FINAL STATS CLOSER THAN FINAL SCORE

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Sunday afternoon, October 26, 2014

BRECKSVILLE – In big games between two good teams with a conference championship on the line it usually comes down to who makes the fewer mistakes and who executes its assignments better.

At every level of football, from the Southern Hills League to the NFL, coaches rattle on all week about these things. And the media reports what sound like cliche after cliche. But it is not mularkey. Coaches know what they are talking about. They have an innate ability to simplify what the average Joe doesn’t understand.

This average Joe dove into the numbers from Berea-Midpark’s 52-37 Southwestern Conference victory over Brecksville-Broadview Heights at Community Stadium on Friday night. The win that gave the Titans undisputed possession of the league title. The analysis: the statistics were very even. So what was the difference?

“After watching the game film several times I can say that we were two evens teams. And Berea-Midpark is a good football team,” said Bees head coach Jason Black when reached on the phone this morning. “They had that pick-six and they had a super short field after our fumble in the first quarter. That and the fact that they executed better than us.”

True to form, numbers don’t lie. But the underlying story is that coaches aren’t blowing smoke when they talk about taking care of the football and executing assignments.

By The Numbers

Brecksville (7-2, 4-1 SWC) ran for a season-high 208 yards. They scored two rushing touchdowns on 33 running plays. The biggy was Joe Dimitijevs’ 64-yard touchdown dash, which desperately put the Bees on the board midway through the first quarter.

Berea-Midpark (8-1, 6-0 SWC) had a solid and effective night on the ground. The blue and orange gained 264 yards on 49 rushing attempts. Three of its seven touchdowns came via the run.

In the passing department the Bees were 15 of 28 for 277 yards. They scored three times through the air. Two interceptions played a factor.

The Titans, with junior quarterback Nick Gassman behind center, were 12 of 19 for 234 yards and a trio of TD tosses.

Total yardage: Brecksville – 485. Berea-Midpark – 498.

Total Plays: Brecksville – 61. Berea-Midpark – 68.

First downs: Brecksville – 17. Berea-Midpark – 18.

Penalties: Brecksville – 1 for 5 yards. Berea-Midpark – 5 for 45 yards.

The Bees were minus-1 in the turnover department. And that, along with several key missed tackles, is what Black said led to the difference.

The Galloping Ghost

Senior Joe Dimitrijevs has had a handful of carries this season. The captains trade is the linebacker position, where he is far and away Brecksville’s leading tackler.

The Bees found themselves in a 21-0 hole halfway through the first quarter Friday night. To put it bluntly they didn’t know what hit them at that point. The Titans first two touchdowns were on drives on 68 and 50 yards. Their third was with the benefit of the “super short field” that Coach Black referred to. B-M ran its lead to three touchdowns on a 15-yard slant pattern dart from Gassman to 6-6 classmate Brett Swinnerton.

At that point Brecksville needed to do something different. It had no choice. It was either that or it was facing an embarrassing blowout loss on Senior Night. Give credit where it is due. To Jason Black and his offensive coordinator Tom Tupa. They went with their instincts and it paid off because what happened next helped the Bees get back in the game.

Enter Joe-D. The 5-11, 185-pounder was just what the doctor (Dr. Tupa) ordered. On first down from his own 29 Dimitrijevs picked up eight yards and made it look easy. The run was eye-opening because, up until that point, Brecksville had exactly ten net yards of offense. Why not go back to him again? On the next play Dimitrijevs broke off left tackle. The hole was 8-feet wide. He outran all pursuers for a 64-yard score that breathed hope into the near sideline.

Luke Strnad, the Bees sophomore quarterback, picked up 78 yards on 21 tough carries. The Titans knew he was going to carry the ball and they were dialed in on him. They probably had not a clue about Mr. Dimitrijevs.

This Trick Was A Treat

Through the air Strnad was 14 of 27 for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tyler Tupa, a junior wide receiver, stole the show on a trick play when he launched a 62-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Patterson on a wide receiver reverse. That being another stroke of well-timed genius by his father.

Patterson had a team-high five catches for 101 yards and two TD’s. “Garrett has been making plays all year. He had a big night,” Black said.

Tupa caught Strnad’s other scoring aerial, a nifty 37-yarder in the third quarter. Tupa finished with four grabs for 98 yards. He now has well over 1,000 receiving yards this season. Junior back Zach Venesile made two snags for 24.

Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver was four of five on extra point kicks. He also added a 25-yard second quarter field goal.

Defensively Speaking

Junior defensive back Niall Lewison totaled 21 tackles, including five solo stops against the Titans. Dimitrijevs, who recovered a fumble, his team-leading third of the campaign, notched a dozen hits (5 solos).

Mason Mackovjak and Troy Walter, a pair of seniors, each had ten tackles. Hulking junior tackle Nick Sokolowski was in on nine. He led Brecksville with two sacks. Classmate Rody Seballos also had nine hits. He intercepted a Gassman pass.

Sophomore defensive end Victor Bierman had nine pops as well. And Garrett Patterson, who has been playing more and more in the Bees secondary the past several weeks, came up with five solo tackles and broke-up a pass. Brecksville did have three tackles for a loss.

“We have to play better. We have to execute our assignments better,” is what Coach Black said immediately after Friday nights game.

It isn’t coach-speak. It’s the reality of football. A few plays either way make a huge difference. Friday night they added up to a 15-point differential. Otherwise the numbers were pretty much even-Steven.

 

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:

Berea-Midpark ….. 6-0* ….. 8-1.

BBHHS ….. 4-1 ….. 7-2.

North Olmsted ….. 3-2 ….. 6-3.

Olmsted Falls ….. 3-2 ….. 4-5.

Westlake ….. 1-4 ….. 3-6.

Amherst Steele ….. 1-4 ….. 2-7.

Avon Lake ….. 0-5 ….. 1-8.

* Clinched conference championship.

 

THE PLAYOFF PICTURE:

In Division II, Region 3 …

Brecksville controls its own destiny. A victory Friday night at Westlake puts the Bees into the post-season for the second consecutive season. The program has never made back-to-back playoff appearances. This could be the first team to accomplish that.

Unofficially the Bees are in sixth place in the region. Currently they match-up with Madison, which is third. The top eight teams get in. It is doubtful that Brecksville would get a first-round home game, as one of the top four seeds, should it get past the Demons. That matters little at this point.

“Let’s just go out there and win Friday and then we’ll see what happens. Who we play and where,” Black said.

Westlake is mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

In Division I, Region 1 …

With Fridays victory it appears as though Berea-Midpark has jumped from seventh to second in the region. The top 16 teams in the northern half of the state in D-1 reach the post-season. The Titans have officially clinched a home playoff game regardless of what they do this Friday against undefeated Midview.

As of now B-M would host Canton Glen Oak in the playoff opener.

But in all possible playoff scenarios nothing is official until the OHSAA and its trusty computer makes it that way next Sunday afternoon.

Next Story: Monday night … the Brecksville at Westlake preview.

 

See You at The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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