Medina’s Jimmy Daw cuts between Wadsworth’s Kole Kemppel, left, and Ryan Bojdys for a touchdown during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

MEDINA — Head-spinning history happened at Kenneth Dukes Stadium on Friday and, depending on which school one was rooting for, it was either Snickers-satisfying or stomachache-depressing.

The Medina and Wadsworth football teams have played each other for more than 100 years, but they’ve never experienced a game like this, when the Bees laid down a 62-6 whoopin’ in non-league action.

Though the Grizzlies were without first-team All-Ohio running back Daniel Weinerman (concussion) for the second straight game — coach Greg Dennison expects him to return next week against Stow — no one in their right mind saw such a lop-sided score coming.

The 62 points surrendered by Wadsworth (0-3) broke a record that had stood for 88 yards (57 vs. Orrville, 1927), while the margin of defeat trails only that shutout loss to the Red Riders when Calvin Coolidge was president.

Meanwhile, Medina (2-1) beat Wadsworth at home for the first time since 1997, which also happened to be the year when it last rung up 60 points (66 vs. North Ridgeville), and crushed the Grizzlies by more than 35 points for the first time since 1913 (41-5).

“We always say, ‘Never be satisfied, keep pushing and never let your foot off the pedal,”’ Bees defensive tackle Ryan Seabrook said. “We tried to keep it going and never gave up.”

The game was all but over in 13 minutes, as Medina led 28-0 and rebounded brilliantly from blowing a double-digit second-half lead at Kenston last week.

Dylan Fultz and Collin Winters began the party with an 86-yard opening kickoff return and 85-yard punt return, giving the Bees a 14-0 lead before they ran a play from scrimmage.

When Medina’s offense finally got on the field with 5:04 left in the first quarter, it needed only six plays to cover 53 yards, as Jordan Fultz snared a 10-yard TD strike from John Curtis (5-for-9, 84 yards, TD; 10 carries, 76 yards).

Wadsworth self-destructed from there, as the Bees used fantastic field position to set up four short touchdown runs by Jimmy Daw (17 carries, 69 yards) that pushed the ante to 49-0 early in the third.

The Grizzlies finally got on the board when fullback Alex Jones (13 carries, 104 yards) rumbled 74 yards to the house — the majority of Medina’s starters exited up 55-6 — before the Bees’ Dylan Fultz (17-yard run) and Alex Whittaker (2-yard run) capped the scoring.

“You saw an angry team come out with a lot of frustration,” Bees coach Dan Sutherland said, “and they took it out on (another) team.”

Between all the scoring was a teeth-rattling performance from Medina’s defensive line of tackles Seabrook and Justice Burkey and ends Jonathan Lally, Sam Vavzincak and Jacob Wenzinger, as well as an all-around stat-stuffing showing from linebacker Chris Fryer (1ﾽ sacks, fumble recovery, int.)

Fumbling nine times and losing four, Wadsworth finished with 111 yards total offense and five first downs. Medina had a lot to do with the latter, as Burkey, Seabrook and Fryer combined for six tackles for loss (3 sacks).

“I think every bad thing that could have happened, happened,” said Dennison, whose team also fumbled away a punt return and dribbled a long snap that the punter couldn’t handle for a 16-yard loss. ”We’ll respond to it, though. Our kids will go to work and respond to it.”

The clear-cut defensive highlight of the night came in the waning minute of the first half after Zach Looser (13 carries, 55 yards) took a kickoff 58 yards and the Grizzlies eventually reached first-and-goal at the 9.

Back-to-back penalties moved the ball backward 17 yards. Wadsworth quarterback Connor Montgomery then launched a pass to the goal line, where safety Winters tipped the ball into the diving arms of Fryer to keep the shutout alive.

While the shutout wasn’t obtained, it was one of the few things that didn’t go Medina’s way.

“It feels amazing to beat them at home — the last time was 1997,” said Fryer, who was born in 1999.

FRANKLIN TWP. — The Fairways at Twin Lakes tried to fight back, but the Highland girls golf team’s stars were not fazed.

All-Gazette selections Madison Butler, Alicia Porvasnik and Christina Williams sparkled again Wednesday, recording three of the top four scores as the Hornets defeated Kent Roosevelt 170-180 in a Suburban League American Division showdown of undefeated teams.

Though neither Northeast Ohio power played well on the hilly 2,780-yard, par-36 course, Highland (7-0, 5-0) extended its SL winning streak to 45 matches after beating the Rough Riders (6-1, 4-1), who finished one place higher (5th) than the Hornets at last year’s Division I state tournament.

Coach Mary Becker’s squad also put a stranglehold on the division race. Having won the SL Preseason Tournament as well as match play, Highland can finish second Tuesday at the SL Postseason Tournament and still win a championship for the seventh straight season.

“It’s really exciting because you definitely don’t want to be that team that breaks the tradition,” said a visibly pleased Butler, whose team last lost an SL match on Sept. 10, 2009 (195-201 at Cloverleaf). “For me, this is my junior year — I only have one more year — and I’d love to finish out winning Suburban League all four of my years. That’d be nice.”

Butler rebounded from a slow start and was medalist on the beautiful late-summer afternoon with a 2-over-par 38. Porvasnik tied the Rough Riders’ Kory Nielsen for runner-up medalist at 39, while Williams’ 43 and Ruby Swan’s 50 capped Highland’s scoring.

With a plethora of tight, wooded fairways and greens that rolled from back to front, all 12 players fought off trouble the majority of the day.

The difference was Hornets returning starters Butler, Porvasnik and Williams crushed Roosevelt returning starters Nielsen (39), Chloe Wise (48) and Coreena Wise (55) by 22 strokes.

“It’s a challenging course,” Porvasnik said. “You need to know where to place your ball. If you’re not in the right spot, your shots into the greens are going to be tough.”

Two months removed from winning the prestigious Ohio Junior Girls Championship, Butler had a potential match-altering sequence when she bogeyed the first three holes. The right-hander settled down, though, and recorded five straight pars.

That set up what she considered the highlight of her otherwise “pretty boring” day, as she rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the dogleg left par-4 ninth.

“I started out with three bogeys and I was like, ‘OK, this could go really bad or it could go really good,”’ Butler said. “So then I kind of just took a deep breath, took it shot by shot, took it hole by hole and I ended up with that birdie. I was excited about that.”

Like Butler, Porvasnik overcame a stretch of bogeys with strong putting. The difference was Porvasnik’s four straight birdies came in the middle of the round.

“It feels good. I’m proud of my team,” Porvasnik said. “Everyone came through and played pretty good.”

Highland 170, Roosevelt 180
at par-36 Fairways at Twin Lakes
Highland (7-0, 5-0): Madison Butler 38, Alicia Porvasnik 39, Christina Williams 43, Ruby Swan 50, Sara Haller 52, Emma Medwig 62.
Roosevelt (6-1, 4-1): Kory Nielsen 39, Brooke Harvey 45, Hannah Thomas 48, Chloe Wise 48, Coreena Wise 55, Grace Thompson 59.

SULLIVAN TWP. — Homecoming night may as well have been renamed Name The Score night at Art Stevenson Field.

Longtime Black River football coach Al Young showed plenty of sportsmanship Friday, pulling his starters before the majorettes wowed the crowd with flaming batons at halftime of an impressive 58-14 victory over Brooklyn in Patriot Athletic Conference cross-division action.

Black River quarterback Mike Hazlett makes a throw to Kyle Petruzzi in the first quarter. AARON JOSEFCZYK/GAZETTE

The Pirates (3-1, 1-0) head into a showdown with PAC Stripes Division kingpin Columbia on a major high after crushing the completely overmatched Hurricanes (1-3, 0-1), who trailed 30-0 after one quarter, 51-0 at halftime and successfully proposed for the fourth quarter to be cut to 8 minutes.

“We need to take this impressive streak all the way to Columbia,” wide receiver/cornerback Allan Benson said. “We’ve got to get ready for them because it’s going to be a big game.”

With its skill players taking turns making highlight-reel plays, Black River scored six touchdowns, including four by sophomore fullback Jacob Campbell, on 26 snaps in the first half and finished the game averaging 11.4 yards per play.

In the first quarter alone, the Pirates outgained Brooklyn 240 to minus-19 as Campbell (8 carries, 66 yards), David Bell (5, 74) and Dalton Toth (5, 80) rumbled through cornfield-sized holes created by Curtis Roupe, Matthew Potter, Cole Haswell, D.P. Shranko and Derek Hawley.

“We just prepared really well,” Roupe said. “We didn’t look ahead, either. We needed to focus on this game.”

A safety began the scoring only 1:19 in, as Brooklyn snapped the ball over the punter’s head and through the end zone. Toth, a 1,200-yard rusher who missed the last 1½ games with a neck injury, carried the ball three straight times before Campbell rumbled in 1:50 later to make it 9-0.

The onslaught was on from there, as Campbell scored from 5 yards at the 3:40 mark of the first quarter and Toth took a jet sweep 49 yards to the house with 20 seconds left.

That set up the highlight sequence by Benson. The senior cornerback made a twisting interception of Matt Crossman (13-for-24, 134 yards, 2 TDs, 2 ints.) on his own 41-yard line and, on the next play, caught a textbook rainbow throw from Mike Hazlett for a touchdown that made it 30-0 as time ran out in quarter.

“We watched film and know the routes (Brooklyn runs),” Benson said. “That was it, really.

“(The touchdown reception), that was a wonderful throw by (Hazlett). Give him all the credit. I was just running a streak and the ball came right to me. I did it for him, man.”

The second quarter was much of the same, as Campbell scored twice and Travis Sexton went 23 yards on his only tote.

The 3-4 defense took care of the rest, as blitzing linebackers Roupe, Campbell, Dylan Lewis and Sexton were all over the place and Hazlett returned an interception 25 yards to set up one of Campbell’s second-quarter scores.

Of Brooklyn’s 29 first-half plays, 19 covered 1 yard or less.

“We attacked them and every time we got some sort of turnover or some sort of opportunity, we just jumped all over it,” Young said.

The second half was all about the junior varsity, which got a 66-yard touchdown run from fullback Alex Volmelker and a teeth-rattling hit by freshman linebacker Mitchell Young, the son of Al Young.

Brooklyn finally got on the board with a pair of garbage-time touchdown passes, but that hardly fazed the Pirates.

“We played an outstanding game,” Al Young said. “The kids came out and played every facet of the game pretty well.”

Black River 58, Brooklyn 14
BROOKLYN 0 0 7 7 — 14
BLACK RIVER 30 21 7 0 — 58
First
BR — Safety (ball snapped out of end zone), 10:41.
BR — Jacob Campbell 10 run (Corey Bartolic kick), 8:51.
BR — Campbell 5 run (Bartolic kick), 3:40.
BR — Dalton Toth 49 run (Bartolic kick), 0:20.
BR — Allan Benson 59 pass from Mike Hazlette (Bartolic kick), 0:00.
Second
BR — Campbell 2 run (Bartolic kick), 10:25.
BR — Campbell 1 run (Bartolic kick), 6:28.
BR — Travis Sexton 23 run (Bartolic kick), 2:57.
Third
BR — Alex Vormelker 66 run (Bartolic kick), 10:08.
Bro — Donovan Pierre-Louis 57 pass from Matt Crossman (Shawn Bailey pass from Crossman), 9:06.
Fourth
Bro — Bailey 37 pass from Crossman (pass failed), 1:58.

MARLBORO TWP. — Ace Greg Briggs buried his head into his arms while sitting on a golf cart near the clubhouse. Teammate Andrew Young rambled about what could have been.

The members of the Cloverleaf boys golf team had their hearts broken Wednesday, as two strokes separated them from history.

Attempting to rally and earn a share of the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division championship, the Colts shot 346 at Sable Creek Golf Course. The disappointment hit like a ton of bricks after they learned Norton (346) won a fifth-man tiebreaker 98-115 and Field (345) took the tournament.

