BRECKSVILLE’S SEASON ENDS
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Friday night, October 30, 2015
HUDSON – The Explorers came into this week ten match-up with the best defense in the Suburban League National Division. The Bees now know why.
Hudson posted its third shutout of the season with a 26-0 victory over Brecksville-Broadview Heights here on Senior Night in Memorial Stadium.
The win gives the Explorers sole possession of second place in the league standings. Hudson, who is playoff-bound in Division II, Region 3, finishes the regular season with an 8-2 overall mark. Ron Wright’s team went 6-1 in the SL-National.
Brecksville, which saw its playoff hopes go by the wayside, ends the 2015 campaign with a 7-3 overall slate. The Bees slid to a fourth place finish in the loop at 4-3.
The hosts scored nine quick points and that set the tone on a crisp evening. “You can’t play uphill against Hudson. They are a good football team,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black.
Hudson led 16-0 at the half, and tallied ten more points after intermission on a 31-yard pass play and a 38-yard field goal.
Brecksville could not get anything going offensively against the stout Explorers defense. Hudson, which allowed only a touchdown in its last three outings, has given up just 69 points in ten games.
Not surprisingly it’s defense scored first. Danny Baka tipped a Danny Shirilla pass and Roman Moreno plucked it out of the air and returned it ten yards less than four minutes into the contest. Grant Gonya’s kick gave the Explorers a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second stanza the Bees were forced to punt from their own seven. The snap sailed over Shirilla’s head and out of the end zone for a safety.
Hudson got excellent field position after the free kick and went 45 yards in eight plays to make it 16-0 when Moreno scored from eight yards away.
Down The Stretch
A win would have most likely put Brecksville into the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The nine early points that Hudson scored was like a kick to the gut to an injury-riddled team that may have left everything it had, physically and mentally, on the field in a 48-minute week nine tussle with Stow-Munroe Falls. A dozen seniors played their final game in red and gold. There was nothing left in the tank.
“Those are excuses. We just didn’t perform very well. It just didn’t feel like us for most of the game,” Black said. “You have those nights. It’s unfortunate that it happened in week ten rather than in week one or two where you could figure it out.”
Overcoming Obstacles
Brecksville rattled off five straight wins to open the season. Late in the first quarter the next week against Nordonia standout junior quarterback Luke Strnad suffered a season-ending ACL injury. Seven days later star senior wide receiver and defensive back Tyler Tupa was sidelined. Gone were the teams top two players. Still the Bees rebounded to defeat Wadsworth on the road before dropping their last two SL tilts.
“All that aside The team accomplished a lot this year. You get seven wins out of a group. The seniors won 25 games in their three years as varsity players. And that puts them among the top two or three senior classes of all time,” said Black. “They left their mark on the program with their leadership. The program is better because of them. That’s all you can ask for. I want to thank the seniors from the bottom of my heart for their effort and for all they have done for our program.”
Tonight was the first time Brecksville has been shutout since a 17-0 week ten loss at Westlake three years ago.
SQUIB KICKS:
Brecksville unofficially finished in 12th place in Division II, Region 3. They went 4-1 on the road this fall. Hudson defeated the Bees the past five seasons.
The Explorers finish in second place, a game behind undefeated Stow (10-0, 7-0). They have clinched a playoff spot. It may be as high as fifth. If so, Hudson travels to #4 Copley next Friday for a first-round game. However things may change by the time the OHSAA’s computer tallies this weekends results.
Nordonia slipped past Wadsworth, 45-37. The Knights leapfrog the Bees and finish third in the SL. Nordy, which played in the state title game in 2014, was clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in D-2, R-3 as of press time.
Stow outgunned North Royalton 31-6 to conclude its perfect regular season. Win less Twinsburg and Cuyahoga Falls staged a donnybrook. The Tigers pulled away for a 46-35 victory.
BEES-EXPLORERS SCORE BY QUARTERS:
BRECKS 0 0 0 0 = 0
HUDSON 7 9 7 3 = 26
SCORING SUMMARY:
1 … Hudson … Roman Moreno 10-yard interception return. Grant Gonya kick. 7-0 Explorers (8:02).
2 … Hudson … Safety. Ball snapped out of the end zone on a punt. 9-0 Explorers (10:22).
2 … Hudson … Roman Moreno 8-yard run. Grant Gonya kick. 16-0 Explorers (7:15). 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:07.
3 … Hudson … Adam Mehelic 31-yard pass from Colt Pallay. Grant Gonya kick. 23-0 Explorers (8:57). 2 plays, 30 yards, 00:33.
4 … Hudson … Grant Gonya 38-yard field goal. 26-0 Explorers (11:00). 8 plays, 57 yards, 2:27.
Final: Hudson, 26-0.
See You At The Bee Hive!
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