PREVIEWING THE GOLDEN SHOE GAME
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Monday afternoon, September 1, 2014
BRECKSVILLE – In 1937 Franklin D. Roosevelt was President of The United States. It was during that uncertain year, midway between the end of the Great Depression and the full onset of World War II, that The Golden Shoe was born.
Brecksville-Broadview Heights and North Royalton, neighboring schools along a narrow dirt track named Royalton Road, had been rivals. They needed something to play for. Legend has it that an old high-top football cleat, handed down from Baldwin-Wallace College, was painted gold. The winner of the football game between the Bees and the Bears would hold on to The Golden Shoe until the two teams would play again.
Little did those who came up with the idea back in the 1930’s know that their clever motivational undertaking would evolve into one of the longest standing trophy games in illustrious annals of Ohio high school football.
Fast-forward to The Recent Past
The last time that the Bees (1-0) played at North Royalton (0-1) was four years ago. On that very warm night in late August a sophomore quarterback by the name of Tommy Tupa led Brecksville to a 21-17 victory in front of a Gibson Field crowd that stood three-deep around the fence.
In 2011, at Community Stadium in Broadview Heights in front of yet another capacity crowd, Tupa and NORO quarterback Travis Tarnowski renewed their lifelong rivalry. The Bees slipped past the Bears that night, 31-26, in a penalty-filled marathon that didn’t end until well after 10:30. “First quarter scores from games in California were rolling in by the time we got to our cars,” one fan quipped that night. “The traffic jam was so bad, by the time we got out of the parking lot onto Mill Road you could get the finals from the Denver area.”
The Bears graciously gave up a home date to start the 2012 campaign so that the rivals could add another historic chapter to this album by playing their season opener at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Tarnowski and Tupa filled the lakefront ballpark with passes. And by the time the dust had settled on that 95-plus degree Saturday afternoon Royalton had claimed a 49-45 victory that still has sportswriters who covered the contest crowing.
A year ago, with both Tupa and Tarnowski off at college, Brecksville reclaimed The Golden Shoe with a 28-0 blanking of the Bears at the Bee Hive.
What will happen this year is anyone’s guess. The oldest rivalry cliche in the world will be uttered dozens of times this week. Yes, you can throw the records out the window. Just remember to bring the Golden Shoe. Because one lucky team will go home with it.
This Friday night at 7:00 Brecksville makes its way back across Route 82 to Serpentini Stadium for the renewal of this yearly Hatfield’s and McCoy’s type dual.
For the most part Royalton Road is still one lane. Housing developments have sprouted off its side streets. Retail establishments have replaced woods, farms and pastures on the main thoroughfare. The rivalry, and the bragging rights that come with it remain, 77 years after it began.
The Focus Is on Friday
“It’s our crosstown rival. It’s for The Golden Shoe. They always have something special for us. It’s always a close game. It’s always a heated rivalry. And I’m looking forward to another chapter of it,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black.
Black made those remarks just after the Bees topped Holy Name, 28-13, last Friday to open their season at, of all places, the home of the Bears.
You can bet that the atmosphere at Serpentini will be a tad different this Friday than it was last. “The entire stadium will be packed. The intensity will be higher. There will be much more on the line,” Black continued. “For 364 days you can brag whether you have The Shoe, or be motivated by the fact that you don’t. Whether you won the game or you didn’t.”
Road Loss
The Bears faced a tall task on opening night. Waiting for them at Finnie Stadium was the team that is projected to win the Southwestern Conference championship, the Berea-Midpark Titans. B-M demonstrated its prowess on both sides of the line of scrimmage in a 47-7 non-league win. You can also bet that “Papa” Nick Ciulli’s Bears will be in a surly mood when the Brecksville buses pull into the Ridge Road parking lot on Friday.
