left, the Royals mixed short passes and running plays to move from their own 20-yard line to midfield.

CVCA sophomore quarterback Ryan Wiehe then dropped back to pass and was pressured by Aurora senior defensive back Armen Perez as he threw the ball down the sideline. The pass was intercepted by Greenmen senior defensive back Zach Anzells.

“Our defense came through at the end,” Mihalik said. “They got the final stop.”

Both teams moved the football well in the first half en route to a 14-14 halftime score.

Aurora opened with a 12-play (nine runs), 58-drive that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown run by Tenorio on a toss sweep to give the Greenmen a 7-0 lead at 6:22 of the first quarter.

CVCA answered quickly when Snider scored on a 64-yard run to even the score at 7 with 4:37 left in the first period.

Aurora then marched 78 yards in 14 plays and took a 14-7 lead at 8:08 of the second quarter when Liepins connected with Anzells on a six-yard scoring pass in the front corner of the end zone. The longest gain of the drive was a 26-yard pass from Liepins to Anzells on third down.

Mihalik said he was pleased with Liepins’ effort as he filled in for injured senior starting signal-caller Matt Geier.

“He played great,” Mihalik said. “He looked like a veteran out there. He kept his composure, hit some good passes, especially in the first half.”

Liepins completed 13 of his 18 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown.

As they did on their first drive, CVCA had a big running play on its second possession. This time, it was freshman running back Joey Kopec (146 rushing yards on 18 attempts) who shot through the middle of the Aurora defense and was finally hauled down at the Greenmen 12-yard line after a 56-yard run. Three plays later, Wiehe tossed a screen pass to Snider, who barreled through a defender and into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown. That score tied the game 14-14 with 4:15 left in the first half.

Like his Aurora counterpart, Cook was also happy with how his quarterback handled the pressure of a high-stakes playoff game.

“Ryan did a great job running our offense this year,” Cook said. “[He’s] real poised [and] has grown throughout the year.”

Cook added Wiehe made some plays in the Aurora game that helped keep CVCA in the game.

Wiehe connected on 4 of his 10 attempts for 47 yards and had one touchdown and one interception.

It was Snider who then stamped out Aurora’s last scoring effort of the first half when he broke up a Liepins pass in the end zone on fourth down.

At the start of the second half, CVCA drove to the Aurora 28-yard line, but throws on third and fourth downs were both broken up by Aurora junior defensive back Dom Trivisonno. After having a relatively balanced offensive attack in the first half, the Greenmen leaned heavily on the run game on its next offensive possession. Aurora drove 72 yards in nine plays and scored late in the third quarter on an 11-yard jet sweep from Retton. That scoring drive included Tenorio carrying the ball six times for 38 yards.

“He never goes down on first contact and he carried us tonight,” Mihalik said of his senior back.

The Royals then mounted a drive of their own, with Kopec and Snider running the ball to move from their own 20-yard line to the Aurora 10-yard line. The Greenmen defense then stopped Snider and Kopec for losses on back-to-back runs, and Anzells broke up a pass in the end zone on third down; Warren then connected on a 30-yard field goal.

Snider finished his high school football career with more than 5,000 yards rushing. The PA announcer congratulated Snider on achieving that milestone during the game on Oct. 28.

“Kyle’s one of the best ever here,” Cook said. “Probably in the conference, too. That kid’s a beast. It’s all forged and earned. He’s a state champ wrestler…The kids in the program follow his lead.”

Snider finished the 2022 season with 1,875 rushing yards on 224 carries (8.4 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, he led the Royals in tackles with 105.

As Snider moves on, there is another back ready to carry the load for CVCA. Freshman Joey Kopec started all 11 games both ways, rushed for 1,042 yards on 142 carries (7.4 per carry) and was the Royals’ second-leading tackler with 75.

“I’ve never seen that done before [by a freshman],” Cook said. “It’s hard for a sophomore. Go both ways and last. Obviously tonight he lasted. There’s still more in the tank.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Aurora ends season for CVCA football in instant classic