The season standings read Norton first (18 points), Field second (17) and Cloverleaf third (15), but the Colts, who were second in dual play, would have stolen the title had they won the tournament.

“The team perspective is really frustrating just tying (Norton),” said Briggs, whose team would have lost a fifth-man tiebreaker to Field as well. “We had to win (the tournament) to win the league or be co-champs and for it to be just (two strokes) …

“I know I missed half a dozen 3-foot putts that could have made the difference and I know all of us had strokes we could have gotten back. It’s frustrating.”

The PTC uses a non-traditional 10-8-7-6-5-3-1 point system to determine the overall champion, with the regular season and tournament weighted equally. Entering the day, Norton (13-1, 10 points), Cloverleaf (12-2, 8) and Field (11-3, 7) were in a dogfight.

Post-round scoreboard watching was jam-packed and intense. The Falcons won the tournament due in large part to an 81 from No. 5 man Evan Dalziel, while Panthers No. 5 Mitch Zimmerman (86) proved to be clutch as well.

The Colts countered with their usual staple of Briggs (79), Jake Stevens (87), Young (89) and Jack Lewarchick (91), but their efforts weren’t enough to win the program’s first league championship since 1983, when eventual Class AAA state medalist Tom Kies led Cloverleaf to the top of the Pioneer Conference.

The news was tough to take for Briggs, one of the top players in Medina County who tied PTC Metro Division Player of the Year Mason Juersivich for the lowest score in the division.

“I can’t think about it like that (as a positive) right now,” he said. “I don’t think I ever will. It’s a hard loss.”

Ron Wachtel had a different view. Though the longtime Cloverleaf coach also expressed disappointment in his team not winning, he preferred to look at the bigger picture.

In their first PTC season, the Colts gave themselves a puncher’s chance in the Metro Division race. They also are on track to record their lowest team scoring average in seven years and believe they have a chance to compete at the Barberton Brookside Division I Sectional in less than two weeks.

That’s a 180-degree attitude shift for a squad that lost 38 of its final 42 Suburban League matches.

“Overall for the season, it’s been a real success,” Wachtel said. “The kids were excited that they had a shot that meant something. The last few years, we were in last going (into the SL Postseason Tournament) and there wasn’t a lot of hope.

“Whenever you have a chance, you feel excited. The kids are down right now, but when they look back at it in a few days, they’ll be proud.”

Results
MARLBORO TWP. — Results from the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division Tournament at par-72 Sable Creek G.C.
Overall standings: 1. Norton (13-1) 18, 2. Field (11-3) 17, 3. Cloverleaf (12-2) 15, T4. Ravenna (6-8) 11, T4. Coventry (6-8) 11, 6. Woodridge (5-9) 8, 7. Springfield (2-12) 6, 8. Streetsboro (1-13) 2.
Tournament standings: 1. Field 345, 2. Norton 346, 3. Cloverleaf 346, 4. Coventry 363, 5. Ravenna 377, 6. Woodridge 378, 7. Springfield 382, 8. Streetsboro 425.
Cloverleaf (346): Greg Briggs 79, Jake Stevens 87, Andrew Young 89, Jack Lewarchick 91, Brian Matheny 115, Frank English 119.

WESTFIELD TWP. — The golden opportunity was presented, but the Cloverleaf football team was forced to settle for the consolation prize of a silver lining.

First-year coach Justin Vorhies stressed the positives Friday following a closer-than-it-appeared 40-19 loss to Norton in Portage Trail Conference Metro Division play. The Panthers (2-3, 1-1) were without standout tailback Nick Farmer (broken leg).

While the Colts (1-4, 0-2) lost their 23rd straight league game and 11th consecutive at home, they scored two unanswered touchdowns and trailed 23-13 with 15 minutes left before two special teams blunders led to their doom.

“At halftime, we decided this was going to make or break our season here, you know?” said running back Tate Surrarrer, who scored two touchdowns. “We’re going to sit down and let them score all over us or we’re going to come out in the second half and put up a fight.”

The latter happened after the Panthers’ Quinn Ivy grabbed his own muffed punt, started right, broke a few tackles, went back left, broke a few more tackles and rumbled down the sideline 67 yards for a SportsCenter-quality touchdown.

The score was 23-0 with 10:01 left in the third quarter and the Colts were dangerously close to another running clock, but instead made the game interesting.

A 28-yard kickoff return and diving 34-yard reception by Austin Greer set up Cloverleaf’s first non-running-clock touchdown in more than a calendar year, as Surrarrer rumbled in from 6 yards to make it 23-6.

Greer then recovered a Norton fumble on fourth-and-1 near midfield, leading to a 49-yard reception by Nick Soika that set up a 2-yard TD by Greer out of the power-I formation.

In a matter of 4:40, the Colts were trailing by less than two scores.

“The big thing is they never quit,” Vorhies said. “They kept fighting, and that’s a huge step in the right direction.”

The good feelings were dashed as quickly as they arrived.

Norton, which saw tailbacks Cole Edgell (22 carries, 144 yards, 2 TDs) and Ivy (16, 78) combine for 222 yards in Farmer’s absence, took a pooch kickoff to the Cloverleaf 25. Quarterback Noah Jones (66 rushing yards, 82 passing yards, 2 total TDs) then hit a wide-open Dylan Jenkin in the end zone for a 19-yard score on fourth down.

The Colts lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Brandon Woehler’s second field goal that made the score 32-13. Another lost Cloverleaf fumble allowed Norton to push the ante to 40-13 eight minutes later before Surrarrer tacked on a score with 1:47 left.

“It’s tough — no doubt, it’s tough,” Vorhies said of the drastic momentum swing. “That’s that lack of execution. We don’t stay in our (kickoff) lanes, we don’t swarm to the ball. It’s those things we’re constantly working on.

“We’re not that far away from having it turn over in the right direction.”

Despite losing to a Panthers team that was 1-9 last season, the Colts found positives offensively after entering the night with 24 points on the season. They also had yet to have a play from scrimmage cover more than 27 yards.

Cloverleaf not only scored three touchdowns in a game for the first time since 2013, Russel Gretsinger had passing strikes of 34, 49 and 35 yards en route to a career-high 135 total. The Colts added a season-high 131 yards on the ground, but were just 3-for-10 on third down and committed three turnovers.

“We finally moved the ball,” Surrarrer said. “We’ve been struggling to move the ball all season, actually, and today we did a really good job. Now we’ve got to look forward to next week (at undefeated Woodridge).”

Norton 40, Cloverleaf 19

NORTON                                  6  11  12  11  —  40

CLOVERLEAF                         0   0   13   6   —  19

First

N — Cole Edgell 9 run (run failed), 0:56.

Second

N — Noah Jones 5 run (Edgell run), 9:22.

N — Brandon Woehler 31 field goal, 0:25.

Third

N — Quinn Ivy 67 punt return (kick failed), 10:01.

C — Tate Surrarrer 6 run (kick failed), 8:10.

C — Austin Greer 2 run (Travis Hissom kick), 5:21.

N — Dylan Jenkin 19 pass from Jones (run failed), 2:03.

Fourth

N — Woehler 30 field goal, 10:35.

N — Edgell 5 run (Edgell run), 2:31.

C — Surrarrer 5 run (run failed), 1:47.

Albert Grindle

The Gazette

GRANGER TWP. — On nearly every read-option they faced Thursday, the Aurora football team’s defenders rabidly went after Highland running back and Medina County leading rusher Sam Jenkins, all but daring quarterback Tyler Zelinski to beat them.

Zelinski responded by carving up one of the most feared units in Northeast Ohio.

In just his eighth career start, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more, powering the Hornets to a stunning, wire-to-wire 38-28 upset of the Greenmen in a Suburban League American Division game televised on Time Warner Cable’s SportsChannel.

Aurora (5-1, 2-1) will fall from third place in The Associated Press Division II state poll, while Highland (4-2, 2-0) set up another huge game, this time at Copley (5-0, 2-0), next week.

“I’m not really surprised,” Zelinski said without bravado. “We had a hard week of practice. I know we can beat any team if we put our minds to it. We haven’t been playing the last couple weeks like we’ve all wanted, but this game we really pulled together and we got the win.”

Making up for his lack of top-end speed with dazzling ball fakes, Zelinski finished with 31 grueling carries for 194 yards. He also was 6-for-11 for 141 yards, zero interceptions and a 139.2 NFL rating while throwing picture-perfect TD strikes to tight end Zach Filips (81 yards) and slot receiver Evan Kasulones (14).

Mostly having Kasulones fake a jet sweep and then running a power option to the opposite side of the formation, Zelinski took advantage when it became clear the Greenmen were committed to making sure Jenkins (20 carries, 59 yards) couldn’t repeat his 194-yard showing in a 31-27 loss to Green last week.

Often rumbling untouched for 4-5 yards following the mesh with Jenkins, Zelinski had 15 carries of 7 or more yards, including a 26-yarder on the first play from scrimmage, and 10 first downs.

He was clutch, too, with the pop-pass TD to Filips on third-and-7, an 8-yard run on fourth down that set up a Charles Howe field goal and a fourth-down completion to Kasulones in the fourth that led to another TD.

Aurora entered play having allowed 276 rushing yards all season. The Hornets finished with 255 on 53 attempts behind the all-senior line of Hunter Rinard, Hunter Meacham, Tyler Frederick, Mason Carriero and Ben Smith.

“The offensive linemen opened up huge holes,” Zelinski said, deflecting all credit. “I was able to run. Receivers caught the ball when we needed to.

“Our team played 48 minutes. That was the goal from the start.”

Highland led 14-0 just 5:21 in but settled for a 17-14 advantage at half, as quarterback Nolan Sotka (14-for-21, 170 yards, 3 TDs) took advantage of good field position twice with a rushing score and TD strike to Gavin Blunt (3 receptions, 78 yards, 3 TDs).

The Greenmen then dropped a surefire first down on fourth down from the Highland 23 after starting running back Ben Nelson (7 carries, 54 yards) was carted off with a left leg injury.

The momentum swung for good. Zelinski marched the Hornets and found Kasulones over the middle to make it 24-14. Sotko then made a rare mistake and overthrew a receiver on fourth down from the Highland 27, and Zelinski capitalized again with a 7-yard rushing TD that made the score 31-14 with 5:23 left.

With Hornets standout cornerback Manny Dela Cerna getting checked out by trainers after getting rocked on a kickoff, Aurora sandwiched long TD receptions by Blunt around Zelinski’s final score, an untouched 3-yarder with 1:27 to go.

Outside of the hurry-up TDs late in the game, Highland’s defense atoned for poor tackling last week. Aurora had 198 yards with six minutes left and had only three runs of more than 10 yards.

The two second-half stops near the red zone were important, as they kept the lead intact and allowed the offensive line and Zelinski to take over the game.

“It was a great team victory,” coach Mike Gibbons said as the players sang the alma mater with the band. “You know, we came in expecting to win. I know they’re a really good team, very well-coached and very impressive on film, but we’re glad we were able to come out and execute and make some big plays.

“I’m just so proud of our guys.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721- 4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Highland 38, Aurora 28

AURORA                                  0   14   0   14  —  28

HIGHLAND                             14   3   7  14   —  38 

First

H — Tyler Zelinski 2 run (Charles Howe kick), 9:41.

H — Zach Filips 81 pass from Zelinski (Howe kick), 6:39.

Second

A — Gavin Blunt 12 pass from Nolan Sotka (Robby Albrecht kick), 7:30.

H — Howe 27 field goal, 4:47.

A — Sotka 15 run (Albrecht kick), 0:52.

Third

H — Evan Kasulones 14 pass from Zelinski (Howe kick), 4:39.

Fourth

H — Zelinski 7 run (Howe kick), 5:23.

A — Blunt 56 pass from Sotka (Albrecht kick), 5:07.

H — Zelinski 3 run (Howe kick), 1:27.

A — Blunt 10 pass from Sotka (Albrecht kick), 0:41.