Going Back In Time
Want more intrigue? North Royalton is currently a member of the Northeast Ohio Conference. They joined the NOC at the same time the Bees began play in the Southwestern Conference. And this was after the two schools, who had been longtime members of the old Cuyahoga Conference, became charter members of the Pioneer Conference at the beginning of the 1977-’78 school year. The fact that the two rivals were no longer in the same conference, opting to go in different directions, caused some frayed feelings between the two schools. That shallow culvert has long since been bridged. But the annual battle for The Golden Shoe was not contested for a few years. The must-be-played game was intuitively rekindled. And it appears as though it will remain for many years to come. Both BBHHS and N-R will become members of the Suburban League in 2015.
Fresh Faces
North Royalton, like Brecksville, was hit hard by graduation. The Bees bid farewell to 20 seniors, including First-Team All-Ohio quarterback Timmy Tupa, from a team that went 10-2 in 2013 and claimed the outright SWC title. The Bears saw 22 seniors depart, including key players the likes of; running back Austin Smith, quarterback Jack Marousek, wide receiver Jake Holodnak and veteran center Dom Pissini.
Sneak Peak
Beeville, having never set foot in the Bears new ball yard until last Friday, have the benefit of knowing the lay of the land as it were. “We got to see how the sun comes in. That can effect the wide receivers a little bit,” said Tyler, a junior and the third Tupa brother to play in this rivalry.
Black, who ironically is a North Royalton graduate and played in this tilt back in the Pioneer Conference days, also acknowledged the fact that his team will be familiar with the well-appointed surroundings at Serpentini. “Football players are creatures of habit. That’s why everyone loves playing at home. You have your routine,” Black said. “We have our pregame routine here in place now, our halftime stuff. That’s huge.”
Bear Facts
The book on the Bears is that their quarterback can throw on the move and the running back has good speed. When not rolling out NORO likes to play good, old-fashioned power football and is tight-end friendly. Given the old-school demeanor of Ciulli and his veteran staff of assistants this comes as no surprise.
On defense Royalton lines up in an odd front, which they always have. The tricky part there is that, with just four days of preparation, it can be challenging to adjust to because teams in the Southwestern Conference don’t present that kind of alignment.
Bees Business
Brecksville will rely on quarterbacks Danny Shirilla and Luke Strnad to lead its offense. The combo tossed four touchdown passes again the Green Wave. Three of them were by Strnad, in his first varsity appearance as a sophomore. Tupa is the Bees go-to guy. Plain and simple. He caught three scoring passes in the curtain-raiser.
Junior running back Josh Underwood had a solid night against H-N. The quarterbacks aren’t bashful about spraying the ball around. And, even though Tupa will be under a heavy blanket of purple jerseys, Brecksville has plenty of other formidable wide outs to throw to including seasoned senior wide receiver Garrett Patterson.
The Beeville defense, save for one first quarter drive where they hurt themselves with missed tackles, played well against Holy Name. Senior linebacker Joe Dimitrijevs recovered a fumble. Senior defensive back Troy Walter intercepted a pair of Green Wave passes.
Need some more local flavor? The Bees leading tackler last Friday was junior defensive end Ryder Seballos. His uncle, Raul, has been on the Royalton staff for over a decade.
“North Royalton is a good team. We will have a tough week of preparation. We are going to have to work hard all week and come back here Friday night and play harder than we did tonight,” Tupa said following the game with the Namer’s. “I think it’s going to be a fun game Friday. Hopefully we can keep The Shoe.”
A Game That Sells Itself
A guy by the name of Art lives at the very south end of Brecksville. In his backyard is a horseshoe pit. Art takes great pride in pitching a good shoe. But The Golden Shoe needs no pitch. It needs not be sold to anyone who is familiar with this ancient rivalry. In fact tickets don’t even have to be hawked for this game because people just come.
They come because it’s the Bees and the Bears. And it’s for The Golden Shoe.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on-line at: beesvolleyball.com. Brecksville hosts Padua Franciscan Tuesday night at 7:00.
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