BEES SEASON ENDS, GOOD THOUGHTS PREVAIL

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Saturday night, November 8, 2014

MADISON – Players, coaches, fans and parents lingered on the sod here at the Blue Streaks stadium last night. It was as if no one wanted it to end. Folks were not thinking about how cold their feet were or counting down the minutes until they could get to the car and crank the heater on full blast.

There were a few tears. That’s natural, especially for the seniors who played their last high school football game. And I’ll admit, the Bees 49-21 Division II, Region 3 quarter-final defeat was a bummer. However there is a much bigger and better story behind this team. It is the story of a group of guys that gave it all they could for 11 weeks and delivered a second straight trip to the playoffs for the communities and school they represent so well.

“These guys have nothing to hang their heads about. Nothing to be ashamed of. They gave a tremendous effort for 48 minutes against a very good football team,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. “I’m very proud of them.”

“Did you cry last night?”, asked Lady Bee senior basketball player Kelsey “KC” Roman early this morning at the teams first scrimmage at Revere. There were no tears Kelsey, just good thoughts. I was happy and proud.

Happy about the fact that I got to spend quality time since the beginning of summer when seven-on-seven scrimmages took place right through the final horn last night with a wonderful group of guys. And proud of a team of young men who got all they could out of themselves, their teammates, this season and their careers. That is a major victory in my book.

Madison was the better football team. The third-seeded Blue Streaks made that clear for four quarters on this cold night in eastern Lake County. The Premier Athletic Conference team did exactly what it had to do. They protected their home turf by scoring the games first three touchdowns and four of the last five. In reviewing game notes several times now. Madison was pretty dominant in winning its first home playoff game in school history.

I asked coach Black what he will remember most about this team. He didn’t bat an eye. “Their character, their commitment, their effort and their heart. Those are the things I’ll remember about this team. We never stopped competing,” Black said. “Our seniors helped us do something that no other team has, lead us to the playoffs for the second straight year for the first time in school history. That will be their legacy.”

The Road To Grape Country

It was a 55-mile one-way trip from Mill Road in Broadview Heights to Burns Road in Madison. The game-time temperature was in the mid to high 30’s. Still they came. Bee Nation fans filled the visitors stands. This was playoff football, the air was as fresh as could be. And, as Coach Black said a week ago at Westlake, the Bees were playing with house money.

And so the journey began. Two geniuses; “Berea Roy” Hruska and a fella that simply goes by the moniker of The Mouthpiece hopped in the Blue Goose for the ride out to Madison. It was good to have the company. To talk football; the Bees, the Buckeyes and the first-place Browns (not a typo).

When tired, old, travel-stiffened legs stepped out into the parking lot the brisk air felt like a slap in the face. “Is the next exit for Niagara Falls?” Berea Roy quipped.

Madison, Ohio 44057

“I didn’t know what to expect, but this place looks great,” The Mouthpiece said as we got close the ballpark. Indeed it did.

There was a sense of small town football, of pride, of playoff fever. “Hurry up, lets’ get in. I want to see us kick butt!, a girl wearing a Madison varsity jacket said to her friends at the entrance gate.

Blue Streak game-day personal were cordial and downright funny at times. The local VFW flag-bearers unloaded their equipment from a van that was backed into the “pass gate” area. Both the Bees and the Blue Steaks were on the field for warm-ups. It was about a half-hour to kick off.

The BBHHS marching band made its triumphant entrance. “How many are in that band?” one of two ladies that worked the down markers asked. “230? Wow! I want to hear them play.”

Brecksville City Council President Greg Skaljac stopped by the fence to take it all in. He was grinning from ear-to-ear. “I wouldn’t miss this,” Skaljac said.

Bees statistician Greg Roderick, who is the real behind-the-scenes maestro to these stories, checked-in. His fifth-grade daughter Anna was trying to keep warm. “They don’t have yard-line hash-marks on the field. But it looks good from the press box,” Roderick said.

