by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
Twinsburg -- All season long, no one could stop the Woodridge football team's high-powered offense.
Alas for the Bulldogs, they finally got a taste of their own medicine.
Woodridge's magical season came to a close after dropping a convincing 58-28 decision to Chagrin Falls in the Division IV Region 13 championship game Nov. 21 at Twinsburg's Tiger Stadium.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 13-0 and advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in school history.
As for the Bulldogs, they leave the field with a legacy that no other Woodridge football team ever had.
The Bulldogs (10-3) reached the playoffs for the first time and then knocked off the third and second seeds, respectively, to get this far.
And Woodridge had plenty of motivation against its latest opponent.
Top-seeded Chagrin Falls handed the Bulldogs a 32-26 loss Sept. 11.
But there would be no revenge on this night.
The Tigers put up a mind-boggling 618 yards of offense, including 416 on the ground.
Most of the offense came from standout senior quarterback Chris Trinetti, who did whatever he wanted in the biggest game of his life.
He stymied Woodridge's defense with his feet in the first half as he had scoring runs of 14, three, 11 and 13 as Chagrin Falls cruised into the locker room with a 30-14 lead.
After halftime, Trinetti decided to showcase his left arm.
That proved to be a powerful weapon, too.
Trinetti threw touchdown passes of 31 and 35 yards, respectively, to junior wide receiver Marc Geraci in the second half.
Trinetti ran the ball 14 times for a team-high 121 yards and also completed 10-of-12 passes for 202 yards.
"We knew exactly what Chagrin Falls was going to do," Bulldogs head coach Eric Ervin said. "Chris Trinetti is the X-factor. He's a great player. He's the reason why they're [the Tigers] regional champs."
At one point, though, Woodridge appeared to have destiny on its side.
The Tigers' promising opening drive came to a screeching halt when junior defensive tackle Dan Pennino got the Bulldogs in scoring position with a 63-yard fumble return.
A couple of plays later, senior quarterback Anthony Westren gave Woodridge the early lead with a one-yard TD plunge. Senior kicker Michael Orr added the extra point to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage just a little more than a minute into the game.
Chagrin Falls tied the game on its next possession, but the Bulldogs stormed right back with an eight-play, 52-yard drive to make it 14-7. Senior running back Anthony Kelly, who led all rushers with 219 yards, concluded the drive with a 15-yard TD run.
The Tigers, however, took complete command from there.
Chagrin Falls, despite another turnover and a failed fourth-down conversion deep in Woodridge territory, scored 30 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
While Trinetti had a game for the ages, he had plenty of support.
Geraci finished with 101 yards on six carries and added three receptions for 77 yards.
Tigers' senior running back Bobby Winkleman added 103 yards on 11 carries.
Westren, who completed just 8-of-27 passes on the night, threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Brandyn Peters in the third quarter.
Kelly, who was briefly forced to the sideline in the first half after a punishing hit, added a 22-yard TD scamper late in the game.
Chagrin Falls' backup junior running back Jack Hunman scored the final TD of the game with a 54-yard run.
Despite the loss, Ervin wasn't too dejected. Several years ago, Woodridge's football team barely had enough players on the roster.
They have come a long way since those days.
"I'll remember the hard work and effort, especially from the senior class," Ervin said. "When they first got here four years ago, no one could ever imagine this would happen."
E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com
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