STRNAD’S PASSING DAMPENS COMETS HOMECOMING
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Friday night, October 3, 2014
AMHERST – Luke Strnad passed for four touchdowns and ran for another as Brecksville-Broadview Heights overcame the elements and spoiled the Comets Homecoming here tonight with a 36-6 Southwestern Conference victory at rainy Memorial Stadium.
Strnad, a sophomore, completed his first nine passes as the Bees buzzed to a 23-0 lead before he threw his first incomplete pass. Tyler Tupa caught a pair of touchdown passes. And Niall Lewison and Garrett Patterson each caught one. Strnad’s 14-yard run around the left side was Brecksville’s second touchdown in the games opening eight minutes.
The Bees (5-1, 3-0 SWC) worked their vaunted muddle-huddle extra point scheme to perfection following their first two touchdowns. On both occasions Danny Shirilla passed to Zach Venesile for the two-point conversions.
Brecksville took a commanding 29-0 lead just 2:37 into the second stanza on a 59-yard bomb from Strnad to Patterson. Tupa, who now has a dozen TD receptions this season, scored the Bees first one of the game and the last. He hauled in a 22-yarder roughly midway through the third quarter.
“Honestly we thought that we weren’t going to be able to throw the ball because of the weather,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black outside the Bees locker room after the game. “I thought we were going to have to run it every single play. But we were able to jump on them right away.”
Amherst Steele (1-5, 0-2 SWC) scored its only touchdown of the game with no time remaining. It came on a ten yard pass from third string quarterback Johnny Matakovich to Josh Kelley. The extra point was not attempted. And the two teams lined up to shake hands.
It was the final conference contest between the two schools in football as the Bees leave the SWC for the Suburban League next year.
Brecksville’s defense was outstanding. It held the Comets to just three yards of net offense and one first down in the first half. Amherst finished with five first downs. Four of them came in succession on their game-ending 5-minute, 92-yard drive.
The Bees forced Steele into three downs and a punt on its first five possessions. On the sixth the Comets turned it over on downs. “We just went out there and played our game. Amherst wasn’t as physical as we thought so we hit them,” junior defensive end Ryder Seballos said. “We were more physical than them. We were faster. And we played harder.”
Not Wasting Any Time
The Bees won the coin toss and opted to receive. Strnad’s first two completions totaled 68 yards. They went to Patterson and Tupa respectively. Tupa hauled in a four yard touchdown toss a little over a minute and a half into the game.
Getting a leg up on the Comets and setting the tone was paramount to the Bees. “We knew it was going to be a stormy night and we knew that we had to get out quick and get some points on the board. And we were able to do that,” said Tupa. “Obviously it gave us a lot of momentum and we carried that into the second half. We played an all around good game.”
Brecksville continued to pass the ball. Strnad connected with Tupa twice and Lewison once on a ten play, 58-yard march that took 4:39 and culminated when Strnad scrambled out of the pocket to pay dirt.
Strnad carried the ball several times on the Bees third possession. Shirilla picked up 16 yards on a run play. And the eight play, 60-yard trek struck gold when Strnad passed 34 yards to Lewison for a score on the right side.
Lewison had a sensational game on both sides of the ball. The 5-9, 165-pound junior WR/DB came up with an interception in the third quarter. He was all over the field. “It was a good night. The guys played really well. We played all four quarters tonight,” Lewison said.
After another three and a punt by Amherst, Brecksville went for broke. On a first and ten from its own 41 Strnad uncoiled a dart to Patterson who was all alone down the right sideline. G-Pat outraced the pursuing green jerseys to the house to make it 29-0. That was the score at intermission.
Sophomore Sensation
The Bees scored the first four times they had the ball. Strnad passed for 213 yards in the first half. Tupa and Patterson combined for eight receptions for 165 of those yards. Strnad also carried the ball 13 times for 35 yards in the opening 24 minutes of action.