Lady Bee freshmen volleyball players Sam Volkens, Katie Riley and Emily Bouchahine were pumped up. “Are we going to win?” they wanted to know. Volkens wore just a hoodie. “She’s going to freeze!” Bouchahine said.

“The Southwestern Conference Cheerleading competition is Monday night at 6:30 at Avon Lake. Are you going to be there?” BBHHS cheer coach Jamie Hoy asked. Bless Mrs. Hoy. She asks every year. The Bee cheerleaders are the two-time defending league champs. They want to leave the SWC by notching their third straight title Monday night. “Our t-shirts say, ‘Leaving Our Legacy’, said Hoy. “Get there early. We cheer third.”

Junior cheerleader Chloe Backman was off at a church retreat. Senior Riley Nowacki happily provided the groups pregame prediction. “I think it will be payback from last year. Bees-33, Madison-28,” Nowacki said.

Madison staged a wonderful pregame show. There was a definite playoff atmosphere in the air. It’s band played God Bless America. And when the national anthem, which began with a splendid trumpet duo and ended in a full crescendo was played, a full moon peaked out from behind the clouds for its only appearance of the night.

The Bees broke through the banner and it was game time. Defensive coordinator John Shirilla stopped over for his pregame interview. “If we shut down their running game, it’s our ball game. We’re going to put as many in the box as possible,” Shirilla said.

Shortly after Jakob Nypaver’s toe met the pigskin a familiar voice was heard from behind. It was Dan “Hacksaw” Hodous, the iron-lunged voice of the Bees. Please tell me this isn’t happening.

“Me and (Dan) Kalinsky went to this nice little place in downtown Madison for dinner. They had good burgers. They even toasted the buns,” Hodous said. “The townspeople are all fired-up about this game.”

I can’t make this stuff up. Fiction doesn’t fly at the worldwide headquarters of brecksvillefootball.com.

Two things stood out about Madison’s field. Considering the Blue Streaks had already played six home games this season it was in excellent shape. But it has been some time since I stood on the sideline of a natural grass field that had a crown of this magnitude. “We’re standing in a hole over here,” Coach Black said to no one in particular when the Bees were assessed an early sideline warning.

“This place is old-school,” said team photographer Scott “Bald Monkey” Warren. Yes, it was. But the facility was nice. The sound system was outstanding and the staff in the press box did an excellent job of keeping fans constantly updated with scores from other playoff games throughout the area. The Madison people understood what this was all about.

Welcome To Week 11

Shirilla’s game plan worked to perfection on the Blue Streaks first series. Senior tackle Evan Baschko tackled Connor Nikses for a 3-yard loss and the hosts had to punt.

Both teams looked a little nervous in the early going. This was a re-match of last years regional semi-final game, which Madison won 22-21. Playing at home as the higher seed, the pressure was on them.

Brecksville fumbled the ball back to the Streaks. The home team took advantage of a favorable spot on a completed fourth down and eight pass completion to keep the sticks moving. The left-footed spot brought a chorus of boos and catcalls from the visiting stands.

Three plays later Madison scored its first touchdown. A train horn, mounted atop the scoreboard, blared for all of Canada to hear. “I don’t want to hear that horn anymore tonight,” BBHMS 7th grade coach Lou Cozza said.

Real live train horns, the ones in diesel locomotives on a nearby major east-west rail route, were consistently heard throughout the game.

The Blue Streaks did what they do best. They used a variety of running backs, seven all told, in taking a 21-0 lead late in the first half.

Then the Bees, with a sense of urgency and their season on the line, began to do what they have done so well for so many years. They went to the air to get on the scoreboard. The train horn didn’t blow when Zach Venesile bull-dogged his way into the end zone on a well-executed 5-yard misdirection pass from Luke Strnad.

As strange as it sounds, trailing 21-7 at the half, Brecksville had Madison right where it wanted them. The feeling was that the Blue Streaks were ripe for the upset. The Bees, even though two touchdowns down, had momentum. They had already proved they were not going to roll over and quit. And, as a bonus, the visitors would receive the second half kick off.

