BEES – TITANS IN A TUSSLE FOR THE TITLE
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Monday night, October 20, 2014
BRECKSVILLE – Technically speaking this Friday nights Southwestern Conference marquee match-up between the Titans and the Bees is only the second meeting between the two schools. Revisionist history, however, can be a beautiful thing. Because, in reality, Brecksville-Broadview Heights has been playing; Berea, Midpark, or the present-day combination every season since the 1977-78 school year.
That fall the Pioneer Conference opened for business and the Bees left the old Cuyahoga Conference to join the upstart league with a catchy name. At the same time both Berea and Midpark departed what was then called the New Lake Erie League to join the PC.
The three schools became charter members of the Pioneer Conference, a cluster of (then) similar sized schools concentrated in the southwest suburbs. When that conference disbanded ten years ago Brecksville, Berea and Midpark remained sparring partners. Together they entered the Southwestern Conference when Bay, Fairview and Rocky River moved on.
More History, Recent or Otherwise
Last year Brecksville overcame an early 6-0 deficit and scored 27 unanswered points, including a touchdown by senior defensive end Troy Lang on a blocked punt. And senior back Carlo Milano ran like a big dog to help the Bees defeat the Titans at Finnie Stadium. That is recent history.
Over the decades the Bees have had some very competitive games with both Berea and Midpark, especially during the glory days of the PC. In the recent past, mostly the SWC years, Brecksville has been the dominant team over both the Braves and the Meteors.
As was written back in August. This is not your older brothers Berea or Midpark teams. This juggernaut is the Brrea-Midpark Titans.
The only throw back is its coach, Ray Hradek. Hradek, now in his second season at the helm, was the highly successful longtime head coach at Midpark way back when. Of the many things you could always count on from Hradek-coached teams, among them were a 7-3 or 8-2 record, an occasional trip to the then much-more-limited playoffs, and the fact that his tough-as-nails squads had the propensity to upset someone no one thought they would.
Hradek will bring his Titans (7-1, 5-0 SWC) to Community Stadium Friday night for a 7:00 kickoff against Brecksville (7-1, 4-0 SWC). The league championship is at stake. If B-M emerges victorious it will fly the Southwestern Conference flag. If the Bees knock them off they clinch at least a tie for the championship.
“We know what Berea-Midpark has. They are an extremely talented football team,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. “They do what they do and they do it well.”
Bigger is Better on Bagley
What the Titans do is use their 78-man roster to the max. It is loaded with talent, deep and has both the size on the lines and where otherwise needed to go along with speed and skill where you would most expect it to be utilized.
B-M went through the merger during the summer of 2013 and improved as last season went along. You could just sense that the cork was about to pop on Bagley Road. This fall the cork has not only flown off the bottle with dangerous velocity, the cup is overflowing. Added to that mix is the fact that this is the Titans last league game. They close the 2014 regular season with their West Shore Conference cross-over contest against currently undefeated Midview.
On the other hand, should Brecksville win, it will have to do so again in week ten at Westlake to claim the outright SWC crown.
It Really is a Passing Fancy
The Bees like to pass the football and they do it very well. That is no secret. People as far away as Australia know that. The red and gold will have to execute its passing game at its highest level and effectively mix in the run to have its best shot Friday night at the Bee Hive.
Brecksville is averaging 333 yards per game on offense through eight with 223 of them coming through the air. The team has scored 34 total touchdowns this autumn, 27 have been born of the pass.
Pulling the trigger is sophomore quarterback Luke Strnad, who is having a solid rookie season at the varsity level. Strnad is 131 for 190 (69%) for 1,740 yards. He has thrown 25 TD passes and has been picked off nine times.
Strnad throws to one of the best junior wide receivers in the state in Tyler Tupa. Tupa, a Division I recruit, has hauled in 59 aerials for 927 yards and has reached the end zone a team-high 17 times.
Opposite him is a crafty senior who can make life miserable for opponents because of his speed, route-running ability and hands. Garrett Patterson has gathered in 33 passes for 493 yards. He has seven TD’s. Danny Shirilla and Niall Lewison, a pair of juniors, have effectively combined for 30 catches.
