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Senior's three TDs, 257 yards lead Blue Devils to playoff win
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Saturday, Nov 08, 2008
BEDFORD: Tallmadge's Tyler Fortner seemed to dodge as many Madison defenders as he did raindrops.
Fortner, a senior tailback, proved to be the difference Friday night as the Blue Devils defeated Madison 27-7 in a Division II regional semifinal at Bearcat Stadium.
Fortner, making cuts and changing direction despite a steady rain that fell throughout the night, rushed for 257 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead his team into a regional final next Friday against Archbishop Hoban at a site to be determined.
''He has carried us all year. He has had success despite other teams knowing he is going to get the ball,'' Tallmadge coach Joe Vassalotti said. ''That's a credit to him and to our offensive line.
''He is a relentless runner and has learned to follow his blockers much better. On top of that, he is extremely competitive.''
Fortner gained 263 yards on 40 carries last week in a victory over Parma Padua and now has a school-record 2,566 yards on the season.
He recalled the feeling in 2007, when the Blue Devils lost to Normandy in triple overtime at the regional semifinals, also at Bearcat Stadium.
''Last year, we lost on the same field and in the same game. We all remember that,'' the 5-foot-10, 197-pound Fortner said. ''To make it this far is great, but we are not done yet.''
Tallmadge (9-3) is peaking at the right time, winning its sixth game in a row after going .500 in the first six games.
''Six weeks ago, we were 3-3 and had a long bus ride back from Cloverleaf after a tough loss,'' said Vassalotti, about a 21-20 loss to the Colts. ''We knew the league race was out of reach, but the playoffs were ahead of us.
''We have improved each week and, for that, the credit goes to our seniors for their leadership.''
The Blue Devils allowed Madison (8-4) to score a touchdown on its first possession and then shut out the Blue Streaks over the final 40 minutes.
''We knew we had to kick it in gear and fight for everything on defense,'' senior linebacker Nick Thompson said. ''We knew if we played up to the best of our ability, we would win.''
Tallmadge took the opening kickoff and needed only three plays to go ahead 7-0. The touchdown was a 61-yard pass from Paul Pakan to Craig Siesel, who caught a screen and sidestepped several defenders along the left sideline.
Madison tied the score on its next possession, and it remained 7-7 until the Blue Devils got two touchdowns late in the second quarter from Fortner to lead 20-7 at halftime.
The first one came at the 3:20 mark, when Fortner broke off left tackle, made a series of cuts and beat the secondary to the end zone to complete a 55-yard scoring play.
Madison fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Blue Devils' Ryan Cutlip recovered. Fortner later scored from the 1 at 2:30.
In the third quarter, Tallmadge put together a 66-yard, 13-play drive that essentially ended the suspense as the score reached 27-7.
Fortner carried 11 times on the march and accounted for 75 yards (the yards exceeded the drive total because of a Tallmadge penalty). Fortner went the final 3 yards at the 1:05 mark. He had kept the drive alive with a 31-yard run on third-and-20.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
BEDFORD: Tallmadge's Tyler Fortner seemed to dodge as many Madison defenders as he did raindrops.
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