QUICK START KEYS 19-12 WIN
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Friday night, August 21, 2015
BROADVIEW HEIGHTS – The Bees rattled off 19 points in the games first 12:05, and then held on at the end for a 19-12 victory over visiting Painesville Riverside here this evening in a “live half” of football at the Bee Hive.
While the Brecksville-Broadview Heights defense was forcing three straight three and outs and scoring on a safety its offense tallied a pair of touchdowns. Junior kicker Sam Kraguljac chipped in with two extra points and a 33-yard field goal. And Brecksville appears to be headed in the right direction going into next Friday’s season opener.
The Bees energy level and improvement in the blocking and tackling departments, a week after the teams first scrimmage at Medina Highland, were evident.
“Like all the coaches have been saying. They week between your first scrimmage and second scrimmage is your biggest week of improvement. I think that showed a little out here tonight,” senior two-way standout Danny Shirilla said. “It was nice to come out with a good start. But we just have to finish.”
Riverside capitalized on two second quarter Brecksville fumbles to put 12 points on the board in a matter of 4:51. That made the game interesting when it appeared to be out of reach. The Bees managed the clock by running effectively in the final 4:13 to conclude their scrimmage season with a positive vibe.
“We have been practicing a lot better. We’ve had better effort and more intensity. As you know you play how you practice. Our kids are showing that,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. “But we also played how we’ve practiced by, as you saw, when our intensity and enthusiasm dropped off look what happened. They get a fumble for a touchdown. We commit another turnover, and four or five plays later they put it in the end zone again.”
Beeville Scoring Frenzy
With junior Luke Strnad at quarterback the Bees wasted little time in getting on the board on their first possession. On a third and 11 play Strnad drilled the pill through a basement window that senior wide receiver Tyler Tupa somehow came up with while being double-covered. That play resulted in a 36-yard gain and kept the drive alive.
The eight play series was capped off when senior running back Josh Underwood high-stepped his way into the north end zone from six yards out.
On Brecksville’s second offensive possession Underwood got the Beavers defense cheating up when he went for ten yards on first down. On the next play, from his own 45, Strnad let one fly to Tupa. The Ohio University recruit had blown past his defender however Strnad was chased out of the pocket. The ball was in the air and the camped out Tupa had it eye-balled the entire way, catching it at the Riverside 25. When his defender caught up with him Tupa put his patented drop-step move on him, reversed his field and ran away from pursuit for a 55-yard TD.
“Imagine that … Tyler making a nice move,” Black said with a laugh. “It was a great start. It helps to have great players making big plays and Tyler can certainly do that.”
“And Luke took his first hit on the long touchdown pass too. He was rolling out and got hit and threw the ball for a touchdown. Luke being able to deliver the ball like that always helps as well,” said Black.
The Bees defense continued to get the best of the Beavers. On a third and 19 play from the Riverside ten defensive end Ryder Seballos broke through and sacked the visiting signal-caller for a safety. Victor Bierman, who bulked up in the off-season, and sophomore Michael Graham also played a huge part in the play with dogged pursuit.
“I was pleased with how our defense came out and got Riverside shut down right away. We were able to take advantage of that and move the ball down the field,” Black said. “What I want to see with our defense when I watch the film of this scrimmage is eight helmets on the ball. Eight red bullets at the point of attack.”
Following the free kick Brecksville marched 65 yards and added three more points on Kraguljac’s impressive field goal, which came on the first play of the second quarter. Sam Wiglusz kept the drive alive when he hauled in a ten-yard pass on third and nine on a ball that was thrown behind him.
Foot off the Pedal
The Bees got sloppy. A nice hop fumble was scooped up by a Beaver linebacker who took it 60 yards for a score. Another fumble, two series’ later on a questionable call, resulted in a 24-yard jaunt by a Riverside running back.