MEDINA — Cue up George Thorogood’s guitar intro because Brunswick’s offense was “Bad to the Bone.”

Dominating the line of scrimmage and running the ball at will with their flexbone triple-option offense Friday, the Blue Devils technically upset Medina 35-7 in a Greater Cleveland Conference game that could easily be considered a TKO.

So much for records and so much for perception, as Brunswick (2-4, 2-1) and the Bees (3-3, 1-2) are headed in opposite directions after the Blue Devils rolled up 496 yards.

“We got our (butts) kicked on defense all day long,” Medina coach Dan Sutherland said.

Brunswick’s Nick Horton dives into the endzone against Medina’s Dillon Munoz (8) and James Smith (18) for a touchdown during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

If there was one thing Brunswick and Medina could agree on, it was that statement.

Running behind the significantly improved offensive line of Colin Sustersic, Eddie Conway, Robbie McHaffie, Steven Spickler and Jared Kvaka and tight end Drew Kratche, slotback Jacob Martin led the way with career highs in carries (20), yards (132) and touchdowns (3).

Martin was just a fraction of the clock-burning machine, though, as bulldozing fullback Alex Gillespie had 16 carries for 115 yards, including a truck-stick-inspired hit that peeled the helmet off Bees safety Collin Winters. Quarterback Nick Horton added 49 yards and two short scores while also going 7-for-12 passing for 123 yards.

Brunswick’s touchdown drives covered five, 15, seven, nine and 16 plays and 75, 80, 75, 82 and 51 yards. The final one in particular was football poetry, as the Blue Devils went into their old I-formation offense, grinded 7:17 off the second-half clock and punched it in on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

The game felt like the big brother smacking aside the annoying little brother.

“Obviously, we always expect to win, but there’s always that stuff on social media where everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re 1-4,”’ Martin said. “But, honestly, records don’t matter.”

Since beating Elyria 31-14 two weeks ago and causing many to wonder if they’re for real, the Bees have allowed 77 points and 1,028 yards.

“Let’s be honest,” Sutherland said. “The last two games we’ve been getting our butts kicked on defense. We can’t stop them, we’re getting pushed around up front, we’re not tackling at all and it’s disappointing. Defensively we did not come to play tonight. It’s disappointing.”

For all its smashmouth qualities offensively, Brunswick’s defense was impressive, too.

Led by linebacker Jordan Parrish’s two tackles for loss and an interception, Brunswick held touted Medina running back Jimmy Daw to 33 yards on nine carries and broke up a half-dozen passes. Bees quarterback John Curtis was plagued by five drops, but still was only 13-for-37 for 217 yards.

Seventy-one of those yards were on a TD strike to Jordan Fultz that tied the game at 7 just 2:47 in.

The Bees’ offensive struggles were mainly because of Brunswick’s physical defense, which also got two pass breakups from Dean Ramicone, 1½ tackles for loss from Michael Marcovitch and important QB pressures from Sam DoBroka and Aaron Naples.

“The kids are just playing hard,” Brunswick coach Luke Beal said as assistants Grant Relic and Eric Engelke took pictures of the scoreboard with their smart phones. “Tonight, we played pretty much our straight defense. There’s not a lot of adjustments. They’re just playing better.”

Brunswick couldn’t have looked more impressive right out of the gate, as it needed only five plays to cover 75 yards, with Horton capping the drive with a bizarre touchdown.

The Blue Devils snapped the ball and attempted to run a midline option as the referee simultaneously blew the whistle. All 22 players froze and looked toward the referee, but Horton was the first to realize the play was still live. He then beat a pair of defenders to the right pylon.

Medina answered 1:09 later when Curtis found Fultz over the middle, but it was all Brunswick after that, as the Blue Devils kept the chains moving by converting 10-of-15 third downs and 3-of-3 fourth downs.

The final hopes for the Bees were crushed with eight seconds left in the third quarter, when a Curtis pass went through a receiver’s hands and into the arms of Parrish with the score sitting at 28-7. That set up Brunswick’s 7:17, 51-yard drive that led to the second strings getting some action.

“Our line blocked tremendous tonight,” Martin said. “In the first half of the season, we struggled, obviously — I’m sure you guys know that — but our line really stepped up tonight. I’m really proud of them. I give really all the credit to them.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Brunswick 35, Medina 7

BRUNSWICK                              14  7  7  7  —  35

MEDINA                                         7   0  0  0    —  7

First

B — Nick Horton 2 run (Kyle Wolf kick), 10:22.

M — Jordan Fultz 71 pass from John Curtis (Tyler Vogrin kick), 9:13.

B — Jacob Martin 8 run (Wolf kick), 2:40.

Second

B — Horton 1 run (Wolf kick), 7:37.

Third

B — Martin 4 run (Wolf kick), 7:39.

Fourth

B — Martin 1 run (Wolf kick), 4:17.

NORTON — A sunny, 72-degree day didn’t result in sizzling scores at Barberton Brookside Country Club, but Highland’s boys golf team certainly wasn’t complaining.

Though not necessarily their top priority Monday, the Hornets (322) got a 79 from ace Chad Dubiel and played well enough to win the Barberton Brookside Division I Sectional by four strokes over Medina (326) and eight over Wooster (330) and Revere (330).

Medina’s Joe Kerrigan tees off on the second hole at Barberton Brookside Country Club during the sectional tournament. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The victory was Highland’s first since taking three straight D-II sectional titles from 1999-2001. It also marked the third time in four tries under coach Andrew Dutt the Hornets advanced to the Pine Hills District.

“I think it was in the back of our mind to win it, but we never really said it was our goal,” Dubiel said. “We all just wanted to play good and get out. Obviously, we didn’t want to get out in fourth. We’re happy to win it.”

Dubiel was disappointed with his short game — he had 41 putts — but still finished with a top-five score on the 6,587-yard, par-72 layout. Junior Robby Guba continued his late-season surge with an 80, always-steady senior Andrew Klafczynski added an 81 and sophomore Ross Scherler (82) capped the scoring.

There were no elaborate celebrations or beaming smiles. The Suburban League American Division champion Hornets expected to advance and felt they should have played better.

That was because they knew scores were a little high across the board, as the previous four sectional winners shot 303, 318, 307 and 309.

“We’re definitely happy,” Dubiel said. “Everyone’s disappointed with how they played, but we all played decent enough. We can all put the round behind us now and move on to districts.”

Greater Cleveland Conference kingpin Medina had a similar feeling, as it will make a return trip to districts in Chris Miller’s first year as coach.

Senior All-Gazette choice Joe Kerrigan’s 77 was the top score on the board for most of the day. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Dustin Buehler eventually came in with a 75, but Kerrigan still was pleased with runner-up medalist.

Junior Tyler Grabowski and senior Hunter Churchman added 81s, while GCC Tournament standout Avery Borak chipped in an 87.

“The whole goal today is to just get to districts, so as a team we got there,” Kerrigan said. “I played pretty decent. I had a solid front side — I shot even — and I kind of lost it a little on the back, but all in all it was a solid day.

“We could have played a little bit better, but I think we can build off this and go a little further next week.”

Brunswick (336) was six strokes behind the final sectional berth, as sophomores Max Toom (84) and Evan Gray (84) led the way.

Wadsworth (340) finished a disappointing ninth on its home course — Justin Vaughan (80) missed an individual district bid by one stroke — while Greg Briggs’ 85 paced Cloverleaf (15th, 388), which was without No. 2 Andrew Young (post-secondary tests).

Results
NORTON — Results from the Barberton Brookside Division I Sectional at par-72 Barberton Brookside C.C.:
Team standings (top 4 advance to Pine Hills District): 1. Highland 322, 2. Medina 326, 3. Wooster 330, 4. Revere 330, 5. Tallmadge 335, 6. Brunswick 336, 7. Hoban 337, 8. Copley 339, 9. Wadsworth 340, 10. St. Vincent-St. Mary 353, 11. Norton 354, 12. Ellet 363, 13. Firestone 363, 14. Barberton 384, 15. Cloverleaf 388,16. Coventry 390, 17. Springfield 402.
Highland (322): Chad Dubiel 79, Robby Guba 80, Andrew Klafczynski 81, Ross Scherler 82, David Laib 89.
Medina (326): Joe Kerrigan 77, Tyler Grabowski 81, Hunter Churchman 81, Avery Borak 87, Colin McClowry 93.
Brunswick (336): Max Toom 82, Evan Gray 84, Cameron MacLellan 85, Preston Levandowski 85, Jonathan Cappallozzo 100.
Wadsworth (340): Justin Vaughan 80, Alex Moran 85, Jake Braumbaugh 86, A.J. Arch 89, Nick Hassinger 92.
Cloverleaf (388): Greg Briggs 85, Jake Stevens 89, Jack Lewarchick 94, Dylan Phillips 120, Frank English 131.
Individual qualifiers: Dustin Buehler (St. Vincent-St. Mary) 75, J.T. Forester (Co) 78, Justin Bisesi (Hoban) 79, Jared Landwehr (Tallmadge) 79.

SULLIVAN TWP. — Accepting anything less than perfection is not an option for Justin Lowry, Trevor Thome and the rest of the Buckeye football team.

Buckeye’s Justin Lowry (11) breaks up a pass intended for Black River’s Allan Benson during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Minutes after slowly but surely beating the tar out of archrival Black River 48-7 Friday, Lowry and Thome all but thanked the Pirates for giving them a game for 2ﾽ quarters.

With the Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division game of the year on tap next week when Firelands (6-1, 2-0) travels to Edwin Steingass Field, the Bucks (7-0, 2-0) needed to find out what their flaws were, no matter how minor they might seem to the average fan.

Buckeye trailed 7-6 after one quarter and had to make two red zone stops to prevent Black River from cutting the deficit to two touchdowns. The Bucks again did a ton of things well and the defense was stellar, but they clearly were caught off-guard when the struggling Pirates (3-4, 0-2) played physically early on.

That can’t happen against Falcons All-Ohio quarterback Brad Thrasher next week.

“(The win) feels great, but you know what? I don’t think we played our greatest,” Lowry said. “We haven’t really gotten hit, and I think (Black River) came ready to play and we were expecting another easy win. But, you know what? I think we got in the zone and starting playing good.

“It shows us we’re not as great as we think we (are), but we can be great if we’re focused.”

The game still readily belonged to Buckeye despite the slow start.

Lowry had two touchdown receptions from Nathan Polidori (9 carries, 39 yards, TD; 5-for-7, 84 yards, 3 TDs), picked off Mike Hazlett on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line late in the first half and broke up two other passes, while the inside running game made possible by linemen Brad Calta, Bruce Barnby, Jack Schroeder, Jalin Brock, Jaret Yohman and Hunter Gray shined after it became clear Black River was focused on containing the Bucks’ signature jet sweep.

The inside run game allowed Thome to have another standout night. The All-Ohioan had 13 carries for a season-high 171 yards, including TDs of 7 and 76 yards. He also had no fewer than 21 rushing yards on four of Buckeye’s first five scoring drives and set up the other with a 61-yard punt return.

Justin Canedy (11-yard reception) and backup quarterback Adam Fauver (37-yard run) found the end zone as well as the Bucks increased their scoring average to 44.7 points.

“It was kind of a wake-up call, you know?” Thome said. “Teams aren’t just going to roll over when we come out here and play just because we’re undefeated. This was good for us.”

With the Bucks’ Yohman, Calta, Barnby Kyle Svagerko, Dustin McCullough and Dominick Kriz factoring in tackles for loss when the score was still respectable, Black River couldn’t string much together outside of a seven-play, 52-yard scoring drive that ended in a Travis Sexton 15-yard TD with 1:15 left in the first quarter.

The Pirates trailed 28-7 late in the half when Hazlett (8-for-17, 78 yards) scrambled for 19 yards on fourth-and-13 to set up first-and-goal from the 3. The drive stalled on fourth down when Lowry intercepted a slant intended for Medina County leading receiver Allan Benson.

