BEES MAKE STRIDES IN SECOND 7-ON-7 DRILL
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Tuesday night, July 15, 2014
MACEDONIA – The first reaction of Brecksville-Broadview Heights coaches was positive and then 24 hours later the motion was seconded. The Bees demonstrated improvement in their second 7-on-7 passing scrimmage of the summer held here last night at Nordonia High School’s Boliantz Stadium.
The second of four scheduled 7-on-7’s featured several added twists as compared to the one held in late June at Baldwin-Wallace University.
The junior varsity Bees got a chance to show what they could do and the linemen, the guys who toil in the shadows of the headlines, went through the paces against other teams in a variety of creative he-man drills.
The big dudes applied their skills; agility and strength, by taking part in: A tire flip relay tournament, an obstacle course, a tug-of-war tournament, Sumo 1 on 1’s in hoops and pass rush 1 on 1’s.
For those that like to observe the techniques applied by the guys in the trenches this was a mid-summer treat. All of the above events were staged in high grass on the wide-open field behind Boliantz under a searing sun.
The varsity Bees took care of Lutheran East on the turf and then Orange in the back 40. They then matched tosses with Southwestern Conference rival Olmsted Falls in a spirited fray on the grass.
Brecksville opened with the ball and it didn’t take long for the talented junior duo of quarterback Danny Shirilla to hook-up with Tyler Tupa for a long scoring pass down the left sideline.
The Bulldogs, behind senior quarterback Nick Fritz, bounced back. Fritz, a three-year starter, looked good firing the pill hard and on target.
Back on the green plastic Tupa picked off a University School pass on the Preppers first snap and had clear sailing for what would have been an easy pick-six in normal conditions. On offense Shirilla went downtown again, connecting with Roo as a rainbow appeared in the southeast sky. “It’s raining somewhere,” quipped veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. Sophomore Luke Strnad came on and fired a TD pass to top off the session with U.S.
It wasn’t raining on South Bedford Road. In fact it was plenty hot and humid. A typical July evening.
The Bees and the host Knights squared off in the final scrimmage. Brecksville and Nordonia will be members of the same conference, the Suburban League, a year from now. This one had some intensity to it right from the start.
The hosts have a good looking signal-caller, however Shirilla picked off a Knights pass early. Nordonia looked good on both sides of the ball. The expectations are high along Route 82 this season as third-year head coach Jeff Fox has three solid Division I college prospects in his talent-laden line-up.
Shirilla continued to take most of the snaps for the Bees. Strnad relieved and fired a scoring toss to G-Pat, senior wide out Garrett Patterson.
“We noticed some improvement over the 7-on-7 at B-W. But not as noticeable as we would have liked. That’s probably due to our (holiday) vacation,” Coach Black said as things were winding down. “What I am most pleased about is how we are competing against Nordonia, an experienced team. The guys are excited and the situation does not seem too big for them.”
Although Brecksville graduated a championship group of seniors this past June there are plenty of guys that were part of a 10-2 squad that made some noise in the playoffs returning. Shirilla, Tupa, Patterson and two-way junior lineman Nick Sokolowski are just four.
“Even if guys didn’t start last year they were a big part of our success. They saw first-hand what it took to prepare and be in big games. College coaches love when they make it to a bowl game because they get an extra month to practice,” said Black. “In our case, because of our playoff run, we had two extra weeks of practice. Those were two intense weeks where the stakes were high.”
But Black is a realist and he knows that this young Bees team has a long way to go. “What will all this translate to in real games? Ask me on August 29th,” Black said.
Knowing What It Takes
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Ryan Lambert is one of those players that Black was referring to. The hard-working Lambert took a few minutes between sessions to share his thoughts on the upcoming campaign.
“These 7-on-7’s are important because we are a pass-dominant offense. And we graduated 18 seniors from last years team and we have a lot of young sophomores coming up,” Lambert said between sips of water. “And this is good competition. Nordonia has several Division I kids.”
Lambert is hopeful that last years success will carry over this fall. “We are coming off a 10-2 season and a lot of people are saying that we are not going to be very good,” said Lambert. “But we are working on creating our own identity and getting our confidence level up. We need these 7-on7’s.”
Trading a First-Baseman’s Mitt For Helmets and Pads
Standing out because of his sheer size, senior Evan Baschko, checking-in at a solid 6-4, 280-pounds, makes an even bigger first impression when you talk to him one-on-one. Baschko, who pitches and plays first-base for the Bees baseball team, offers a firm handshake, looks you square in the eye and answers questions honestly and directly.
Baschko, who will be a two-way lineman, is playing real tackle football for the very first time. The obvious question, given his size, is what took so long? “I finally got convinced,” Baschko said in full disclosure. “I thought ‘I’m a senior. I might as well meet some new people and have some fun’.”
Not only did Baschko play baseball for coach John Mutch he was also a member of the BBHHS Marching Band the last three years where he played the tuba. “I used to watch the team in the tunnel, chanting and getting ready to take the field. I thought that was pretty cool and I wanted to be part of that,” said Baschko. “It will be cool to get a different perspective on Friday nights.”
Baschko was asked what he thinks will happen when the pads go on and the hitting starts for real, somewhere around August 5th. “It could be an eye-opener. Like ‘this is getting serious'”, Baschko said with a smile. “I have a lot to learn and it is going to be a process. But I’m really up for it and I’ll take whatever comes my way.”
QUOTES OF THE NIGHT (Both from the same guy):
“Did you see the catch Tyler made in the end zone?” – Ryder Seballos.
“I’m only a junior so I have two more years to savor this.” – Ryder Seballos.
BEE BUZZ:
Jeff Black, Jason’s father, is about to start his 45th year coaching high school football. Mr. Black has dropped a lot of weight, is in good health and still has that look in his eye. I can’t imagine the guy being anywhere else this time of year. And neither can he.
Another gray-beard, literally, is assistant coach Mike Glaser. Coach Glaser is going into his 40th season on the sideline. “I started coaching in 1975 at Cleveland Heights,” Glaser said after this evening’s coaches meeting.
Jason Black is in his tenth year overall with the Brecksville program. He will be the first to tell you he is blessed with an exceptional staff of assistants.
Coach Black and Nordonia head coach Jeff Fox shared some thoughts about what life is going to be like for both teams once they enter Suburban League play. Both coaches are looking forward to what will be a challenge. There will be no weeks off in the SL. That’s for sure.
Recent Bee graduate Timmy Tupa is in his third week at the U.S.Naval Academy in Annapolis where the All-Ohio quarterback is going through first-year plebe training. Cell phones, computers, no electronic gadgetry of any sort is allowed during this period. He gets to call home once every two weeks. The first call came Sunday. “Timmy is doing good,” his father Tom said last night. “The only way they get to communicate is with letters through the U.S. Mail.”
Northeast Ohio is, and always has been, one of the strongholds of high school football in the United States. The proof has been in the pudding, or at least in the stands and along the grassy knolls in recent weeks. Football-starved fans have shown up at these 7-on-7’s in impressive numbers.
You are reading post number 75 on the Bees new and improved football website, which went live just hours prior to last years season opener with Holy Name. Thank you for your readership.
The high school nickname of the day is the: Two Harbors (MN) Agates.
NEXT UP:
The Bees head back over to Baldwin-Wallace to take part in a four-team 7-on-7 next week. They will be active both Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning at 7:00 at Finnie Stadium. Nordonia will be one of the opponents.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on-line at: beesvolleyball.com. That site we be rekindled real soon.
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