“I saw open guys and I just found them. Coach (Tom) Tupa and my teammates told me to just keep calm,” a humble Strnad said after the game regarding his nine-for-nine start in less than ideal conditions. “We’re doing things right as a team. It was a good overall win.”
“That’s awesome,” Black replied when he was informed that Strnad completed his first nine pass attempts. “Luke is improving every week. It’s nice to have the receivers that we have for him to throw the ball to. They do an excellent job. But Luke continues to get better each week.”
A Steele punt netted 20 yards on the opening series of the third quarter. Taking possession at the hosts 40 Brecksville went back to work. Shirilla gathered in a 15-yard strike. And on second and nine from the Amherst 22 Tupa found himself on the receiving end of another TD toss.
These Bees Are Hot
The victory, the Bees third straight on the road this season, enabled them to keep pace with SWC-leading Berea-Midpark. Both Brecksville and the Titans are 3-0 in conference play. “This is a good start for us in the conference, now that we are 3-0,” said Seballos. “That makes other teams know that we are for real. That we’re not playing around.”
Beeville has lost its first two running backs for the season with ankle injuries. Junior Josh Underwood went down late in the Olmsted Falls game and sophomore Joey McGonegal was injured a week later against North Olmsted. So BBHHS went with Plan C tonight and that was 5-7, 145-pound junior Zach Venesile. Venesile turned in an admirable performance. He carried the ball often enough and well enough to keep the heat off Strnad. And his pair of two-point conversion catches, both coming on the same play call in the first frame, threw an early monkey wrench into the Comets Homecoming party.
But Brecksville is a pass first team and that wasn’t about to change even in its first game this season on a natural grass field and with a steady rain throughout. “We knew coming in that it was going to be rainy and wet. We had it in our minds that that’s the way it was going to be. And we just dealt with it,” Lewison said.
Accolades For The Bees Dee
In essence the Bees pitched a shutout for 47:59. That fact was not diminished by the aerial pyrotechnics on a soggy night. “I told you a thousand times before. Our defense takes on the personality of Coach (John) Shirilla. He calls the attacks and our guys just swarm to the football,” Black said. “What you have seen throughout this season is that our defense is becoming more and more of what we lean on. It’s a good feeling because we know that if we go three and out that our defense is going to get a stop.”
Black was concerned coming into this contest for a variety of reasons. It was Brecksville’s first true road game of the season. The team has been beset by injuries to key players on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The Bees had an hour long bus ride to Lorain County and had to play a game on grass in the rain. Neither of which bodes favorably to a team that, coming in, had scored 14 of its 18 touchdowns this season through the air.
“Facing a team like Amherst, who has played teams close in the fourth quarter and who has played the schedule that they have played, that’s the only thing you can do in a game like this,” said Black. “And you never know what can happen when you play a team on their Homecoming. Funny things can happen.”
The funny thing is the Bees keep finding ways to win games.
LINE SCORE:
BEES 16 13 7 0 = 36
COMETS 0 0 0 6 = 6
SCORING SUMMARY:
1) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 4 pass to Tyler Tupa. Danny Shirilla pass to Zach Venesile. 8-0 Bees (10:24).
1) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 14 run. Danny Shirilla pass to Zach Venesile. 16-0 Bees (4:07).
2) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 34 pass to Niall Lewison. Jakob Nypaver kick. 23-0 Bees (11:07).
2) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 59 pass to Garrett Patterson. Kick failed. 29-0 Bees (9:23).
3) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 22 pass to Tyler Tupa. Jakob Nypaver kick. 36-0 Bees (7:40).
4) – Comets ….. Johnny Matakovich 10 pass to Josh Kelley. No extra point attempt. 36-6 Bees (00:00).
Final Score:
Brecksville – 36, Amherst – 6.
Please stay tuned to the Bees website this weekend for Saturday’s side bar story to this game and Sunday’s look inside the statistics.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
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