“I knew it was a crucial play,” Lowry said. “No 13, Benson, he’s a great athlete. … I had a feeling that was going to be the play call.”

A similar story happened to start the third, as Black River recovered an onside kick and burned 4:33 off the clock. First-and-10 from the 17 resulted in zero points, as Kriz sacked Hazlett on fourth down.

“I knew they were an explosive team,” said Pirates coach Al Young, whose team also dropped an interception while trailing 14-7. “They’re fast. They’re a good team — a great team — and I knew we had to have a lot of things go our way. … We left a couple touchdowns out there that hurt.”

That was really all the Pirates had left in the tank, as Thome trucked a defender in front of his own sideline on the 76-yard TD — his eighth career score of more than 50 yards — and Lowry caught a textbook 27-yard fade from Polidori late in the third.

The rest of the night belonged to Buckeye’s backups, as Fauver was the game’s second-leading rusher with 75 yards on five carries despite Black River gaining 20, 10 and 13 yards on the final three plays.

“Discipline played a big part in it,” Thome said. “Everyone was disciplined and did their job. Do your job and things take care of themselves. That’s what we did.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Buckeye 48, Black River 7

BUCKEYE            6  22  14  6  — 48

BLACK RIVER   7   0    0   0  —   7

First

Bu — Justin Lowry 31 pass from Nathan Polidori (kick failed), 8:06.

BR — Travis Sexton 15 run (Corey Bartolic kick), 1:15.

Second

Bu — Polidori 14 run (Polidori run), 11:08.

Bu — Trevor Thome 7 run (Richard Gatt kick), 7:19.

Bu — Justin Canedy 11 pass from Polidori (Gatt kick), 3:31.

Third

Bu — Thome 76 run (Gatt kick), 6:33.

Bu — Lowry 27 pass from Polidori (Gatt kick), 3:30.

Fourth

Bu — Aaron Fauver 37 run (pass failed), 3:49.

SULLIVAN TWP. — There’s no place in the world Jake Wright would rather be.

The Black River school board is expected to make Wright’s dream a reality Oct. 22 and accept athletic director Josh Calame’s recommendation for Wright to become baseball coach.

The 23-year-old Black River graduate and substitute teacher replaces Dan Kopronica, who resigned after compiling a 25-28-1 record over two seasons.

“It’s a dream come true,” Wright said. “I’ve known that I wanted to become a coach since I was a freshman in high school. It goes back to my childhood when I was the bat boy for the Black River teams that my uncle Steve (Ensign) was coaching.

“I feel so much pride for this school, and it’s so exciting and humbling to have this opportunity.”

Wright compiled a 29-15 record as the Pirates’ junior varsity coach. The Spencer Township resident was an honorable mention All-Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division outfielder as a senior in 2010, hitting .395 with five home runs and 24 RBIs.

Engaged to his high school sweetheart, Ashley Wine, and a father-to-be, Wright is aware the Pirates haven’t been serious contenders in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

“Our goal is to compete in every game and put ourselves in a position to contend for the conference in the latter stage of the season,” he said. “As a program, we haven’t won a conference championship since (1993), and there’s a lot of great teams in our league (Firelands, Keystone, Buckeye), so I know it’s not going to be an easy task.”

The Pirates were 11-6-1, 5-10-1 last spring but closed with seven wins over their final 12 games. Colin Filak (.333, 14 stolen bases), Seth Pluta (3.46 ERA, 42 strikeouts), Travis Sexton (.291, 14 RBIs) and Derek Hawley (.313, 12 runs) are the top returnees.

Coaching certainly is in Wright’s blood, as he is the nephew of not only Ensign but former Pirates softball coach Amy Wright as well.

Suffice it to say, he can’t wait to get started.

“Long term I want to really focus on building our program from the ground up,” he said. “I have a good relationship with the guys who run our youth program, and we want to bolster that as much as possible through quality coaching and fundamental focus.

“Eventually, we want to become a program that competes for PAC championships on a regular basis.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

MASSILLON — The Legends of Massillon Division I District was expected to be a wild race Tuesday, but no one could have predicted this.

Standout Highland girls golfer Madison Butler tied four others for medalist honors with a 1-over-par 73 on a gloomy, windy day in Stark County, while All-Gazette teammates Alicia Porvasnik (76) and Christina Williams (79) gave the Hornets the distinction as the only team out of 16 to have three players in the 70s.

The catch is the top four scores count in high school golf. Suburban League American Division champion Highland didn’t get another below 100 and finished at 331 — seven strokes off a state tournament berth and 11th place in a historically deep field.

The final minutes of scoreboard-watching at the Legends of Massillon Golf Club felt like a bad dream.

“This is the first year (since 2008) that we haven’t made it as a team, so obviously we’re all a little disappointed,” Butler said moments before receiving a hug from Massillon Jackson No. 1 Hannah Lemons. “Me going as an individual is definitely something new, but I’m excited.

“The team tried really hard today. It was definitely tough conditions being cold and windy and the greens being aerated (two weeks ago). We tried our hardest. We just couldn’t do it.”

GlenOak (318), Avon (318), Green (321), Jackson (323) and Dover (325) advanced on a day in which 11 teams shot 339 or lower. That had been the average fifth score since the number of state qualifiers from the district expanded to five in 2011.

Just as remarkable, Porvasnik’s very solid 76 wasn’t good enough individually, as Boardman’s Jactina Pikunas and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s Reva Morris outlasted Solon’s Jessica Wang in a playoff after all three players shot 74. For comparison’s sake, 77 was the top individual qualifying score when Porvasnik’s sister, Jessica, was a sophomore in 2010.

Though Butler flashed a few smiles knowing she was headed to Columbus next week, the other Highland players were in shock. Coach Mary Becker told them they needed to use that heartbreak as motivation a la Green, which finished one stroke shy of a state berth in 2014 and played with a collective chip on its shoulder this fall.

“We just talked and said we’re not going to hang our heads,” Becker said. “We played good. We just didn’t play good enough. There was a lot of great competition today.”

The consolation prize was Butler, who further cemented her place among the Northeast Ohio elite by matching Roosevelt’s Kory Nielsen, GlenOak’s Jessica Hahn, Green’s Abbie Pearce and Boardman’s Jenna Vivo atop the leaderboard.

Butler, a 5-foot-6 junior, had another consistent day with 15 pars, two bogeys and one birdie. The three-year starter readily laughed after “dribbling” the ball off the fourth tee of the East Course early in her round, but rebounded with a birdie three holes later and recorded par on 10 of her final 11.

“(The scores) were crazy,” Butler said. “I was talking to someone, and they were like, ‘This is basically the state tournament.’ These are the top teams. With our district being so good, there are a lot of good teams that sadly don’t make it out of here.”

Wadsworth star Secilia Ho couldn’t get any momentum going and finished with an 85. The freshman tied for eighth out of 16 unattached players.

“I thought it was an awesome experience because I never thought I would make it this far,” she said. “It was really fun.

“My team supported me throughout the whole day. As I was playing, they were texting my coach (Joe Gaudio) and asking, ‘Oh, how’s she doing?’ while they were at school. It was really cool.”

Contact Albert Grindle at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Results
MASSILLON — Results from the Legends of Massillon Division I District at par-72 Legends of Massillon Golf Club’s South and East courses:
Team standings (top 5 advance to Oct. 23-24 state tournament): 1. GlenOak 318, 2. Avon 318, 3. Green 321, 4. Massillon Jackson 323, 5. Dover 325, 6. Solon 326, 7. Kent Roosevelt 329, 8. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 330, 9. Hathaway Brown 330, 10. Boardman 330, 11. Highland 331, 12. Walsh Jesuit 340, 13. Canfield 359, 14. Magnificat 365, 15. Avon Lake 369, 16. Brecksville 393.
Individual qualifiers: Jenna Vivo (Bo) 73, Kory Nielsen (R) 73, Madison Butler (Hi) 73, Jacinta Pikunas (Bo) 74, Reva Morris (NDCL) 74.
Highland (331): Madison Butler 73, Alicia Porvasnik 76, Christina Williams 79, Ruby Swan 103, Sara Haller 108.
Other county participant: Secilia Ho (Wadsworth) 85.

HINCKLEY TWP. — Minutes after turning in his scorecard, Medina ace Joe Kerrigan wandered alone outside the clubhouse. The senior didn’t say a word, as his hands were over his mouth, eyes as wide as golf balls in disbelief.

Joe Kerrigan

Roughly a half-hour earlier, 2015 Medina graduate Andrew DeLaat, who was in attendance supporting his former teammates, had taken the same path within view of the scoreboard and said aloud to no one in particular, “This is insane.”

The reactions were just.

Considered at best an on-the-fringe team to even advance out of the Pine Hills Division I District on Wednesday, the Medina golfers played beyond their wildest dreams and stunned everyone by winning the 20-team event with an 18-over-par 302.

Coach Chris Miller’s team needed every bit of that score, too, as Boardman (303), St. Ignatius (304), Walsh Jesuit (307) and St. Edward (307) also qualified for the Oct. 23-24 state tournament on another cloudy, chilly and wildly competitive mid-October day on West 130th Street.

“I’m at a loss for words,” Kerrigan said. “This is mind-blowing. I knew we had potential, but to win districts — not only to get out — is absolutely incredible.”

Medina entered as an afterthought despite being one of the hotter teams in Northeast Ohio. The outsider reasoning was understandable, as the Bees’ 162.2 nine-hole average coming into the day wasn’t elite and they were coming off a so-so 326 at sectionals.

Tyler Grabowski

What Kerrigan, Tyler Grabowski, Hunter Churchman, Avery Borak and Colin McClowry had working for them was familiarity and confidence with Pine Hills after shooting 305 there two weeks ago to win the Greater Cleveland Conference Tournament.

The results Wednesday, even with nerves at a fever pitch, were nothing short of magnificent, and the Bees couldn’t hide their excitement after winning the fourth district championship in school history (1994, 2005, 2010).

“Winning the district title on a team that was the underdog the entire year is a great cap to my senior year,” Churchman said. “I knew today’s round was win or go home, and I just didn’t want to have to go home.

“We shot 305 a few weeks ago at Pine Hills, and we knew if we played our game we would move on.”

Kerrigan’s 2-over 73 tied for seventh individually. A first-year starter, Churchman bettered his previous career low by four strokes with a 74 that tied for ninth. Grabowski’s 75 matched a career low set two weeks ago at the GCC tourney, while McClowry, a freshman, smashed his by five with an 80.

KRISTIN BAUER | GAZETTE Medina High School’s Colin McClowry drives the ball while playing in a golf tournament at Pine Hills on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 14.

All-Gazette pick Kerrigan considered his round a grind after five bogeys and three birdies. Grabowski rode a hot driver and putter that resulted in a team-high four birdies, while Churchman (2 birdies) and McClowry (2) simply stepped up their games on the biggest stage of their lives — at least until next week at the Ohio State University Golf Club in Columbus.

The margin of error ended up being very slim, too, as only 10 strokes separated first and 10th place.

“I’m in shock right now,” Grabowski said. “I mean, no one thought we’d get this far, and no one thought we’d win districts. I’m just happy for the whole team. I thought we had a chance to get out. I didn’t think we’d win districts. I didn’t think we had a chance.”

The mood wasn’t nearly as upbeat for Highland, which shot 333 on its home course and finished 18th eight days after winning the Barberton Brookside Sectional.

Senior Chad Dubiel, the Suburban League American Division MVP, led the Hornets with an 81 and preferred to look at the big picture as his team was playing in its fourth district tournament in the last five years.

