HOME OPENER BRINGS OUT A CROWD

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Saturday night, September 13, 2014

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS – Despite a 48-14 loss to Hudson last night Community Stadium took on a carnival-like atmosphere. The cool and mostly cloudy weather didn’t seem to keep those who wanted to be part of the festivities away from the Bee Hive.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School students, in a tribute to September 11, 2001, wore various combinations of red, white and blue clothing. One guy wore a USA hockey jersey. Another had the American Flag draped around his shoulders. Spirited senior Isabella Kaminsky wore a sweater with the flag on it. Patriotism abounded.

The atmosphere for high school football was outstanding. The cool evening was a harbinger of autumn. Fans from both Hudson and BBHHS packed the Mill Road ballpark. And it was the first time the Bees were playing in front of the home folks since early last November.

The only downer was the final score.

From Bee football parents, who tailgated in their usual spot inside the adjacent picnic pavilion to head boys basketball coach Steve Mehalik and his staff of assistants who were grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, there was a sense of anticipation in the air.

Even an inflatable slide drew the attention of the hundreds of youngsters who, along with their parents, packed the place on Elementary School Night.

As if on cue the sun poked through the clouds at 6:45 pm. “Berea Roy” Hruska spent some quality time with Mehalik and Company. As usual he is was mid-season form. “This is the Bees home field?, Hruska asked while fishing for a chocolate Tootsie Pop. “I thought North Royalton was your home field?”

The light and lively mood continued, at least until about midway through the first quarter when the Brecksville faithful began to realize that the Explorers were the real deal.

“We love our country,” said junior basketball player Dan Auble while signaling for a Tootsie Pop. “The kids did this themselves. As long as they respect the flag I think it’s awesome,” BBHHS Principal Joe Mueller said just before the Bees raced out of the tunnel and onto the carpet.

It was 60 degrees and breezy when junior defensive end Ryder Seballos was greeted in a bear hug by older brother Rody on the Brecksville sideline. “I haven’t seen Ryder play in three years. This is great!” Rody, a sophomore football player at Ohio Northern University, said.

From across the way the Hudson Marching Band’s pure-brass sound was impressive. The Bees were in their home red jerseys for the first time this season. The veteran and talented Hudson squad sported a classy combo of navy blue and silver with white jerseys.

Before The Floodgates Opened

When Brecksville’s Garrett Patterson made a fair catch of a punt that ended the Explorers first possession there was a sense of relief on the home sideline that the Northeast Ohio Conference team didn’t reach the end zone the first time they had the ball.

That feeling would be short-lived.

Things began to tilt Hudson’s way when the Bees netted just three yards in their first series. They lined-up to punt at their own 15. The kick only made it to the 35. A 15-yard penalty was marched off against the hosts giving the Explorers a first down at the 20. So in essence, after the yellow hanky was retrieved, the punt netted five yards.

The games first break, or turning point if you will, came on special teams and was aided by a costly penalty. Not that Hudson’s senior quarterback Mitch Guadagni, a University of Toledo recruit, needed any special favors.

Guadagni completed a 13-yard pass on first down. On the next play he was sacked by the Bees Victor Bierman for an 11-yard loss. Two players later Guadagni zipped his first touchdown pass of the game for a 7-0 lead.

Josh Underwood, Brecksville’s junior running back, made a nice return of the ensuing kickoff taking it out to the 35. Quarterback Luke Strnad was sacked for a 9-yard loss on third down and the local lads had to punt again.

On first down from midfield Guadagni was intercepted by senior linebacker Joe Dimitrijevs and the throng roared its approval. The overriding sense in the bench area was that the Bees had new life.

The game changed for good on the next play. Strnad, in his second varsity start, was picked-off by Joe Charpentier who went 45 yards the other way for a touchdown.

The feeling now was that the nickle sized hole in the dam just grew to about the size of a quarter. The gap remained unplugged and would soon send torrents raging down the spillway when Brecksville gained five yards on three plays on its next possession and were forced to punt yet again.

The Explorers (3-0) had the ball in enviable field position at the Bees 45. Five plays later Charpentier scored on an option play to the right side.

Trying To Sort It Out

Absolute confusion took place on the field at this point and all for a simple extra point. Hudson could not decide what it wanted to do. A time out was called. Time dragged on. To make a long story short there were at least three, and perhaps four penalty flags thrown during this stoppage of play. The officials did not appear to be in control of the game. Meanwhile the Bees, already down 19-0 just ten and a half minutes into the non-conference clash, were attempting to stay focused.

When the zebras figured it all out (what that was all about is anyone’s guess) Guadagni passed to Charpentier for a two-point conversion. With the score 21-0 it was obvious that some of the enthusiasm had escaped the home stands.

“What’s the record for the most penalty flags thrown on an extra point?” an Explorer fan on the field asked when I sauntered over to the far sideline to confirm a fact with a reporter from the weekly newspaper that serves Hudson.