Half Time Happenings

“We’re good,” I told folks who asked. “We get the ball to start the second half. We go down and score and its a one possession game. We play defense and we’ll be fine.”

North Royalton assistant coach Raul Seballos touched-base at halftime. As a defensive coach he had his takes on the first half. Raul is Ryder Seballos’ uncle. His perspectives were interesting, especially about how challenging the competition will be in the Suburban League next year. “There will be no off weeks in the Suburban League,” Seballos said.

Talking with fans in the stands opens up a whole new world. The game looks different from that vantage point. You just can’t see from the field what you can see from the stands. And a coaches perspective is always much more in-depth than that of a fan who carries around a steno pad.

Speaking of the steno pad. Lady Bee junior volleyball player, junior Hannah Paris, borrowed it when Coach Seballos and I were chatting. When she handed it back, ten minutes later, a note was written on it. “I am still a much better volleyball player than Jamie Rachek even though the season is over! And I am still going to marry her cousin,” Paris wrote.

Back on the field, as the players warmed-up for the second half, I had a nice conversation with the grandmother of Madison quarterback Connor Smith. At the Route 528 exit to I-90 a blue ODOT attraction sign signaled the way to three wineries. I asked her what was up with that? “Yes, there are at least a dozen wineries in the area and one just opened at the end of September. A lot of them have live entertainment and serve food,” she said. “There are vineyards all over. We grow a lot of grapes out here. It’s because of the fertile valleys.”

A Glimmer of Hope

The Bees did exactly what they were supposed to do to start the second half. They went on a seven-play, 65-yard drive and scored in a click over three minutes to cut the Blue Streaks gap to 21-14. The large Bee Nation contingent was into it.

Defensive back Troy Walter blitzed and made a big tackle for a 10-yard loss on second down. Smith’s third down pass was incomplete. And Shirilla’s defense, now playing with confidence, had forced the Streaks to punt. Beeville fans, even those with no family ties, who made the long drive to the eastern fringe of the Cleveland area were now beginning to understand why they did.

But the Bees committed their second turnover, another fumble, and that led to a quick 29-yard score on a draw play by the Blue Steaks. Momentum had shifted back and it was going to be a long rest of the way.

Brecksville did threaten a few more times. Joe Dimitrijevs’ 1-yard touchdown dive brought the red and gold back to within 35-21 with 6:53 to play and there was certainly still hope. But Smith executed a perfect pop pass to Aaron Petruccelli and younger brother Josh, who was the Blue Streaks wildcat quarterback, dove over the pile for Madison’s seventh TD. And the party and the Bees season was over.

“Last year Madison was physical. This year they beat us with their tremendous team speed,” a shivering BBHHS head basketball coach Steve Mehalik said.

Summing It Up

The Bees won eight games in 2014. Over a two-season span the program has 18 wins and has played in three playoff games. Any coach that puts on sunscreen in August and dons gloves in November would take that.

“Our guys have nothing to be ashamed of. They left it all on the field,” said Black in recapping the season. “In our three losses; to Hudson, Berea-Midpark and Madison, we committed turnovers and didn’t make the big play when we had to.”

Young teams tend do that and Brecksville was young this year. But for a team that came into this season having to replace 20 of 22 starters, playing in week 11 was the last thing I was thinking of on that humid night against Holy Name at North Royalton. I figured that on November 7th I would be standing next to Mehalik at basketball tryouts and not chatting with him in the fresh air 55 miles away.

This Bees team grew. They became football players because of their intelligence, their will, their character and their desire to compete. Not many gave this senior class a lot of credit as it was coming up through the ranks. Personally I didn’t know them well. But I do now and I am glad I do. These guys are winners!

Congratulations Bees on an excellent season!

 

BEE BUZZ:

Last night was the Bees first loss to a Division II team all season. It’s previous one was to the same team, 51 weeks earlier. In two consecutive playoff games Madison has outscored Brecksville, 71-42.