“As a team, I think we knew it was a long shot, especially when we looked at the scores,” he said. “I mean, we can’t be mad. We didn’t play as well as we know we can, but our best round of the year (316) wouldn’t have put us close to 307. It is what it is.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Results
HINCKLEY TWP. — Results from the Pine Hills Division I District at par-71 Pine Hills G.C.:
Team standings (top 5 advance to Oct. 23-24 state tournament): 1. Medina 302, 2. Boardman (303), 3. St. Ignatius 304, 4. Walsh Jesuit (307), 5. St. Edward (307), 6. Westlake 308, 7. Rocky River 311, 8. Hudson 311. 9. Mentor Lake Catholic 312, 10. University School 312, 11. Massillon Perry 319, 12. North Royalton 323, 13. Wooster 323, 14. Chagrin Falls 325, 15. Revere 328, 16. Massillon Jackson 329, 16. Uniontown Lake 329, 18. Highland 333, 19. Painesville Riverside 348, 20. Eastlake North 383.
Individual qualifiers: Will Kurtz (Hud) 70, Austin Adams (LC) 70, Anthony Jilius (Riv) 71, Brian Tucci (RR) 74, Daniel Berlin (CF) 74.
Medina (302): Joe Kerrigan 73, Hunter Churchman 74, Tyler Grabowski 75, Colin McClowry 80, Avery Borak 85.
Highland (333): Chad Dubiel 81, David Laib 82, Andrew Klafczynski 83, Robby Guba 87, Ross Scherler 89.

YORK TWP. — Pick your poison: A dangerous, scrambling quarterback operating a unique offense behind a college-sized offensive line or a hard-hitting defense that already has four shutouts.

The Firelands football team has the full attention of undefeated Buckeye.

With all due respect to sub.-.500 Cloverleaf, Fairview, Clearview, Wellington and Black River, the Bucks (7-0, 2-0) are ready for their first true showdown since handing athletic Rocky River its only loss of the season in Week 2. The experienced Falcons (6-1, 2-0) would love nothing more than to knock off the heavy Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division favorites.

“It’s indescribable,” Buckeye fullback/linebacker Kyle Svagerko said. “A lot of pressure is on us. This is it. You got to be 8-0 to be 10-0, so this game is very important to us.”

Two years removed from an 0-10 season, Firelands coach Mike Passaerrello’s team has outscored opponents 240-31 since losing to Milan Edison 33-17 in the opener. The lone scare was 19-13 against much-improved Brookside.

Slick-cutting All-Ohio quarterback Brad Thrasher is clearly the biggest name, and the senior three-year starter has the stats to back up the hype with 113 carries for 870 yards and 17 touchdowns while also completing 34-for-51 passes (66.7 percent) for 537 yards and six more scores.

What fans notice first, however, is the offensive line of Ty Wilson (6-foot-6, 275 pounds), Kyle Slack (6-2, 230), Ben Marcovitch (6-2, 290), All-Ohioan Jake Grasso (6-0, 280) and Trevor Stefanski (6-3, 315) that averages 6-3, 278. For comparison’s sake, Division III college superpower Mount Union averages 6-2, 268 and Buckeye 6-1, 236.

“We’ve got to remember why we’re here,” said Buckeye two-way lineman Bruce Barnby, the team’s largest starter at 6-5, 265. “I said this in Week 3, and I still (believe) it: We don’t know how good we are yet. I definitely think we have a lot of untapped potential that we need to find within ourselves. We need to stick together, basically.”

The Falcons are run-heavy and not as explosive as high-octane Rocky River, but the hybrid Pistol offense incorporates varying concepts. The jet sweep and complementary double-handoff counter are prevalent, but plenty of read-options get Thrasher, slotback Michael Whitacre (51 carries, 440 yards, 2 TDs), halfback Aaron Stevanus (55, 278, 3) and slotback Nick Denney (30, 427, 5) involved and create play-action opportunities for 6-foot-5 wideout Collin Myers (15 receptions, 251 yards, 4 TDs).

In fact, the go-to play is a zone read in which Trasher and the halfback share possession while running into the teeth of the defense. It’s the same play Buckeye’s Michael Kelly and Ryan McCormick rode on their way to the 2009 playoffs.

Buckeye counters with a fast, intelligent defense that leads Medina County in scoring (8.9 ppg) and yardage (161.6) by significant margins. The Bucks also have 13 turnovers, 45 tackles for loss (22 sacks) and 22 pass breakups despite the first string not playing a full game six times this season.

“I haven’t seen any offense like this,” Svagerko said. “There are different looks they can run out of it, like for instance when they run the quarterback and they have it in the running back’s arms the whole time. We haven’t seen that all year, and I think that’s what makes it so hard to defend. Teams haven’t seen it, so it’s harder to defend.

“Stopping the quarterback is probably the most important thing, and I think if we can do that, we’ll be 8-0.”

The Bucks’ offense will have, without question, its biggest test of the regular season against a Falcons defense that is allowing 177.4 yards per game while forcing 13 turnovers and recording 52 tackles for loss. Again the line battle will be critical, as end Aaron Miller (14 tackles for loss, 5 sacks) and tackle Grasso (5, 1) were All-Ohioans last season.

Behind the three-headed monster of Nathan Polidori (1,128 yards offense, 18 total TDs), Trevor Thome (845 yards from scrimmage, 116 points) and Nathan Scott (465, 60) — slotback Justin Canedy and wideout Justin Lowry (10 receptions, 227 yards, 3 TDs) also have been key factors recently — Buckeye remains on pace to break the 47-year-old county record for scoring with 44.7 points per game.

The Bucks also are on pace to reach their goal of a 10-0 regular season.

“I’m really looking forward to it, and I think these guys are, too,” Barnby said. “Not to dog the other teams, but (Firelands) is bigger and they hustle a lot more than other teams we’ve faced. I think it will be a great challenge and good exposure.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

YORK TWP. — Quarterback Nathan Polidori passionately leading the postgame B-U-C-K-E-Y-E chant and the celebratory banging of helmets against lockers probably were heard 30 miles away in northwestern Lorain County.

Buckeye’s Nathan Scott runs away from Fireland’s Aaron Miller during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Those messages were proudly brought to you by the Buckeye football team, which is 96 minutes from a 10-0 regular season.

Getting near-perfect play from offensive linemen Hunter Gray, Jalin Brock, Brad Calta, Dominick Kriz and Bruce Barnby while running the jet sweep down the defense’s throat Friday, the Bucks obliterated previously red-hot Firelands 42-7 to take sole possession of first place in the Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division.

The juicy statistic: Buckeye (8-0, 3-0) gained 300 yards on 17 plays in the first half.

“I’m ecstatic right now. I really don’t know what to say,” said Barnby, who celebrated his 18th birthday and won $9 on a scratch-off lottery ticket earlier in the day. “I really love how we all stuck together.”

Lining up in a tight, double-slot formation almost exclusively over the first two quarters, Buckeye kept dialing up its signature jet sweep with fullback Kyle Svagerko lead blocking for All-Gazette studs Nathan Scott (7 carries, 111 yards, TD) and Trevor Thome (10, 111, 2), daring the touted defense of the Falcons (6-2, 2-1) to stop it.

Despite a solid showing from All-Ohio end Aaron Miller, Firelands never did.

Coach Mark Pinzone’s Bucks scored touchdowns on two of their first five plays, and their first nine snaps covered 13, 11, 11, 28, 84, 13, 2, 27 and 11 yards — an eye-popping 21 average — as Polidori (7 carries, 121 yards; 4-for-5, 72 yards) joined Scott and Thome in the 100-yard club.

Of the 300 first-half yards, 298 featured pre-snap jet motion. The lone play that didn’t was a 2-yard TD by Thome on a counter trey that made the score 28-7 one second before halftime.

All of this came against a Firelands defense that allowed a paltry average of 148.2 yards during its now-history six-game winning streak.

“It’s the way we executed,” Calta said. “We work very hard on the jet. It just all fell together tonight.”

Buckeye started lightning-fast, needing only four plays — all jet sweeps — and 1:30 to score, as Scott went in from 28 yards. A fourth-down stop by the defense then led to Polidori faking a jet and rumbling 84 yards, giving the Bucks 147 yards and 14 points on their first five plays.

Aided by a questionable pass interference penalty on third down, Firelands answered down 21-0 when All-Ohio quarterback Brad Thrasher (21 carries, 98 yards; 6-for-14, 56 yards) went in from a yard out with 25 seconds remaining in the half.

The Falcons were slated to receive the opening kickoff of the third quarter, too, and appeared to have salvaged much-needed momentum.

But Buckeye wasn’t done.

Seeing Firelands was in a prevent defense, the Bucks called another jet and Scott zipped down the sideline for 33 yards before tweaking his left hamstring. Polidori then nailed Justin Lowry (2 catches, 53 yards) for a 26-yard gain to the 2, where Thome easily reached the end zone off left tackle.

That’s 24 seconds to run three plays, cover 61 yards and power punch Firelands square in the jaw.

“We took hard steps and we didn’t let anything get to us,” Barnby said. “All we thought about was winning the game, and we made it happen.”

The underrated Buckeye defense was stereotypical bend-but-don’t-break. Facing a unique Pistol offense featuring jet sweeps, counters, read options and a line that averaged 6-foot-3, 278 pounds, the Bucks endured 11-, 14- and 11-play drives in the first half but yielded only once.

A big reason for that was clutch play near the red zone, as Scott tackled receiver Colin Myers (5 receptions, 35 yards) at the 16-yard line and just shy of the marker on fourth down. Scott later broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Myers with the ball on the 27.

Buckeye, which didn’t face third down or punt until midway through the third quarter, turned both stops into touchdowns and, using that momentum, held the Falcons to 92 yards while forcing two turnovers in the second half.

Calta was a load with two tackles for loss (sack) and a forced fumble, linebackers Svagerko (sack), Dustin McCullough (fumble recovery) and Jaret Yohman hounded Trasher and slotbacks Mike Whitacre (12 carries, 51 yards) and Nick Denney (3, 3), and cornerback Lowry was a big reason why Myers only had one reception in the second half.

“On the season, (Firelands) pretty much had a lot of success,” Scott said. “We watched film all week. We prepared to see what they did, and we just lined up and played.”

Next up: Another game with first-place implications, this time at Keystone (3-5, 2-1).

“I don’t know if I can put this into words,” Calta said. “It’s just a great victory, that’s all.”

Contact Albert Grindle (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Buckeye 42, Firelands 7

FIRELANDS                                0    7   0  0  —    7

BUCKEYE                                  14  14  7  7  —  42

First

B — Nathan Scott 28 run (Richard Gatt kick), 10:30.

B — Nathan Polidori 84 run (Gatt kick), 5:08.

Second

B — Trevor Thome 17 run (Gatt kick), 5:31.

F — Brad Thrasher 1 run (Ethan Hayes kick), 0:25.

B — Thome 2 run (Gatt kick), 0:01.

Third

B — Polidori 3 run (Gatt kick), 0:58.

B — Polidori 13 run (Gatt kick), 7:46.

Not even the players could have predicted with a clear conscience on Sept. 14 that Medina’s boys golf team was going to make the Division I state tournament.

Medina’s boys golf team is headed for the state tournament this weekend in Columbus. Front row, from left: Colin McClowry, Zach Wagner and Avery Borak. Back row, from left: Tyler Grabowski, Hunter Churchman and Joe Kerrigan. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The Bees shot 340 that day to tie for 16th out of 26 teams at the loaded Wooster Invitational. They were struggling — at least by Medina standards set over the last 10 years — and consistently failing to break 320.

Flash forward 5½ weeks and Medina is a district champion as it heads to Columbus for the big dance Friday and Saturday morning at Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course.

So, how did the Bees’ drastic midseason improvement happen? Even first-year coach Chris Miller doesn’t have a specific answer, instead pointing to the age-old cliché of confidence.

“It’s been nothing but exciting,” Miller said. “When I got the job, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to do the best I can.’ We weren’t sure how good we were supposed to be and, on paper, it may have even looked like a down year.

“We started out a little slow, but toward the end of the year we started to peak and we started to think, ‘You know, we have a shot.’”

The much-needed boost came in the form of Medina’s home course, Fox Meadow Country Club, as the Bees shot a blistering 300 at the third Greater Cleveland Conference Tournament one day after the Wooster showing.

