DEMONS ON HALLOWEEN

 

BEES AT WESTLAKE FRIDAY

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Monday night, October 27, 2014

BRECKSVILLE – And so it comes down to this. The Bees will play in their last ever Southwestern Conference football game at a place where they had a devil of a time in their previous visit.

Added to the witches brew is a quite simple formula in actuality. Win and you’re in. Lose and hope for a treat rather than a trick.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights (7-2, 4-1 SWC) controls its own destiny when it travels to Westlake Friday night for the 2014 regular season finale. Waiting for them at 7:00 at Lou Douchez Stadium will be the Demons (3-6, 1-4 SWC).

It will be the final meeting between the two teams that have played each other every year for the last ten.

Brecksville has all the motivation in the world. If they win the Bees advance to the Division II, Region 3 playoffs.

On the other hand is a spooky proposition. Westlake would like nothing more than to end its season by knocking off their week-ten rivals. A victory on their Senior Night would be a bright spot in what has been somewhat of a disappointing season.

Recent history in games between the Bees and Demons at the ballpark on Hilliard Boulevard is just like that median-divided two-way thoroughfare.

Two years ago, in 2012, Brecksville was trying to make good on an 0-3 start to the campaign. All it needed was a win over Westlake and the Bees would be Southwestern Conference co-champs with Avon Lake.

Heavy rain turned the natural grass field into a quagmire. The pass-happy Bees mustered little in the way of any type of offense and were unceremoniously dumped, 17-0.

Four years ago, in 2010, Brecksville faced a must-win scenario to earn a playoff berth. That night, behind Tommy Tupa’s passing, Matt Galland’s running and Adam Best’s interception, the Bees easily took care of the Demons and advanced to the Division I playoffs where they faced Solon.

This year the Bees character will once again be tested. However this is a much different squad than the veteran 2012 club. What type of performance Brecksville puts forth Friday night will tell whether this is a true playoff team or whether it is a young team that has over-achieved up until this point.

One thing is for certain. The Bees two losses this fall have been to very good football teams. Hudson, the state’s top-ranked team in Division I, defeated them in a week-three non-conference home game. Last Friday Berea-Midpark walked off with a 52-37 triumph that gave it the outright SWC flag.

Other than that Brecksville has won. Sometimes in dominating fashion. At other times by sheer will; whether holding off a hard- charging opponent (North Olmsted) or pulling one out in miraculous fashion (Avon Lake).

A Devil of A Season

Westlake had high hopes coming into the season. And it started out well with home wins over North Ridgeville and Youngstown East. Those were sandwiched around a bitter come-back-on-Saturday-morning 35-33 last second loss at Bay.

However when SWC play got underway the Demons struggled. Aside from a 14-7 victory at Avon Lake they have been on the losing side of the ledger within the loop. Last week Westlake fell at Amherst Steele, 28-10.

The Demons are averaging 24.1 points per game and allowing 32.3. Their scores have been all over the board. Through the first five games of the season Westlake had been averaging 35.4 points per outing. The last four weeks, 10.0. Key injuries, perhaps, have been a factor in that sudden decline in offensive production.

The Demons are 2-2 at home. The Bees are 4-0 on the road. If Brecksville can emerge victorious Friday night it will be the first time since at least 1997 that it has run the table in games away from Community Stadium.

The Bees, who are in second place in the SWC, are scoring 30.1 and surrendering 24.7. The pass-first club is posting 347 yards per contest with 229 of them coming through the air.

Bee Leaders

Sophomore quarterback Luke Strnad has 1,955 passing yards and 27 touchdown tosses against 11 interceptions. He is also the teams leading rusher with 475 yards (5 TD’s).

Junior wide out Tyler Tupa has 1,025 receiving yards and a team-high 18 touchdowns (108 points). Opposite Tupa is senior Garrett Patterson who has grabbed 38 passes for 594 yards and nine touchdowns. Junior Danny Shirilla, who is also the anchor of the secondary, has 23 receptions for 186 yards.

Senior linebacker Joe Dimitrijevs leads Brecksville’s defense with 103 total tackles and three fumble recoveries. Junior corner back Niall Lewison has 85 stops, including eight for a loss. Junior end Ryder Seballos has been in on 72 tackles and has six quarterback hurries.

Sophomore Victor Bierman, an end, has recorded a team-high five sacks to go along with 66 tackles. Ryan Lambert and Troy Walter, a pair of senior DB’s, each have 55 pops.

Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver is converting 80% of his extra point attempts.

Odds and Ends

The Bees are +1 on the season in the turnover department. That will be a factor Friday night, especially if the weather is inclement, as it has been known to be in week ten at Westlake. The early week forecast is calling for at least a 70% chance of precipitation.

Brecksville handled the Demons, 39-14, last year in Broadview Heights. That win gave it an outright league title and a first-round home playoff game.

If the Bees make the playoffs this year it will be the first time in school history that they have done so in back-to-back seasons. Yet more motivation for head coach Jason Black’s lads.

“Obviously winning the Southwestern Conference championship was one of our goals. But we still have a chance to play in week 11. There will only be 32 Division II teams in the playoffs. So let’s be one of those 32,” Black said after last weeks game.

The last gents who want this to be their last go-round in red and gold are Brecksville’s 15 seniors. They have all been named captains for the Westlake game.

 

THIS WEEKS GAMES:

Southwestern Conference

BBHHS (7-2, 4-1) at Westlake (3-6, 1-4)

It has been a disappointing season thus far for the Demons. They have a chance to make a lot right by upsetting the Bees at Lou Douchez. Brecksville controls its own destiny, but it is fighting for its playoff life. It can use 2012’s 17-0 loss in the mud as motivation for how sour that defeat tasted well into the off-season.

Ironically the Lady Bees volleyball team played its final SWC match this season on Senior Night at Westlake. This question was posed to them in the pregame huddle. “This is your last ever Southwestern Conference game. How do you want to be remembered?” Brecksville swept the Demons in three sets.

North Olmsted (6-3, 3-2) at Olmsted Falls (4-5, 3-2)

In the battle of the Olmsted’s go with North. Christian Ammons is the hottest quarterback in the SWC right now. The Bulldogs will have trouble matching the Eagles point-for-point.

Amherst Steele (2-7, 1-4) at Avon Lake (1-8, 0-5)

This is the SWC’s version of the battle of Lorain County. And there are plenty of questions. Avon Lake is 0-4 at home. Will it go win less at Memorial Stadium? Will the victory bell, which has not been heard all season, continue to gather rust over the long harsh lakefront winter? Or even more unheard of. Will the Shoremen go without a victory in the conference they dominated for decades?

Steele is coming off a 28-10 win over Westlake and could be buoyed with some late-season confidence.

I still think the Shoremen have a few more weapons. If they give the ball to big Sam Klimkowski 20 times they should win. The Comets won’t be able to stop him.

Cross-over Game

Midview (9-0, 6-0) at Berea-Midpark (8-1, 6-0)

A pair of conference champions meet in week-ten with a lot on the line even though both the Middies (West Shore Conference) and the Titans (Southwestern Conference) locked up their respective outright league titles last week. The geniuses who matched these two clubs up in the two-year cross-over series couldn’t have dreamed of this scenario.

Both teams are playoff-bound. Pride and conference bragging rights are at stake. No one wants to go into the post-season with a loss.

This will be one of the better week-ten games in the area. The Middies record speaks for itself. The Titans were very impressive at the Bee Hive. They should prevail at home.

 

OTHER GAMES OF NOTE:

Holy Name (5-4, 3-1 NCL) at Trinity (2-7, 0-4 NCL)

The Green Wave has won three in a row and have a chance to finish with a winning record. H-N topped Cleveland Central Catholic at North Royalton Saturday night. This used to be a great rivalry. But this year the Namer’s should ring up another W over the reeling Trojans.

North Royalton (2-7, 1-3 NOC) at Stow-Munroe Falls (6-3, 1-3 NOC)

Question: Can the Bears pull off the upset? Answer: Basketball tryouts are at the end of next week.

Hudson (9-0, 4-0 NOC) at Twinsburg (1-8, 1-3 NOC)

Don’t look for a let down by Hudson following its big win over Mentor. The Explorers have an extra day to prepare for their regular season finale. They are arguably the best team in the state. Hudson rolls into the playoffs at 10-0. Meanwhile Twinsburg’s only win was over North Royalton, 35-0.

Lakewood (2-7, 0-5 WSC) at North Ridgeville (4-5, 1-4 WSC)

Both teams have obviously struggled in league play and both came into this season with higher expectations than what their records show. In this battle of the Rangers look for the hosts to post the W. However the final score may be relatively close.

 

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com

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