A true test of character is a teams ability to win away from home. Last nights loss was the Bees first on the road this season (5-1) and first in 51 weeks.

Brecksville finished the season with a 29.7 points per game average. It allowed 25.3. The Bees may have lost their last two playoff games, however in that two-year span they won a Southwestern Conference championship and finished second.

There were no upsets in the Region 3 playoffs last night. All four of the higher seeds won and will play in week 12. They did so in convincing fashion. The final scores were pretty lopsided. #3 Madison advances to play #2 Mayfield next Friday at 7:30. It is not official but it makes geographic sense that the game may be played at Mentor. On the other side of the Region 3 bracket #1 Bedford will tangle with red-hot #4 Willoughby South.

This past week the Associated Press released its final regular season polls. Hudson (10-0) was the top team, according to a statewide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, in Division I. Perrysburg (10-0) won the mythical Division II title. The Pirates walloped Massillon Washington, 56-6, last night in a first-round game in Region 4.

Plenty of local teams finished in the top-ten in Division II. They were; Bedford (#4), Nordonia (#5), Midview (#6), Mayfield (#9) and Avon (#10).

Nordonia, now 11-0, won the Suburban League championship. Midview defeated Southwestern Conference champion Berea-Midpark in a week-ten non-conference game. Bedford and Mayfield are still alive in Region 3. And Avon’s only loss was to Midview. The two teams play each other again this Friday in Region 4.

I finally got to shake hands with “Broadview Roy” Walter, Troy’s father. It was a pleasure to meet him. Meanwhile “Garfield Roy” Pubal is back in Australia where his heart is broken about the Bees playoff defeat. And late this afternoon Berea Roy Hruska was still trying to get the feeling to return to his frozen toes.

The Mouthpiece remained fired-up about the game. “How bad were those spots by the officials? They were at least two yards off on some of them. You say they were from Youngstown? That figures,” he said.

Congratulations to the White Bees 10-under NOYFC team. The squad defeated Medina White, 6-0, last Saturday to win the league championship.

The field at Madison, once you got used to the crown, was in very good shape. It was that perfect blend of soft to the touch, yet provided firm footing. Considering it rained for most of the week there was no mud, just the usual dirt and grass stains on the uniforms. Kudos to the Blue Streaks grounds crew. The yard was play-off ready.

Madison’s entire student cheering section joined their team on the field for the post game huddle. That was the first time I had ever seen that. It was pretty cool.

You have to like a town like Madison. It had a very nice little downtown area. It’s the kind of place, like the public announcer said, where you can, “Come to the boosters Chicken Dinner, Chinese Auction and Band-a-Palooza next week.”

As the lower seed the #6 Bees were the visiting team last night. They wore white jerseys and opted for black trousers. Madison was dressed in white lids, royal blue jerseys and white pants.

The Suburban League will be a two-division deal. The larger schools will compete in the National Division. The smaller schools in the American Division. Brecksville is in the larger school National Division along with; arch rival North Royalton, Nordonia, Twinsburg, Hudson, Stow-Munroe Falls, Cuyahoga Falls and Wadsworth. The Bees will play the Bears for The Golden Shoe in week five.

 

LAST NIGHTS GAMES (Division II, Region 3):

#3 Madison – 49, #6 BBHHS – 21

#4 Willoughby South – 34, #5 Glenville-12

The Rebels jumped on the Tarblooders early, staved off a rally and then pulled away at the end. Willoughby South’s ground game sent the Senate Athletic League team to a rare early postseason exit.

#1 Bedford – 49, #8 Garfield Heights – 18

The host Bearcats were relentless in blowing past the Bulldogs. Their reward? A second-round playoff game against the Rebels.

#2 Mayfield – 49, #7 Maple Heights – 12

The Mustangs were galloping uphill going into this one. Three turnovers sent them back to the corral. The Wildcats ran the ball and did it well. Mayfield gets Madison next.

 

Please stay tuned to the site for Sunday night’s look inside Greg Roderick’s official statistics of the Brecksville-Madison game.

 

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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