There has been nothing resembling a hiccup since, as Medina won the final GCC Tournament by 21 strokes, took second at the Barberton Brookside Sectional and shocked Northeast Ohio by winning the Pine Hills District with a 302.

The Bees’ season average through Sept. 14 was 164.6.

That number since: 156.4.

“Shooting 340 didn’t sit well with us, and we knew we would need to improve if we to advance (to state) at all by the end of the year,” three-year starter and ace Joe Kerrigan said. “I think there were some attitude changes and a little bit of more focus after that day. Also, I think we practiced a little bit harder after that and maybe got a couple more hours of practice in other than our scheduled ones throughout the week.”

The standout veterans have certainly helped, as Kerrigan and fellow three-year starter Tyler Grabowksi have posted very strong 37.4 and 38.2 averages since that frustrating day in Wayne County.

The true X-factors for Medina’s rapid turnaround, however, have the rapid improvements of senior Hunter Churchman, junior Avery Borak and freshman Colin McClowry.

Each one has stepped up at a different time. Borak shot 75 and 74 at the final two GCC Tournaments, while Churchman (74) and McClowry (80) crushed their career lows last week at the Pine Hills District.

While no one is boldly guaranteeing a state title, the Bees know they wouldn’t be in this position without the bottom of the lineup.

“Everyone is playing good,” Grabowski said. “It helps when, including Colin, you have five guys who are just playing solid golf through districts.”

Medina’s path to history is going to be tough, as OSU’s hilly, bunker-filled Scarlet Course is notoriously difficult and often separates the men from the boys. Columbus-area power Dublin Jerome and mega-sized private schools St. Xavier and St. Ignatius are considered the favorites, and the first day will be critical since the Bees will be playing with fellow district winners Jerome and Sylvania Northview.

That doesn’t mean Medina is content with just being there, as the Bees believe matching their Medina County record of fifth place (2010, 2012) is a realistic goal.

Being arguably the hottest team in the state has its perks.

“I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to win it,” Miller said. “Our expectation is we want to compete. We’d like to at least be in the top half and, if we played like we did at districts, maybe we’ll be in the hunt.”

Highland star Madison Butler is taking a similar approach, as her medalist-tying 73 last week is tied for the lowest district score among all 72 state participants.

The junior has been one of the most consistent Northeast Ohio players, boy or girl, all season, though she won’t have her teammates at her side for her third state appearance as the Hornets failed to advance out of the Legends of Massillon District.

As such, she will play the Gray Course with fellow individual qualifiers Sylvania Northview’s Ashley Knight and Leyton Cincinnati Ursuline Academy’s Leyton Brumfield.

Like the Medina boys, the mature-beyond-her-years Butler isn’t zeroed in on an extravagant goal, even though All-Ohio status appears to be a wide-open race.

“I’m really excited,” said Butler, who finished seven strokes shy of All-Ohio honors last fall. “It’s supposed to be nice weather and I’ve played the course many times, so I’m not putting any expectations of, ‘Oh, I need to this,’ because I want to have fun. I made it there and I don’t want to feel any pressure.

“Definitely short game has to be on point. With girls playing longer yardage than we have all year, if you don’t hit the ball as far, you definitely have to have a good short game in case you miss a green. That’s the thing you have to do to not take any big numbers.”

GRANGER TWP. — With its Suburban League American Division title hopes hanging in the balance Friday, Highland’s football team turned to a pair of unlikely heroes on senior night.

Highland’s Ethan Suran (29), Chris Burnside (5), Tyler Frederick (50) and Joey D’Amico (71) gang tackle Barberton’s Brandon McCall during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Cornerback Jake Mall had the game of his life and running back Manny Dela Cerna burst through the line like a mad man in the first half — both players are technically backups at those positions — as the Hornets dominated Barberton 24-12 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates.

Already in prime position to make the Division II, Region 4 playoffs, Highland (6-3, 4-1) will clinch a share of the inaugural SL American title with a victory at Kent Roosevelt (3-6, 1-4) next week.

“We wanted this one,” Dela Cerna said. “All the underclassmen, they knew how much this meant to us (seniors).”

The biggest storyline was Mall, who became the object of the Magics’ game plan after the Hornets’ defensive line of Tyler Frederick, Joey D’Amico, Zach Filips, Jacob Scavuzzo and Kyle Duale kept 1,500-yard rusher Brandon McCall (20 carries, 75 yards) from getting anything going.

A junior who started two games earlier in the year when free safety Taran Treb tore ligaments in his hand, Mall got the nod at corner Friday in place of injured sophomore Evan Kasulones (groin).

The 6-foot-1, 150-pounder was everywhere.

Mall finished with two pass breakups on fourth down and another on a near-interception in the end zone. He also got McCall in the backfield for a 2-yard loss, had textbook coverage on five deep incompletions, an interception that was negated by penalty, a tackle on the opening kickoff and recovered an onside kick attempt by the Magics.

“Coaches have been helping me out, (Dela Cerna), the other corner, he’s been teaching me up,” Mall said. “I just kept my head up from the bad games and kept going on.

“(Being thrown at), it motivates me. If they want to come after me, I’ll play defense.”

Mall spearheaded a second straight standout effort by the defense, as Barberton had only 125 yards total offense — McCall had 12 carries for 26 yards — when Highland went up 24-0 late in third quarter.

Solid coverage also flustered up-and-coming Barberton quarterback Zane Ries, who was 10-for-34 for 159 yards and two garbage-time TD passes to fellow sophomore Garrett Turnbaugh (5 catches, 110 yards).

Frederick had another big game with two sacks and a blocked extra point, Filips added two hurries and linebacker Michael Oriti had an acrobatic interception.

Barberton converted only 2-of-17 third downs and saw McCall stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with the Magics trailing 14-0 and 49 seconds left in the first half.

“All week Coach (Mike Gibbons) has been telling us, ‘Play all 48 minutes, nothing stops. They can’t stop us if we swarm to the ball,’” Filips said. “We all gave maximum effort the entire game and that really brought it together for all of us.”

The Highland offense was rolling early behind Dela Cerna, though it went lifeless once the big lead was obtained, much like in earlier victories over North Royalton (21-7) and Revere (28-20).

Dela Cerna was a terror in the first quarter, taking read-option handoffs from Tyler Zelinski (18 carries, 3 yards; 5-for-9, 68 yards, TD), running downhill behind All-Ohio center Frederick and violently breaking tackles for extra yardage. Dela Cerna entered the night with 16 carries for 35 yards, but had 10 totes for 88 yards in the opening 12 minutes.

The senior started in place of injured Sam Jenkins (ankle), who was cleared to play but not 100 percent. Dela Cerna finished with 25 carries, 132 yards and two short touchdowns, including one where he jumped over the pile after getting a deep handoff out of the stack-I formation.

Barberton’s stellar linebacker duo of Toriq Ingol (2½ tackles for loss) and Antoine Brown (2 TFL, strip sack, fumble recovery) cooled Dela Cerna in the second half, but Charles Howe booted a career-long 43-yard field goal and Zelinski nailed a wide-open Joe “Tree” Wiencek for a 10-yard TD to put Highland up 24-0 with 4:16 left in the third.

“I didn’t leave anything out on the field,” Dela Cerna said. “I gave it my all. I knew this was going to be my last game (at North Gateway Tire Field), so I wanted to sell out as much as I could.

“I thanked my O-line for blocking so well and my coaches for coaching me up. I didn’t have that much experience as a running back, but with the help (Jenkins) gave me and my coaches gave me, I had all the tools.”

The night was far from perfect for the Hornets, as interceptions by Mall and Dela Cerna and a fourth-down stop were negated by penalties, an illegal formation called back a 52-yard Dela Cerna TD and Zelinski was pounded in the pocket to the tune of 10 rushes for negative yardage.

The bottom line, though, was Highland got to have an honorary moment for injured tight end/linebacker Brad Kohmann (knee), who trotted out on the field and was the deep man when Zelinski took two knees out of the victory formation.

“We were playing for the seniors,” Mall said. “We wanted to take (the Magics) out.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Highland 24, Barberton 12

HIGHLAND                                0  14  10  0   —  24

BARBERTON                           0   0    0  12  —  12

Second

H — Manny Dela Cerna 1 run (Charles Howe kick), 11:18.

H — Dela Cerna 3 run (Howe kick), 5:01.

Third

H — Howe 43 field goal, 8:27.

H — Joe Wiencek 10 pass from Tyler Zelinski (Howe kick), 4:16.

Fourth

B — Garrett Turnbaugh 13 pass from Zane Ries (pass failed), 7:07.

B — Turnbaugh 26 pass from Ries (kick blocked), 2:58.

Tyler Zelinski’s breakout senior season has been sponsored by former Browns punter Reggie Hodges, cast iron, protein shakes, Chipotle Mexican Grill and 2 a.m. film study.

That’s a lot to digest, so let’s explain.

Highland’s Tyler Zelinski. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Zelinski saw two years ago how a Highland quarterback should act when he was third string behind two-time Gazette MVP Bruce Kinsey and eventual 2014 starter Blake Phelps. Going the extra mile was expected, no questions asked, because brain is more important than brawn in the Hornets’ spread, read-option offense.

So Zelinski hit the weight room, hit the video website Hudl.com even harder and made doubly sure his receivers were prepared.

The right-hander epitomizes the Highland team motto of “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me,” which translates to “If you want something, you have to do the work to get it.”

The results have been solid individual numbers as the Hornets (6-3, 4-1) enter a game at Kent Roosevelt (3-6, 1-4) tonight on the verge of a Suburban League American Division title share and Division II, Region 4 playoff berth.

“He’s a great quarterback,” senior left guard Hunter Rinard said. “He’s a great leader and he leads the offensive line. Even in the Aurora game (a 38-28 upset) in the final minutes he was always repeating, ‘Forty-eight minutes.’ He’s almost like another coach. It’s his first year (as the varsity starter), but he’s always been our quarterback ever since we were in eighth grade.

“It’s amazing. His hard work, it’s almost unreal. That’s why he’s a captain. He’s a captain for a reason.”

To understand how Zelinski has 1,827 yards total offense and accounted for 18 touchdowns this season, one must start in the winter.

Zelinski, who attended St. Albert the Great School in North Royalton through sixth grade, knew his 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame wasn’t big enough to take a season’s worth of varsity pounding. He also knew completing 5-of-23 passes last season as an emergency starter wasn’t going to cut it.

Zelinski helped fix the former by hooking up with Hodges and Pro Sports Performance in Strongsville. A workout regimen revolving around a food plan and protein shakes was implemented, and Zelinski gained 25 pounds while naturally growing two inches. Two-mile trips across town to devour double-wrapped Chipotle burritos didn’t hurt.

The other half of the equation was honed with countless hours of mental reps, as Zelinski strongly suggested to his receivers — Joe Wiencek, Jake Sir Louis, Evan Kasulones, James Rogers and then-healthy Mitchell Hutchings and Brad Kohmann — to stay after practice, run routes and enhance chemistry that was initially developed last fall on the one-loss junior varsity.

The payoff has been significant. Highland’s passing game has been a revelation this season, with Zelinski throwing for 1,161 yards and six different players sporting 100 yards or more receiving.

Zelinski has been the catalyst. Take out blowout losses to 8-1 Ashland and 8-1 Copley — six of his 10 interceptions came in those games — and he’s got a 104.4 QB rating that’s higher than NFL stars Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson.

Zelinski also ranks fifth in Medina County with 666 rushing yards, making up for speed with a Kinsey-like ability to intelligently pick holes, move piles and, most importantly, absorb big-time hits from linebackers.

He’s on pace to join Kinsey (2013) and Jerry Scholle (2011) as Highland players to compile 2,000 yards total offense in a season. Kinsey and Scholle are the only All-Ohio QBs in school history.

“I know my teammates would do the same — we all get hit, we have to get back up,” Zelinski said of his toughness. “I know I have to lead this team. I can’t be lying on the ground, especially if nothing is wrong and I’m pretending to be hurt. I have to get up, be a good leader and be a good role model. I can’t let this team down.”