When Brecksville runs the ball Strnad, who is bronco strong and maneuvers well, is the man who gets the bulk of the carries and yardage. He is the team leader with 397 yards on 102 totes. Strnad has scored four of the teams five rushing touchdowns. And not all of them have been the ‘inside-the-five-yard-line’ variety.
Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver is converting 80% of his extra point attempts.
The Bees are the type of team that can go on a ten-play, 65-yard drive and score. Or they can light-up the scoreboard in two or three snaps from just about anywhere on the field. They will need to score every way imaginable against the Titans. “Against Berea-Midpark we have to come out strong and play four quarters of football,” said sophomore offensive lineman John Baltas.
Have Been There When Needed The Most
Defensively the Bees are giving up 286 yards per game, with 164 of them coming through the air. It is a unit that has bent but, for the most part, hasn’t broken. Hudson, one of the top Division I teams in the state, ran roughshod over Beeville in a week three non-conference game.
In the SWC North Olmsted mounted a second half comeback before it was halted on the games final play. Avon Lake sailed out to a 21-3 halftime lead before the Bees defense buckled down and its offense came back to muster a miraculous 35-28 overtime victory.
Senior linebacker Joe Dimitrijevs, an all-star in the classroom, is a man of few words. He is the kind of guy who lets his hitting do his talking. “Joe-D” has racked-up 91 total tackles this season (12 solos). He is by far the team leader in that category.
Lewison, a corner back, has 64 total hits (11 solos), including seven behind the line of scrimmage. Junior defensive end Ryder Seballos (63) and sophomore bookend Victor Bierman (57) have made solid impacts. Bierman, with five, is Brecksville’s sack-master. He has also blocked a pair of punts. Bierman returned his own block of a Lakewood punt 45 yards for a second quarter touchdown in last Friday’s 34-18 cross-over victory.
In the secondary Shirilla, the play-making son of the squads defensive coordinator John, has broken-up a half-dozen passes. Two of them were game savers. Senior DB Troy Walter has five interceptions, which is one off tying the schools single-season record.
This unit makes plays when it has to. The Bees are plus 3 on the season in turnover margin.
The Glare of The Spotlight
North Royalton and Avon Lake are always red circle games on the Bees schedule. They can check both off their 2014 “to-do” list. In its other “big game” Brecksville was manhandled by the Explorers.
“It will be interesting to see how we compete in this game. We had a huge game early this season against Hudson and we didn’t do well in that one. That was with a young team that was growing-up. This Friday we have another opportunity to show what we can do in a big game,” Black said.
It will be Senior Night at Brecksville. Fifteen football playing members of the Class of 2015 will be introduced, along with their parents, prior to kickoff. It will be their last hurrah at Community Stadium. They, and the entire team, will have to be at the top of their games Friday.
Berea-Midpark thumped Westlake, 42-0, last week at Lou Douchez Stadium. Senior speedster Justin Harris ran for two touchdowns and rugged RB/LB Joey Bachie ran for one and caught another. Junior Nick Gassman is the Titans highly-effective quarterback. He has no qualms about throwing the pigskin around the yard. Brett Swinnerton, a 6-6 junior wide receiver, has soft hands and is a can’t miss target. An air-traffic controller might be summoned to keep an eye on the Gassman-Swinnerton flight path.
Coach Black used a few coaching cliches and then got down to brass tacks when asked to preview Fridays fray. “It will come down to whoever executes the best. Whoever carries out their assignments the best. It will flat out come down to whoever does their job,” Black said, in not mincing any words.
Common Ground
The Bees are 3-1 at home. The Titans are 3-1 on the road. They lost by a touchdown in week three at Strongsville when they had seven-point lead going into the final frame. The common opponent is North Royalton. B-M easily dispatched the Bears in the season opener at Finnie. Brecksville won handily a week later at Serpentini. Ironically both the Bees and the Titans only defeats came against Northeast Ohio Conference teams from the same division; Hudson and Strongsville.
It Feels Like The Post-Season
The Bees are leaving the Southwestern Conference at the end of the school year. There is nothing more they would like to do but go out with the bang of bagging back-to-back league championships.
Aside from the Southwestern Conference standings there is also much at stake in the realm of the OHSAA’s state playoff computer rankings. Unofficially in Division II, Region 3 Brecksville is in fifth place. If the season ended today it would play a first-round game at #4 Maple Heights. The first eight teams earn post-season invitations. Mayfield is at the top of the chart. The Wildcats have already clinched a playoff berth.
