Nothing for granted: Ursuline coach Dan Reardon talked about putting distance between his team and Coldwater after the Cavaliers pulled within 8-7 in the game’s first three minutes, then again about answering Coldwater, which scored the first touchdown of the second half to close within, 44-14. “You don’t want to take anything for granted, so, any time you can answer like that certainly prevents any momentum shift,” he said of Ursuline responses with Akise Teague’s 42-yard TD run with four minutes left in the third quarter that put Ursuline ahead, 51-14.

Alphabet soup: It was an A-to-Z victory as (A)kise Teague scored five times, while lineman Michael (Z)appa recovered Coldwater’s only fumble in the third quarter following a Jesse Curry’s strong hit on QB/RB Aaron Rammel.

Fullback strength: Curry gave a good accounting of himself with 113 yards rushing on 10 carries, including a 53-yard TD run, and one reception for 13 yards.

Defensive leaders: Curry was Ursuline’s top tackler with 6.5 total and a sack. Dundee and Podolsky had 4.5 stops apiece, while Tramain Thigpen had 4.0 tackles. Curry’s numbers included two tackles-for-loss.

Tailgaters: Early arriving fans included Tony Hendon and Rich Grigsby of Akron and Terry Riegler of Cuyahoga Falls, who were huddled around their tent at 8 a.m. “We usually come down for the whole weekend,” said Riegler, a Canton McKinley graduate, who was watching the state championships for the 10th time. “It doesn’t take long for us to get here,” said Hendon. “Besides the workers, we’re probably the first fans. It’s a good atmosphere.”

John Bassetti