With added muscle came a hunger for brain food. Like Kinsey did, Zelinski stays up into the early-morning hours watching film after Friday games. What Zelinski does differently, though, is use Hudl.com’s video program to label each play call so he, his coaches and teammates can be more efficient in what they’re studying.

This is why Zelinski has good pocket presence and rarely makes a wrong read on Highland’s signature option runs despite having limited varsity experience entering the season.

It’s also why the Hornets, while inconsistent with a comfortable lead, are averaging 337 yards per game despite returning only starting offensive linemen Tyler Frederick and Hunter Meacham.

“It’s my senior year, so we’re really giving it all we’ve got,” Zelinski said.

Long story short, “Z” is living proof of a high school athlete reaching full potential the old-school way: Through hard work.

“He’s an extremely hard worker and a bright kid,” first-year coach Mike Gibbons said. “He’s been a pleasure to coach. He’s one of my all-time favorites.”

YORK TWP. — Senior Justin Lowry stalked his prey, orange Gatorade cooler in his arms.

Third-year coach Mark Pinzone appeared to be unaware of what was unfolding as his Buckeye football team readied itself for postgame chants. Alas, at the last moment, he instinctively felt No. 11 blitzing hard and ducked as Lowry completely whiffed on his valiant attempt.

Brookside’s Evan Brown-Fugate is swarmed under by Buckeye’s Dustin McCullough, left, John Garner and Jaret Yohman, bottom right, during the second quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Ice dumped directly onto Edwin Steingass Field’s cold, wet grass, but that was the only haunting (yet humorous) mistake Friday as the Bucks completed their dream — a perfect regular season — with a 35-0 victory over upstart Brookside that also clinched the outright Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division championship.

The next step won’t be official until Sunday, when the OHSAA reveals who Buckeye (10-0, 5-0) will battle in the first round of the Division III, Region 7 playoffs. All signs point to West Geauga, (8-2), but the only thing for certain is the game will be in York Township.

The senior-laden Bucks will enjoy the thrill of reaching their primary goal in the meantime.

“It’s an indescribable feeling,” fullback/linebacker Kyle Svagerko said. “We’ve worked so hard for this. It’s really just something you work for, and you don’t know how it’s going to feel like and if it’s going to be worth it. But once you get there, it’s so indescribable. It’s more than worth it.”

While senior star Trevor Thome broke Cory Reisner’s 7-year-old school single-season scoring record on his third touchdown — Thome now has 170 points on the year and 330 in his four-year career — the highly underrated defense stole the show.

The Cardinals (6-4, 3-2), who were seeking their first league title share since 1962, came into play with a solid three-pronged attack of seniors Evan Brown-Fugate (RB), Hunter Schmeltzer (QB) and Dudley Taw (WR). They then grabbed early momentum after recovering a rare Thome fumble.

However, Svagerko, Nathan Polidori and Co. rose to the occasion. Brookside finished with 195 yards total offense on 61 plays (3.2 average), committed four turnovers and never seriously threatened to score.

Svagerko had a huge impact with three tackles for loss (sack) and a thunderous hit on Taw that resulted in a fumble and turnover. Polidori had two interceptions, including one in the end zone, while Thome, Hunter Gray, Jaret Yohman, John Garner and Jacob Kohler added pass breakups.

Taw made a few acrobatic catches and finished with eight receptions for 76 yards, but Brown-Fugate (19 carries, 58 yards) and Schmeltzer (10 carries, minus-7 yards; 14-for-30, 141 yards, 2 interceptions) were limited.

“We stood out,” Svagerko said. “Everyone played to their potential. Everyone played the best they could, and everyone played how they know they can. It really paid off.”

Buckeye shot itself in the foot with two lost fumbles but still led 13-0 with 7:32 left in the second quarter following 5- and 4-yard TD runs by Thome. Polidori (10 carries, 13 yards; 5-for-10, 102 yards) then rolled right, stopped and launched a 53-yard bomb to a wide-open Lowry on third-and-10 to make it 21-0.

Brookside’s enthusiasm was dead after that play, and it showed no sense of urgency. Thome added a 35-yard score in the third quarter when he took a left-side power play, cut upfield and split multiple defenders, while junior varsity quarterback Adam Fauver capped the scoring on a 10-yarder with 5:03 left.

Buckeye still finished with 347 yards total offense despite its signature jet sweep being a total non-factor and All-Gazette slotback Nathan Scott (hamstring) sidelined for the second straight game.

Even when the going got slightly tough, the Bucks kept chugging and eventually overcame everything.

That in a nutshell is why they’re 10-0 for only the second time in school history (2005).

“Sublime,” Polidori said. “That’s a good word to use.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Buckeye 35, Brookside 0

BROOKSIDE       0    0   0   0  —    0

BUCKEYE            7   14  7   7  —  35

First

Bu — Trevor Thome 5 run (Richard Gatt kick), 6:38.

Second

Bu — Thome 4 run (run failed), 7:32.

Bu — Justin Lowry 53 pass from Nathan Polidori (Justin Canedy pass from Polidori), 5:12.

Third

Bu — Thome 35 run (Gatt kick), 6:38.

Fourth

Bu — Adam Fauver 10 run (Gatt kick), 5:03.

Playoff football is returning to Edwin Steingass Field for the first time since 2005.

The OHSAA made that official Sunday when it released the playoff pairings, as undefeated Buckeye will battle West Geauga (9-1) in the Division III, Region 7 first round Friday.

Highland (6-4) will travel to Avon (9-1) for D-II, Region 4 action the same night, marking the third straight season and fourth time in five years the schools will meet in the postseason.

Contrary to what the neighboring Hornets did the last two years by switching their first-round game to North Royalton for safety and revenue reasons, Bucks athletic director Glen Reisner quickly shot down any speculation their game was moving.

Strapping on helmets and shoulder pads at home — their true home — was what the players wanted.

“Everyone on the team, collectively we don’t want to play somewhere else,” star slotback/safety Trevor Thome said. “We want to play at Buckeye. It would mean a lot more to us, and it will be a lot more special there.”

Heading into Week 10 action, the odds favored Buckeye getting a home game against Louisville (9-1). The Bucks put themselves in position with a 35-0 win over Brookside, but Poland Seminary was upset by Canfield 7-6, thus flipping Poland Seminary and Buckeye in the computer ratings.

When the dust settled, the Bucks were the third seed behind parochial superpowers Hoban (9-1) and St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-1), and Louisville instead will travel to Poland Seminary. The Buckeye-West Geauga winner will play either St. Vincent-St. Mary or Canfield (8-2) at a neutral site.

“It was kind of not expected,” Thome said of playing West Geauga. “(The Poland Seminary loss) threw a wrench into things because you didn’t know how everything was going to fall to place. But it worked out, so we were happy.”

The Bucks joined Black River (1996-99), Brunswick (2001-09) and Highland (2013-present) as Medina County schools to qualify for the playoffs in three straight years.

“It says everything about the kids,” said Buckeye coach Mark Pinzone, an assistant on those Blue Devils teams. “They’re a special group of young men.”

On the eastern side of the county, Highland will be looking to regroup after getting upset by Kent Roosevelt in overtime Friday night.

First-year coach Mike Gibbons’ squad put itself in prime position for a postseason berth when it upset then-undefeated Aurora 38-28 in Week 6, but a realistic shot at a first-round home game was lost with losses to sub-.500 Green and Roosevelt.

Regardless, the matchup against Avon was expected — though the feeling of déjà vu remained.

“It seems like lately we’ve been playing them every year,” All-Ohio center Tyler Frederick quipped. “In my case, I’ve won against them (in the 2013 regional finals), and I want to go out on a positive note against them. I know they’re a good team from what I’ve been told and what I’ve seen on film. If we play like we did against Aurora, we’ll have a good shot.”

Other Gazette coverage area schools to make the playoffs were Stow (D-I, Region 1 vs. Berea-Midpark), Elyria (D-I, Region 1 at Olentangy), Euclid (D-I, Region 1 vs. Fitch), Solon (D-I, Region 1 vs. Olentangy Liberty), Mentor (D-I, Region 1 vs. GlenOak), Nordonia and Aurora (D-II, Region 3 at Aurora), Hudson and Copley (D-II, Region 3 at Copley), Firelands and Woodridge (D-IV, Region 11 at Woodridge) and Columbia (D-VI, Region 19 vs. Smithville).

Playoff pairings
DIVISION I
Games at 7 p.m. Saturday
Region 1
No. 16 Cleveland Heights (4-5) at No. 1 St. Edward (9-1), No. 15 Berea-Midpark (6-4) at No. 2 Stow (10-0), No. 14 Elyria (6-4) at No. 3 Olentangy (9-1), No. 13 Toledo Start (9-1) at No. 4 Westerville Central (9-1), No. 12 Austintown Fitch (7-3) at No. 5 Euclid (8-2), No. 11 Canton McKinley (7-3) at No. 6 Toledo Whitmer (8-2), No. 10 Olentangy Liberty (7-3) at No. 7 Solon (8-2), No. 9 Canton GlenOak (7-3) at No. 8 Mentor (7-3).
Region 2
No. 16 Dublin Coffman (7-3) at No. 1 Colerain (9-1), No. 15 Central Crossing (7-3) at No. 2 Hilliard Davidson (9-1), No. 14 Reynoldsburg (7-3) at No. 3 Huber Heights Wayne (10-0), No. 13 Hilliard Darby (8-2) at No. 4 Lancaster (8-2), No. 12 Fairfield (8-2) at No. 5 Cincinnati Elder (7-3), No. 11 Springboro (8-2) at No. 6 Mason (8-2), No. 10 Upper Arlington (7-3) at No. 7 Pickerington Central (8-2), No. 9 Cincinnati St. Xavier (6-4) at No. 8 Gahanna Lincoln (7-3).

DIVISION II
Games at 7:30 p.m. on Friday
Region 3
No. 8 Nordonia (7-3) at No. 1 Aurora (9-1), No. 7 Warren G. Harding (7-3) at No. 2 Madison (9-1), No. 6 Chardon (8-2) at No. 3 Mayfield (9-1), No. 5 Hudson (8-2) at No. 4 Copley (9-1).
Region 4
No. 8 Olmsted Falls (6-4) at No. 1 Midview (10-0), No. 7 North Ridgeville (7-3) at No. 2 Perrysburg (10-0), No. 6 HIGHLAND (6-4) at No. 3 Avon (9-1), No. 5 Holland Springfield (9-1) at No. 4 Glenville (9-1).
Region 5
No. 8 Mansfield Senior (8-2) at No. 1 Massillon Perry (8-2), No. 7 Wooster (8-2) at No. 2 Pataskala Licking Heights (9-1), No. 6 Uniontown Lake (6-4) at No. 3 Worthington Kilbourne (9-1), No. 5 Dresden Tri-Valley (9-1) at No. 4 Boardman (6-4).
Region 6
No. 8 Vandalia Butler (7-3) at No. 1 La Salle (8-2), No. 7 Teays Valley (8-2) at No. 2 Kings (9-1), No. 6 Glen Este (8-2) at No. 3 Cincinnati Turpin (9-1), No. 5 Lima Senior (8-2) at No. 4 Miamisburg (9-1).