The view of the packed home stands from across the field was spectacular. The stadium lights had just started to take full effect and the sea of red was an impressive sight.

Hudson’s defense – and you can certainly say the same for its offense – was quick and physical. A BBHHS player was down injured. There was still nearly a minute left on the first quarter clock and deja vu set in.

Thoughts of that 98-degree night in the flat lands came to mind. This is the longest and ugliest first quarter for the Bees since they played at Fremont Ross in week two in 2011. By the time I got back to the Beeville sideline another fella close to the program had the same thought, uttering it without being prompted.

Soon the first period would end. But Hudson, doing what excellent teams do, had set the tone in an opponents stadium. The tone may have been set but the damage was far from being done. That cannon ball sized break in the dam was about to get much bigger.

What a Country

The flag-waving BBHHS student section, despite the already lopsided score, remained in good cheer. “USA! USA!”, they chanted during the quarter break as both bands blared.

Early in the second frame the Explorers scored again to make it 28-0. Brecksville’s offense got on a little roll. On a third and ten play from its own 27 Strnad connected with junior wide receiver Tyler Tupa for 25 yards down the left sideline. It was not only the Bees best play of the game so far it was their first first down.

Penalty flags, thrown by a veteran group, continued to fly against both teams. The consistent stoppages of play created a rather large log jam, hampering the flow of the game.

Hudson would score on a 75-yard screen or swing pass (take your pick) to the left side. 35-0.

Running with a chip on his shoulder Underwood returned the kick off out to the 34. Along the way he high-stepped through a cluster of defenders that he carried along for close to 15-yards before finally being brought down.

The partisan Bee Hive crowd applauded Underwood’s tenacity despite his team now facing a nearly insurmountable deficit on the scoreboard.

Brecksville will join Hudson next year as members of the Suburban League. One could not help but think that the Explorers were sending a message when they called time out twice in the final 37 seconds of the first half to set up 26-yard TD pass that would give them a 42-0 lead at intermission.

A Much Needed Breather

“Yes. No. A little,” three blue-satin-clad Hudson dance team girls answered at the same time when asked if they were cold while waiting to take the field at the half.

As the Explorers band blasted their horns into the night sky the home crowd sat stunned. Inside the locker room the Bees were looking to regroup. “It was about playing with pride and with a respect for the game of football,” Brecksville head coach Jason Black said when asked what he told his team following the brutal first half.

Holy Name couldn’t contain Tyler Tupa. North Royalton had no answer. But Hudson did a good job on Tupa, a Mid-American Conference recruit, by limiting his effectiveness in the first half.

That was about to change.

The Bees offense got into gear. Jared Schott, a senior wide receiver, caught two passes on the opening drive of the third stanza. But the play of the game for the hosts came when Strnad, under pressure, lofted a high-tight spiral that Tupa went up to get while being well-defended for Brecksville’s first touchdown.

It was a spectacular play at both ends. Strnad knew exactly what he wanted to do on the play and he put the ball right where he knew Tupa could make a play on it. Not many are better than Tupa in positioning himself to win 50/50 balls.

Even though the 42-7 count on the scoreboard overshadowed the end result enough can’t be said about how well Strnad and Tupa executed that play. It brought the Bees bench to life.

Where Did Everyone Go?

Before the third quarter ended the Explorers would score again. During the changeover a look around showed that the home stands were at about 60 percent of capacity. But the BBHHS students remained en mass. A study in patriotic persistence.

And the bands played on.

Brecksville, now pretty much out of sandbags to stem the flood of points that the Explorers brought to town, remained intent on working through the adversity.

Strnad completed mid-range passes to Tupa and Danny Shirilla and Underwood galloped a dozen yards for a first down. Strnad then called his own number and burst 36 yards up the middle for the Bees second TD.

The Bees Marching Band has taken on rock star status. It is said that its post-game parties are the best in town. When the drum-line and tuba players took center stage in front of the students there was a roar. Camera lights flashed. Little kids crowded the fence and parents recorded audio-video footage.

When the tuba suicide was going full-tilt high school girls squealed and screamed like it was 1962 and The Beatles just landed at LaGuardia.

Sophomore quarterback Richard Novotny came on in relief of Strnad. The clock ticked down. Hudson was encroaching the flood plain that it had created again. They did not score.

The Bees (2-1) challenge now is to let the water pass under the bridge. To learn from the stinging defeat and get back to work. Hudson is gone. Another team is coming down the river this Friday, one that Brecksville knows well.

As for the Explorers, the Bees will see them again next year. And that game and the ones in subsequent seasons will be for higher stakes in the SL.

 

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:

“When you play a team like Hudson in a non-conference game these things can happen.” – The Mouthpiece. 

 

BEE HIVE BUZZ:

In the four-game non-conference home-and-home contract with the Explorers the Bees have dropped all four games. The loss was the teams first at home since October 12, 2012 when Brecksville fell to Avon Lake, 31-21.

