CHESTERLAND, Ohio — West Geauga knew exactly what it wanted to do Friday night, and Norton knew it was coming. It did not matter. Behind 341 rushing yards and a career night from Anthony Dzurilla, the fifth-seeded Wolverines beat the fourth-seeded Panthers 41-20 at Norton Stadium in a Division IV, Region 13 regional quarterfinal, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Dzurilla rushed for 296 yards and four touchdowns, delivering what Ohio Varsity called one of the biggest individual performances of the postseason. West Geauga (10-2) controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening drive against a Norton team that entered the night with nine victories, and the Wolverines never trailed.
The tone was set in the first quarter. Dzurilla scored on a one-yard run, then broke the game open on a 64-yard touchdown run that, as Ohio Varsity reported, came on fourth-and-one from West Geauga’s own 36-yard line — a gamble that turned a short-yardage situation into a two-score lead. He added another one-yard touchdown in the second quarter to push the advantage to 21-0.
Norton (9-2) finally answered before halftime, when quarterback Trey Kersten connected with Jaxon Ford on a 56-yard touchdown pass, the Beacon Journal reported. The Panthers struck again early in the third quarter on another Kersten-to-Ford connection, cutting the deficit to 21-14 and giving the home crowd hope that the passing game could pull off the comeback.
West Geauga refused to give the lead back. Dzurilla scored his fourth touchdown on a one-yard run early in the fourth quarter, and Vincent Vecchio followed with one of the night’s biggest plays, a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown, according to Ohio Varsity. Norton trimmed the margin to 34-20, but quarterback Mickey Keenan closed the door with a one-yard touchdown run, and Quin Manchino’s extra point made it 41-20 with 2:52 remaining, the Beacon Journal reported.
Kersten did everything he could to keep Norton in it. The Beacon Journal reported he finished 21-of-32 passing for 376 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also led the Panthers on the ground. But Norton’s defense simply could not get West Geauga’s rushing attack off the field, and the Panthers’ season ended at 9-2.
The win continues a postseason breakthrough for the Wolverines under second-year head coach Rossi Santo. West Geauga opened the playoffs last week with a 24-14 home win over Hubbard — the program’s first playoff victory since 2020, according to YSN Live’s recap of that game — and has now won two straight November games after closing the regular season with a loss to Perry.
Friday’s formula was no accident. The Chagrin Valley Conference’s recap noted that West Geauga’s powerful rushing attack has rolled all season behind its physical offensive line, and 341 rushing yards against a nine-win Norton team was its most emphatic statement yet. When a defense has to commit everything to stopping Dzurilla, the Wolverines have shown they can still finish drives with Keenan and change games on special teams, as Vecchio’s return showed.
Around Northeast Ohio on Friday, the regional quarterfinal round produced one statement win after another. Kirtland blanked Brookfield 50-0 to keep its own dominant run going, and Highland’s defense swarmed Brecksville in a 31-7 win in Division II. West Geauga’s road win at Norton belongs on that same list of the night’s most complete performances.
The quarter-by-quarter shape told the story of a team comfortable playing from in front. West Geauga led 14-0 after one quarter and 21-7 at halftime, was held scoreless in the third while Norton clawed back, then slammed the door with a 20-point fourth quarter, according to the box score published by the Beacon Journal. Twenty points in the final 12 minutes, on the road, with a semifinal berth at stake, is the mark of a team that believes its best football is still in front of it.
There is also history quietly building in Chesterland. The Wolverines’ win at Norton was their second road test of these playoffs still to come — the trip to Streetsboro will be another — and each week the Chagrin Valley Conference’s standard-bearer role grows. The CVC sent four teams into the regional semifinals on Friday, the conference reported, and West Geauga’s ground game was the loudest of the four statements.
What happens next is the Wolverines’ biggest test of the season. West Geauga travels to top-seeded Streetsboro on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. for a Division IV, Region 13 semifinal, according to Ohio Varsity. Streetsboro advanced with a 55-34 win over Orrville, setting up a meeting between a Rockets team that has scored in bunches all year and a Wolverines ground game that just ran for 341 yards on the road.
For Norton, the loss ends a 9-2 season that included a home playoff game and one of the area’s most productive passing attacks. For West Geauga, a season that already delivered the program’s first playoff win in six years now has a second one — and a shot at the regional final is one more Friday away.