By Colin Harris
Record-Courier staff writer
MOGADORE - It was another day at the office for the Mogadore Wildcats, as they rolled to a 35-6 home victory over the Waterloo Vikings on Friday.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 9-0 on the season and open the door for a Week 10 look at the first undefeated regular season since 2001.
Standing in the way will be East Canton, who defeated Woodridge on Friday by a final score of 53-36. The Hornets are currently one game behind the Wildcats in the Portage Trail Conference County Division standings.
"Between injuries and some other issues, it's been a hard couple of weeks for the team," Mogadore head coach Matt Adorni said. "Tonight was special because we were able to execute our game plan and our six seniors got to go undefeated at home for the first time since I've been here."
Mogadore got out early, establishing the momentum with a strong ground game. The Wildcats put together five consecutive rushes, getting the ball to the Vikings' 47 before quarterback Chad White launched a pass to a wide open Landon Trainer for a 47-yard score.
Feeding off of Waterloo's commitment to slow the run, White had a big night under center, going 7-for-12 for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
"Chad had a very good night for us, and a lot of that has to do with our offensive line," Adorni said. "They provided him the time he needed to throw and he made good decisions."
Mogadore effectively put the game away during the second quarter. Aside from forcing two Waterloo three-and-outs, the Wildcats racked up three scores - including another White touchdown throw.
White's backfield teammates Kodey Chance and Mike Leymon wore down the Waterloo defensive front, rushing for a combined 227 yards on 27 carries. Chance, who rushed for 179 of those yards on only 14 carries, was additionally responsible for two of the Wildcats' five scores.
The going was much tougher for Waterloo on the night, as the offense only accounted for 21 yardsin the first half. Although the second half saw a better output, the Vikings still struggled in amassing 109 total yards.
Making matters worse for the Vikings was the loss of quarterback Dylan Wartluft. The senior signal-caller was injured early in the game on a hard sack, giving way to sophomore Klay McBroom for much of the night.
"I was pleased with how our defense performed tonight," Adorni said. "They were able to get to the ball and disrupt the offense (on multiple occasions)."
Friday's victory means the Wildcats can, at the very least, be assured of a share of the division crown. The lone team standing in their way of an outright title is their Week 10 opponent, the East Canton Hornets (6-3, 5-1).
"Our goal this year was to win the County Division outright," Adorni said. "I think this team has come together and done a lot better than some may have expected them too, but we really don't want to share this title with East Canton next week."