In between those two tallies senior wide out P.J. Austin hauled in an 18-yard dart from Shirilla who had relieved Strnad at quarterback for the Bees. On Brecksville’s final possession junior running back Joey McGonegal used his shifty moves and quick feet to scamper through holes on what appeared to be counter or misdirection plays. That was enough to run out the clock. “I was happy with the offensive line and the way they improved this week,” said Black. “They were able to get into people and keep going.”
The Bees made strides this evening against their traditional week two scrimmage partner. In the games first 12 minutes all facets of their game; offense, defense and special teams, looked fairly well-oiled. Concerns would be the let down after a solid start. And the two fumbles that were part of that.
“Those are definitely things we can correct and we will focus on that. Hopefully the kids will take those things personally and use them as motivation to get better. This was a real live opportunity to do that,” Black said. “You should know what happens when the intensity gets turned off. Any team, at any time, can do anything to you.”
LINE SCORE:
RIVERSIDE 0 12 = 12
BRECKSVILLE 16 03 = 19
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-Bees … Josh Underwood 6-yard run. Sam Kraguljac kick. 7-0 Bees (7:58). 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:42.
1-Bees … Tyler Tupa 55-yard pass from Luke Strnad. Sam Kraguljac kick. 14-0 Bees (5:24). 2 plays, 64 yards, :48.
1-Bees … Safety. Ryder Seballos, Victor Bierman and Michael Graham tackled quarterback in end zone. 16-0 Bees (4:45).
2-Bees … Sam Kraguljac 33-yard field goal. 19-0 Bees (11:55). 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:47.
2-Beavers … 60-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Kick failed. 19-6 Bees (9:05).
2-Beavers … 24-yard run. Kick failed. 19-12 Bees (4:14).
Final: Bees, 19-12.
BEE HIVE BUZZ:
The weatherman was right … It was a perfect 75 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze at kickoff. “I hope we have ten more Friday nights like this,” said assistant coach Mike Czack.
Good to see everyone, sun glare or not … The BBHHS student body, The Swarm, looked no worse for the wear after the first two days of school. They showed up in nice numbers on a glorious Friday evening. The concession stand was open for business.
It’s Zebra Season … Veteran head referee John Greich and his crew worked the game. The group is a nice mix of seasoned refs and some young ones. “We have the Eastlake North at Westlake game next Friday. And week two we have Austintown Fitch at Brunswick. That should be a good one,” the longtime side judge said.
A Welcome Addition … Sam Kraguljac is a member of the Bees soccer team. He was right on the money with his boots tonight. Five points in your first high school football game, scrimmage or not, is a pretty good day at the new office. His kick offs were consistently high and to about the 12 or 13 yard line. “I was a little nervous, but it feels good,” Kraguljac said.
J&J Ground Breakers … Josh Underwood and Joey McGonegal missed the better half of last season after they both went down with broken ankles in back-to-back weeks. This scrimmage season they have both run the ball effectively. Underwood scored last Saturday at Highland and again tonight. “That’s two more times in the end zone than all of last season,” Underwood quipped. “It feels good to be out here after missing half of last year. I’m now settling into a rhythm. It actually feels good to get hit.”
Behind-The-Scenes … The Bees director of football operations Mike Grgat went home with a bad back today. Here’s hoping the jack-of-all-trades is feeling better soon. The Bee Hive’s chain gang got a preseason workout. The no-nonsense unit is led by the ageless Jim “The Chieftain” Bourquin. He is joined by Eric Toth, John Boblick and Ray Zadd of Mail Hub fame.
NEXT UP:
The Bees open the 2015 season with a non-conference home game against Padua Franciscan Friday, August 28. Kick off is at 7:00. There will be a pregame ceremony at 6:45 to recognize those who were contributors to Community Stadiums’ new artificial playing surface. This will be the first meeting ever between the Bees (Suburban League) and the Bruins (North Coast League) on the football field.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow on Twitter: @beevillesports
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on the worldwide web at: beesvolleyball.com. Brecksville opens its season tomorrow morning against Revere and Medina in a triangular at Revere. First varsity serve is at 10:45.
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