The Chagrin Falls High School football team walked away with a 27-20 win over Trinity High School  Saturday, August 27. This win comes after a tough loss to Kenston the week before, where the Tigers fell to the Bombers 45-20. The Tigers team underwent significant changes this offseason, leaving a lot of questions about the roster unanswered. 

“We had, I think, five of the 22 starting positions return this year, 17 kids on the field for the first time,” said Coach John Scott. 

The Bombers have now beaten the Tigers 5 years in a row, but this year, the Tigers rallied to score 20 points in the second half. 

Coach Scott added that the second-half run gave the team an important boost, “You can take positives from a game like that, show the kids, hey, we followed the adjustments to put you in a position where you have success.”

These 20 points were the first the Tigers had scored against the Bombers during their 5-year losing streak. The team came out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter guns blazing and ended the scoring drought with a touchdown from senior Wide Receiver Jackson Beavers. 

“Scoring at home for the first time was a feeling like no other,” said Beavers.

After Beavers scored, the crowd erupted, and the famous “Zoo” brought the energy back into C.S Harris Stadium.

“The Zoo really brings the atmosphere to life with their chants and cheers,” Beavers continued. 

After the tough loss, the Tigers looked to the following week, an away matchup against Trinity. The team had to make important improvements to get the win. 

“If you want to be a good football team, you have to make improvements between week one and week two,” continued Coach Scott.

The team took the week in between the first and second games to improve and it paid off, as Chagrin beat Trinity 27-20. 

Beavers again scored a touchdown to clinch the win against Trinity. 

“Scoring the game-winner at Trinity and hearing the silence on Trinity’s sideline felt like nothing else,” he said. 

In the weeks since then, Chagrin has lost to Perry High School 43-0 and beat Orange High School 34-0. The team is still taking it week by week, and Coach Scott has continued to stress the mentality. 

“We tell them it’s one week at a time, I preach to the kids that we focus on what we can control.”

Coach Scott’s energy is felt by players on the field and in the locker room. The team’s daily practices set the tone for coming games. 

“Coach Scott pushes for a thumb pointer mentality, where instead of blaming others, we look to ourselves for improvement,” Beavers recounted. 

Beavers is having his best season yet, and Coach Scott’s increased stress on self-improvement has made a difference. 

“Having success helps to build confidence, and you know, it’s gonna obviously make us look like a better football team,” added Coach Scott. 

The team is looking towards the next half of the season, where their games will have important playoff implications. 

“The game I’m looking forward to most is vs Lakeside, this game is very important for the playoffs, it’s what the team has at the back of our minds,” finished Beavers.