DIVISION III
Games at 7:30 p.m. on Friday
Region 7
No. 8 New Philadelphia (8-2) at No. 1 Archbishop Hoban (9-1), No. 7 Canfield (8-2) at No. 2 St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-1), No. 6 West Geauga (9-1) at NO. 3 BUCKEYE (10-0), No. 5 Louisville (9-1) at No. 4 Poland Seminary (9-1).
Region 8
No. 8 Bowling Green (8-2) at No. 1 Benedictine (10-0), No. 7 Rocky River (8-2) at No. 2 Toledo Central Catholic (8-2), No. 6 Sandusky Perkins (8-2) at No. 3 Clyde (9-1), No. 5 Bay (9-1) at No. 4 Ashland (9-1).
Region 9
No. 8 Columbus Bishop Watterson (5-4) at No. 1 Columbus Hamilton Township (8-2), No. 7 Chillicothe (7-3) at No. 2 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (9-1), No. 6 Columbus Beechcroft (7-2) at No. 3 Zanesville (9-1), No. 5 Bexley (8-2) at No. 4 Jackson (9-1).
Region 10
No. 8 Dayton Belmont (7-2) at No. 1 Wapakoneta (10-0), No. 7 Piqua (6-4) at No. 2 Tippecanoe (9-1), No. 6 Celina (7-3) at No. 3 Trotwood-Madison (7-3), No. 5 New Richmond (7-3) at No. 4 Cincinnati Mt. Healthy (7-3).

DIVISION IV
Games at 7 p.m. on Saturday
Region 11
No. 8 Firelands (8-2) at No. 1 Woodridge (10-0), No. 7 Holy Name (7-3) at No. 2 Perry (8-1), No. 6 Cortland Lakeview (7-3) at No. 3 Crestwood (8-2), No. 5 Youngstown Ursuline (5-5) at No. 4 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (7-3).
Region 12
No. 8 Port Clinton (7-3) at No. 1 Bishop Hartley (6-3), No. 7 Bellevue (8-2) at No. 2 Wauseon (9-1), No. 6 Kenton Ridge (7-3) at No. 3 Jonathan Alder (9-1), No. 5 Ottawa-Glandforf (7-3) at No. 4 Lewiston Indian Lake (8-2).
Region 13
No. 8 Wintersville Indian Creek (7-3) at No. 1 Steubenville (9-0), No. 7 Byesville Meadowbrook (9-1) at No. 2 Johnstown-Monroe (10-0), No. 6 Newark Licking Valley (6-4) at No. 3 St. Clairsville (8-1), No. 5 Salem (9-1) at No. 4 Gnadenhutten Indian Valley (9-1).
Region 14
No. 8 Hamilton Badin (7-3) at No. 1 Middletown Bishop Fenwick (10-0), No. 7 Cincinnati Wyoming (8-2) at No. 2 Cincinnati Indian Hill (10-0), No. 6 Cincinnati Taft (7-2) at No. 3 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (9-1), No. 5 Reading (9-1) at No. 4 Kettering Archbishop Alter (9-1).

DIVISION V
Games at 7:30 p.m. on Friday
Region 15
No. 8 Berkshire (6-4) at No. 1 Columbiana Crestview (8-2), No. 7 East Palestine (7-3) at No. 2 Sandy Valley (9-1), No. 6 Hawken (8-2) at No. 3 Canton Central Catholic (7-3), No. 5 LaBrae (8-2) at No. 4 Grand Valley (7-2).
Region 16
No. 8 Galion (7-2) at No. 1 Edison (9-1), No. 7 Rossford (8-2) at No. 2 Norwayne (9-1), No. 6 Chippewa (8-2) at No. 3 Millbury Lake (10-0), No. 5 Waynedale (7-3) at No. 4 Swanton (9-1).
Region 17
No. 8 Ironton (6-4) at No. 1 Wheelersburg (10-0), No. 7 Bidwell River Valley (7-3) at No. 2 Chillicothe Zane Trace (10-0), No. 6 Ironton Rock Hill (6-3) at No. 3 Albany Alexander (9-1), No. 5 Cadiz Harrison Central (8-2) at No. 4 West Lafayette Ridgewood (9-1).
Region 18
No. 8 Carlisle (6-4) at No. 1 Brookville (10-0), No. 7 North Union (5-5) at No. 2 Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (9-1), No. 6 Bethel-Tate (6-3) at No. 3 Coldwater (10-0), No. 5 Jamestown Greeneview (7-3) at No. 4 West Milton Milton-Union (6-4).

DIVISION VI
Games at 7 p.m. on Saturday
Region 19
No. 8 Berlin Center Western Reserve (8-2) at No. 1 Kirtland (9-1), No. 7 Smithville (7-3) at No. 2 Columbia (10-0), No. 6 Cuyahoga Heights (8-2) at No. 3 Columbiana (9-1), No. 5 Brookfield (9-1) at No. 4 Lisbon David Anderson (9-1).
Region 20
No. 8 Delta (6-4) at No. 1 Bucyrus Wynford (9-1), No. 7 Attica Seneca East (8-2) at No. 2 Defiance Tinora (8-1), No. 6 Defiance Ayersville (8-2) at No. 3 Colonel Crawford (9-1), No. 5 Van Buren (7-3) at No. 4 Gibsonburg (10-0).
Region 21
No. 8 Fredericktown (8-2) at No. 1 Beverly Fort Frye (10-0), No. 7 Chesapeake (8-2) at No. 2 Lucasville Valley (8-1), No. 6 Hannibal River (9-1) at No. 3 Grandview Heights (9-1), No. 5 Newark Catholic (8-2) at No. 4 Bainbridge Paint Valley (9-1).
Region 22
No. 8 Casstown Miami East (8-2) at No. 1 Maria Stein Marion Local (9-1), No. 7 Williamsburg (8-2) at No. 2 Mechanicsburg (10-0), No. 6 Spencerville (9-1) at No. 3 Delphos Jefferson (9-1), No. 5 West Liberty-Salem (8-2) at No. 4 Cincinnati Country Day (9-1).

DIVISION VII
Games at 7:30 p.m. on Friday
Region 23
No. 8 Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic (6-4) at No. 1 Warren John F. Kennedy (9-1), No. 7 North Jackson Jackson-Milton (7-3) at No. 2 Mogadore (9-1), No. 6 Monroeville (6-4) at No. 3 Norwalk St. Paul (9-1), No. 5 Vienna Mathews (6-2) at No. 4 Toronto (9-1).
Region 24
No. 8 Convoy Crestview (4-6) at No. 1 McComb (9-1), No. 7 Tiffin Calvert (5-5) at No. 2 Hicksville (8-2), No. 6 West Unity Hilltop (6-4) at No. 3 Lucas (8-1), No. 5 Arlington (5-5) at No. 4 Leipsic (5-5).
Region 25
No. 8 Crown City South Gallia (6-4) at No. 1 Danville (10-0), No. 7 Portsmouth Sciotoville Community (6-4) at No. 2 Caldwell (9-1), No. 6 Shadyside (4-6) at No. 3 Glouster Trimble (8-2), No. 5 Belpre (8-2) at No. 4 Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (8-2).
Region 26
No. 8 Fort Loramie (6-4) at No. 1 Minster (8-2), No. 7 Sidney Lehman Catholic (6-4) at No. 2 Covington (8-2), No. 6 Cincinnati Miami Valley Christian Academy (8-1) at No. 3 Fort Recovery (8-2), No. 5 Ada (6-4) at No. 4 DeGraff Riverside (9-1).

If Kyle Svagerko was paid a dollar for each time he saw fear in an opposing cornerback’s eyes, he’d, well, you know, never be considered poor.

Buckeye fullback Kyle Svagerko (40) looks to block for Trevor Thome on a jet sweep. (RON SCHWANE/GAZETTE)

Touchdowns and personal glory be damned because Svagerko is the ultimate teammate — the unsung hero who does the dirty work so slotbacks Trevor Thome and Nathan Scott can run to daylight and quarterback Nathan Polidori can throw bombs, the one who never complains, the one who couldn’t be nicer off the field but also couldn’t be more physical on it.

The 2015 Buckeye team will forever be known for a 10-0 record in the regular season. The jet sweep also will be prominent in the memory bank, and that play wouldn’t be possible without bulldozer No. 40 burying defenders into the football version of hell — on their back and completely worthless.

The respectful, well-spoken senior, whose Twitter profile picture is of him lead blocking for Scott, apologizes for nothing when it comes to his philosophy.

“(My job on) the jet sweep? Just kill the corner,” Svagerko said. “That’s the only thing I have to do. If I do that, we’re 10, 15 yards and probably a touchdown — mostly touchdowns, you know?

“That’s my job. On the jet, the only thing on my mind is, ‘Kill the corner and knock him down.’ If I pancake him, our guy is running. He’s running for lots of yards. That’s my job, so when I complete it like that, there’s no better feeling.”

Old-school, I-formation fullback in a new-school, spread offense is the best way to describe the 5-foot-8, 183-pounder. He’ll never line up anywhere other than next to shotgun quarterback Polidori and, barring a drastic surprise, won’t lug the pigskin Friday when the third-seeded Bucks host sixth-seeded West Geauga (9-1) in the first round of the Division III, Region 7 playoffs.

Svagerko is more than cool with that. His past explains why, as he was the right guard when the Buckeye Jets (Jaret Yohman, Scott and Bruce Barnby) played the Buckeye Jaguars (Thome, Polidori, Brad Calta, Jack Schroeder, Justin Lowry) in the 2009 Brunswick Blue Devils Youth Football championship game.

To say Svagerko was born for the fullback role is the understatement of the century, as he has thrown the lead block on 24 of the team’s 50 offensive touchdowns this season — 10 on jet sweeps, three on isolation runs and 11 as personal protector for Polidori.

“He plows into everyone as I run by,” Scott said. “That’s Kyle personality. He’s the kind of guy who will do anything for someone he cares for. He cares for all of us, and he’ll do anything for this team.”

“I feel like some people could interpret it wrong, like, ‘Oh, all this kid does is block like another lineman,’ Svagerko added. “But I feel like this is my kind of job. I like to hit people, and our team does a good job of glorifying everyone because if I make a good block on someone, it’s not like I’m going to go unnoticed. Everyone gives me credit for it and everyone pats me on the back. I love that.”

The reward was a one-man drive against Wellington in Week 6.

With the Bucks up 34-0 to start the second half, offensive coordinator Bill Turner decided the time had come for the big dog to eat, and Svagerko’s first carry was a counter trey right in which pulling linemen Hunter Gray and Jalin Brock made a massive hole for a 43-yard gain.

That paled in comparison to the next play, as “Beefcake” ran the same play to the left, patiently waited for the hole and cut right up the field. A safety was waiting at the 8-yard line, so Svagerko lowered his helmet, drilled him squarely between the eyes, spun out of the desperation tackle attempt and rumbled into the end zone without any emotion.

All-Ohioan Thome about lost it in excitement, jumping on Svagerko’s shoulders in front of the goal post after the two-play, 71-yard, all-Svagerko sequence.

“The second run when I scored, I was like, ‘Oh, man, this is amazing,”’ said a grinning Svagerko, who only has three carries for 3 yards since that TD. “It kind of made me ball-hungry, but I had to put that aside and save it for the jet sweeps.”

It’s easy to forget Svagerko is a hard-hitting outside linebacker, too.

Life as strong-side linebacker next to Yohman wasn’t what Svagerko expected after playing defensive line for his entire previous football life. However, the then-new coaching staff felt his talents would be better served elsewhere, so Svagerko switched positions.

Last season was a bit of an adjustment, as Svagerko sometimes was caught out of position but still posted 68 tackles (4 for loss). He’s been a quick study, however, and now teams with Yohman and All-Gazette pick Dustin McCullough to form the most intelligent corps in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

Svagerko leads the team with 10½ tackles for loss (6½ sacks) and brought the “wow” factor last week when he unloaded on Brookside standout Dudley Taw for a forced fumble that was recovered by McCullough.

This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s known him.

“With Kyle, he was just one of those kids that was a quiet kid except when it came to hitting drills — then he tired to kill all his teammates,” youth coach Steve Watkins said. “We really had to really watch what we did with contact during the week because you couldn’t have him killing Jaret Yohman and Nate Scott.”

Buckeye enters tonight as the highest-scoring team in Medina County history at 43.1 points per game. The Bucks also haven’t allowed more than seven points since beating Rocky River 42-28 in Week 2.

They all know who selflessly helps them put up such gaudy numbers.

“He’s a throwback,” coach Mark Pinzone said. “He’s definitely a throwback.”