Berea-Midpark, with a male enrollment of 861 boys in grades 9-11, is in Division I. In the same scenario the #7 Titans would host #10 St. Edward in a first-round contest. The top 16 teams in D-1, Region I go to dance.
“They are all big games now. It’s week nine and we have Berea-Midpark coming in. It is a chance to play for a conference championship. Then it’s week ten, which is always a big game. And if you are fortunate to play in week 11 then it’s just cut throat from there,” said Black.
Brecksville, which returned only two starters from a 10-2 SWC championship and second-round play-off team a year ago, has gotten to this point by taking care of business one week at a time, by any means possible.
In reality Friday is a playoff game for the Bees in more ways than one. “It’s a very big game. This game will determine if we get to the playoffs or not. I think it will be a good match-up,” Victor Bierman said.
BEE HIVE BUZZ:
Seniors Evan Baschko and Garrett Patterson are Brecksville’s captains of the week. Baschko, is a hulking two-way lineman who is in his first year of playing football. You would never know it.
Friday nights advance weather forecast calls for seasonal temperatures without much of a chance of rain. A big crowd is expected. Knowing both of these teams it could be a long night. Plan on spending some quality time at the Bee Hive.
Brecksville recently announced that it will replace its artificial Field Turf in either late May or June of 2015. The current rug is eight years old. The installation project will take two to four weeks to complete.
You are reading post number 125 since the Bees new football website went live just before the 2013 season-opener. Thank you for your readership.
THIS WEEKS GAMES:
Southwestern Conference
Berea-Midpark (7-1, 5-0) at BBHHS (7-1, 4-0)
This is the final meeting between these two teams. The Bees have dealt the former Braves and Meteors some drubbings over the last half-dozen years. Don’t think anyone has forgotten about that on Bagley Road. The question is; will Brecksville have enough, even just one more big play in it, to ride the emotion of Senior Night and a shot at its second straight league title and playoff berth against a solid and athletically gifted Titans team? Regardless, the eyes of the Southwestern Conference will be on Broadview Heights at 7:00 p.m. Friday.
Avon Lake (1-7, 0-4) at North Olmsted (5-3, 2-2)
If the Shoremen could have bottled their performance in the first three quarters against the Bees they would have had a heck of a season. A-L’s troubles will continue this week at Drive Morris Stadium.
Westlake (3-5, 1-3) at Amherst Steele (1-7, 0-4)
The Demons will overcome last weeks lopsided loss to B-M and rebound on the road at Memorial Stadium.
Cross-Over Game
Olmsted Falls (4-4, 3-2 SWC) at Avon (7-1, 3-1 WSC)
The SWC-WSC schedule makers didn’t do the Bulldogs any favors with this partnership.
OTHER GAMES OF NOTE:
Cleveland Central Catholic (5-3) at Holy Name (4-4) … Saturday night at North Royalton.
The Green Wave is cresting. Give the edge to The Namer’s in this North Coast League battle at “home” because of the strength of its non-league schedule.
Shaker Heights (1-7) at North Royalton (1-7)
Can the Bears pull out this cross-town game on Senior Night at Serpentini? I would like to think so.
Mentor (8-0, 3-0 NOC) at Hudson (8-0, 3-0 NOC) … Thursday night.
It doesn’t get much bigger than this. A state-championship caliber match-up between the area’s top two Division I teams in prime time. I’m leaning toward the Explorers at home.
Midview (8-0, 4-0 WSC) at Lakewood (2-6, 0-4 WSC)
Look for the teams that are heading in opposite directions to keep going along the same path. The Middies are just too tough, top-to-bottom, for the Rangers.
Joplin (6-3) at Springfield Kickapoo (6-3)
The Ozark Conference is a rare breed. From what I can tell each season one team plays another two times. This is the second meeting between these two this fall. The Eagles lost to Kickapoo, 48-42, in Joplin in week three. Look for another high-scoring contest with the same result in Springfield.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on the web at: beesvolleyball.com.
Third-seeded Brecksville (14-9) faces fifth-seeded Solon at Solon Tuesday night at 6:00 in a Division I district semi-final match.
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