by Frank Aceto

Associate Sports Editor

Tallmadge -- It's official.

The Tallmadge football team reached the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

The Blue Devils advanced with a convincing 31-14 victory over Suburban League rival Green Oct. 24 at Rossiaky Stadium.

With the win, Tallmadge (7-3, 5-2), which got the sixth seed, earned a date with third-seeded Padua Franciscan (8-2) in the Division II Region 5 playoffs Oct. 31 in Parma. Results were not available at press time.

"We knew we controlled our own destiny," Blue Devils head coach Joe Vassalotti said. "We're excited. It's five years in a row and it never gets old."

The Blue Devils ended the season on a four-game winning streak and finished in a tie for second in the Suburban League. Tallmadge had won the league title the previous four years.

Highland (9-1, 6-1) captured the title despite losing a 20-14 decision to Cloverleaf (8-2, 5-2) in double overtime.

With the Suburban League title out of the picture, the Blue Devils focused on the playoffs. And they had to put the final touches on a trip to the postseason against a Green (4-6, 3-4) team that had won three straight.

This one, however, was never in doubt.

Tallmadge scored on its first three possessions to take a 17-0 lead. After the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard early in the third quarter, the Blue Devils reached the end zone two more times to take a commanding 31-6 advantage.

As usual, Tallmadge senior tailback Tyler Fortner led the way. He finished with a game-high 284 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. Fortner, who had 2,046 yards after nine game, had a huge game despite some very difficult conditions. He dealt with frigid temperatures and a lot of rain that made the field very slippery because of the mud.

"It was hard," Fortner said. "I was slipping all over the place."

Thanks to Fortner's running, the Blue Devils kept the ball on offense for much of the evening.

Tallmadge opened the game with a 10-play, 74-yard drive that took nearly six minutes to complete.

The Blue Devils picked up five first downs during the possession and Fortner capped it off with a 21-yard gallop on fourth down. Senior kicker James Plunket added the first of his four point-after tries. Tallmadge got the ball back a minute later as the defense forced Green to punt after three plays. Fortner immediately got the Blue Devils in scoring position with a 45-yard run, but the drive stalled at the 5-yard line.

Plunket booted a 22-yard field goal to give Tallmadge a 10-0 lead.The Blue Devils made it 17-0 with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left in the first half with a nine-play, 73-yard drive. Fortner reached the end zone again from 13 yards away as Tallmadge ran the ball on each play.

The Bulldogs, however, came out like gang busters in the second half. Green got good position on the kickoff and put together a seven-play, 57-yard drive to make it a 17-6 game. Bulldogs senior quarterback Jesse Mason completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Adam Spray. But Tallmadge put the game away on the next possession. And the Blue Devils made the Bulldogs' hearts sink with a gutsy call during a critical situation.

On third-and-11 from his own 34, Fortner gained 13 yards on a draw play. He moved Tallmadge to the 5 with a 48-yard run and put the icing on the cake with a six-yard TD run a couple plays later.

"I think that was the key point of the game," Vassalotti said. "It was a tough call to make, but it helps to have No. 2 [Fortner] in the backfield."

Senior fullback/linebacker Nick Thompson added a one-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter. He also had five solo tackles and four assists on the defensive end.

Junior Tyler Chaboudy had an 80-yard kickoff for a touchdown late in the game. But it was too little, too late for the Bulldogs.

"Green is very physical and we knew Green was good enough to play with us," Vassalotti said. "It was great to get off to a good start. Our spirit carried us."

Senior nose guard Nick White led the defense with five solo tackles, four assists and a two tackles for losses.

E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com

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