A six-game Bee Hive victory streak was snapped. The Bees were 6-0 at home in 2013. That was the most home wins in a season in program history.

Brecksville is scoring 22.6 per game through three. It is allowing 23. The 48 points scored by the Explorers is believed to be the most scored by a Bees opponent in the history of Community Stadium (1988).

The 34-point margin of defeat was the largest since Brecksville was stumped at Avon Lake, 37-0, seven years ago. Hudson assistant coach Matt Palumbo was a standout at Benedictine in the mid-1990’s. The Explorers can do some damage in the Division I playoffs. Last night they tallied seven touchdowns; five passing, one on the ground and one by its defense.

On the positive side of the coin. The Bees 14 points were the most that Hudson has allowed in a game this season. Euclid scored six and Uniontown Lake put up 10. The Explorers have outscored its three non-league foes by the combined scores of 136-30. Their average margin of victory is 45-10.

“Hudson’s measuring stick will be Mentor. But there is no reason why they can’t run the table. No reason at all,” said Jason Black when asked how well he sees the Explorers doing the rest of the way.

Hudson senior Kyle Ator saw a surprising amount of time last night spelling Guadagni – even in the first half. He is credited with the second quarter TD pass to Reid Robinson.

The Bees 8th grade team, under Coach Fisher, are off to a 3-0 start. Fisher will be married shortly after the season ends.

Through three weeks there are no undefeated teams remaining in the Southwestern Conference.

There was a special visitor on the Bees sideline. Gordon Iannetta, the older brother of “Trainer Tom” Iannetta, made the trip from his home in Baltimore to spend time with Tom and watch the red and gold play.

The new play clocks that were installed at both ends of the stadium debuted and drew rave reviews, mostly from fans that commented afterward. The digital numerals are large and bright red. They definitely add a big-time flavor the the stadium.

A big thank you goes out the Bees senior Zach Demetriades. Demetriades, a 5-10, 210-pound lineman who suffered a concussion this week in practice, was not dressed for the game. He was kind enough to go grab a game program that included the Explorers roster. In all the pregame excitement it slipped my mind. Sports-writing 101. Buy a program. Thanks Zach. Get well.

An official took the time to explain the running clock rule, which was instituted this season and was put into effect last night. When a team is leading by 30 points or more at any point during the second half the game clock will continue to run. The clock is stopped only for; penalties, injuries, scoring plays and during a change-of-possession.

It was announced at the end of the game that next weeks home date with Southwestern Conference rival Olmsted Falls is “Alumni Night”.

 

LAST NIGHTS SCORES:

Hudson – 48, Bees – 14 … Brecksville gets an unofficial and rather rude welcome to the Suburban League.

Holy Name – 47, Valley Forge – 19 … The Namer’s spank the Pat’s in the parochial school-public school battle of Parma Heights. The Green Wave has now won two in a row since losing to the Bees.

Highland – 35, North Royalton – 6 … The Bears are struggling to score points (7 ppg).

Mayfield – 33, Olmsted Falls – 20 ... The Bulldogs are scoring 12 points per outing.

North Ridgeville – 41, North Olmsted – 34 … The Eagles let the Rangers score very late and it sent them to the losing side of the ledger for the first time. That being said N-O is still outscoring its opponents, 39-29.

Akron Ellet – 24, Amherst Steele – 14 … Comets drop second straight after an opening night win over John Hay. “I hope the Ellet fans discovered Hot Dog Heaven,” said “Berea Roy” Hruska.

Lakewood – 35, Normandy – 0 … Michael Goolsby, the sixth man on the Rangers basketball team last season, was the main man last night. He scored on a 98-yard interception return. Lakewood, a team of play-makers, led 21-0 at the end of the opening frame.

Avon Lake – 16, Shaker Heights – 0 … There are those that thought this afternoons matinee on Aldersyde Drive was an upset. There are those that figured it all along. Either way congratulations to the Shoremen on their first win of the campaign.

Strongsville – 35, Berea-Midpark – 28 … As predicted the Mustangs prevailed in this battle of former rivals. Strongsville rallied from a touchdown down to claim the statement-making home victory.

Westlake – 39, Youngstown East – 12 … The Panthers limp back to the Steel Valley for the second straight season. Meanwhile hats off to the Demons for bouncing back from last weekends stunning upset loss at Bay on the final play of the game.

Springfield Hillcrest – 58, Joplin – 22 … The Eagles slip to 2-2. Their defense has been riddled all season.

 

Please stay tuned to the Bees football website this weekend. On Sunday evening we will take a look inside the statistics of Fridays game vs the Explorers. On Monday we will post the preview story for Brecksville’s Southwestern Conference lid-lifter against longtime rival Olmsted Falls.

 

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on-line at:  beesvolleyball.com.

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