SOLON, Ohio — Talk leading up to Friday night's Solon-Medina game centered on the teams' respective tailbacks, and rightly so. Kyle Hammonds, who is headed to Ohio University next year, had 870 yards and 11 scores in leading unbeaten Solon to the No. 2 spot in the Plain Dealer Top 25 and in Division I, Region 1, while Medina's...
SOLON, Ohio — Talk leading up to Friday night's Solon-Medina game centered on the teams' respective tailbacks, and rightly so.
Kyle Hammonds, who is headed to Ohio University next year, had 870 yards and 11 scores in leading unbeaten Solon to the No. 2 spot in the Plain Dealer Top 25 and in Division I, Region 1, while Medina's Jason Suggs had more than 1,300 yards, including more than 600 in the previous three games, to help the Bees to a 7-1 mark.
"All week all I've been hearing is that it's Hammonds vs. Suggs," Hammonds said. "I wrote to him on his Facebook wall a few hours before the game and wished him good luck. Most people said they thought we would cancel each other out."
Those who said that, however, had no idea about Solon's smothering defense. Led by linebacker A.J. Hicks and lineman Nate Hoff, the Comets completely dominated the proceedings in a 36-6 rout that saw Suggs gain only 7 yards on 16 carries.
"They can run," Medina coach Larry Laird said of Solon's defense. "They go sideline to sideline better than anyone we've seen this year. They controlled the line of scrimmage. That's what it came down to."
Suggs has made a living running the power sweep this season, but the Comets were prepared. He carried the ball 12 times in the first half -- seven on pitch sweeps -- for a total of 14 yards. To make things even worse, the first time Suggs touched the ball in the second half he was thrown for a 2-yard loss in the end zone for a safety.
"We noticed on their films that they had a lot of success on the sweep play," Hicks said. "It was sweep after sweep after sweep. We wanted to force him inside and have the front seven fly to the ball."
According to Solon coach Jim McQuaide, those who discount Solon's defense haven't been paying attention.
"In everything we do from Day One it always starts with our defense," he said. "We're always going to be as good as our defense."
That's not to say the offense isn't impressive as well. Hammonds had a big night with 143 yards on 20 carries, scoring on runs of 1, 4 and 36 yards. Solon's other score came on a 12-yard pass from Chris Humphrey to Anthony Restifo.
Field position played a big role in the game, as Solon started in Medina territory three times in the first half and once in the third quarter. On the other hand, the Bees were constantly pinned deep in their own territory, starting inside their own 5 three times.