While the end results weren't the same, Warren G. Harding and Akron Buchtel both showed many positives in week one. The Raiders fell seven points short at Canton McKinley while the Griffins topped North Canton Hoover 22-13. With the NCAA football season kicking off this week, we'll honor some of the college football greats from both schools as we prepare for the 12th edition of the series between the two programs.
As we all know, Harding has produced a plethora of college football athletes over the years. Their representatives on this week's cover photo include Paul Warfield (Ohio State), Maurice Clarett (Ohio State), Mario Manningham (Michigan), Lynn Bowden (Kentucky), Daniel "Boom" Herron (Ohio State), Prescott Burgess (Michigan), David Herron Jr. (Michigan State), LeShun (Jr.) & James Daniels (Iowa), Chris Rucker (Michigan State), and the late Korey Stringer (Ohio State).
This past Friday night, the Raiders went tooth and nail with a supremely talented Canton McKinley squad, but fell just short. Senior Chaz Coleman, who just received a football scholarship to Ole Miss this past Wednesday, showed the entire crowd why he'll soon add his name to the aforementioned list of college football players as he left his footprints all over the game. Offensively, not only did he have 17 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown, but also went 6-of-9 for 92 yards and another score, which was a beautiful 42-yard strike to fellow senior Marcus Crum Jr.
Defensively, Coleman delivered multiple vicious hits, including one to McKinley's 6-foot-4, 210-pound quarterback Kam Montgomery that led to the 31-yard pick-6 by Brown University commit Airiz Coleman Bey. The entire Raiders defense made it hard on a stacked McKinley squad for as long as they could. Ultimately, Bulldog tailback Nino Hill, who had 11 carries for 158 yards and two touchdowns in last year's matchup against the Raiders, reminded the Warren faithful why he is currently committed to the University of Buffalo as he finished with 28 carries for another 158 yards and another pair of touchdowns. His four career touchdown runs against Harding now ties Raider legend Maurice Clarett for the most ever in the 61-game Harding-McKinley series, which the Bulldogs now lead with an all-time record of 38-22-1.
Brown University returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against Canton McKinley.
Despite the setback, Harding should feel very good about their chances this season moving forward. While "moral victories" don't show up in the win column, knowing that they battled to the end with one of the most talented teams in the entire state should bode well for their confidence as they progress through the schedule. They'll look to clean up some things this Friday against another longtime foe that also took a big step in week one.
Buchtel's side of this week's cover photo not only includes former NCAA athletes, but they make up the seven alumni in their school's history that eventually made it to the NFL. They include Antonio Pittman (Ohio State), Jay Brophy (University of Miami), Johnny Adams (Michigan State), Levert Carr (North Central College), Ricky Powers (Michigan), Ramon Walker (Pitt), and Jarrod Wilson (Michigan). While I certainly can't speak for any of these individuals, I'd like to think that they're all extremely proud of the efforts of their alma mater from this past Friday.
After falling to Hoover in both of the last two season openers, the Griffins used some late game heroics to break the ice and secure a nine-point victory over the Vikings. Up 14-13 with just 0:16 remaining in regulation, Buchtel blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by Hoover kicker Alec McLeod. The ball was chased down and scooped up by Buchtel's Karter Dawson, who returned it 62 yards the other way for the touchdown. Quarterback Stevie Diamond, whose legs accounted for Buchtel's two previous touchdowns, called on them again as he ran in the ensuing two-point conversion to (ultimately) make up the 22-13 final score.
Buchtel quarterback Stevie Diamond rushed for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in thir 22-13 victory over North Canton Hoover.
Buchtel's program is no stranger to displays of toughness like their young men showed on Friday night. This decade alone, their nonconference schedules have included the likes of Hoover, Harding, Chardon, and Archbishop Hoban, who they'll take on in week three of this season. Even if you go all the way back to Harding's Division I state championship season of 1990, the Griffins gave the Raiders all they could handle as they came up one point short in a 7-6 loss. Win or lose, nobody can name a single time in history when Buchtel's football program showed fear to anybody. They'll play anybody, any time, anywhere and when their young men get between those lines, they're going to give it everything they have.
While Harding has won 10 of the 11 all-time matchups between the two schools, more than half of them were decided by single digits. As I just mentioned, one of (if not thee) best Harding squads ever only defeated the Griffins by a single point. For as good as the Raiders looked against a strong McKinley team, Buchtel also made a huge leap with their program by ending a two-year slump to a solid Hoover program. In all, both teams should like where they're at as they head into week 2.
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