HISTORICAL NIGHT IN WESTLAKE
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Friday night, October 31, 2014
WESTLAKE – As if its last Southwestern Conference football game wasn’t a historical event in itself Brecksville-Broadview Heights, on the coat tails of a 35-7 drubbing of the host Demons, clinched a Division II, Region 3 playoff spot. For the first time in school history the Bees will make back-to-back post-season appearances.
The one-sided game was played in an intermittent light drizzle in front of a small Senior Night crowd here at Lou Duchez Field. It was the Bees 18th win in their last 22 games. And it was their fifth in a row on the road this season. This is the first time they have run the table away from Community Stadium since at least 1997.
“At the beginning of the season there were 108 team in Division II. Now there are only 32 that are still playing. We’re one of those 32,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. “You couldn’t ask for anything else at this point in the season because now it’s house money. We’re in. Let’s see what happens. We’re excited for the challenge.”
Taking Care of Business
Sophomore quarterback Luke Strnad threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and senior running back Joe Dimitrijevs scored on a 15-yard run in late in the third quarter to put Brecksville up 28-0.
Dimitrijevs, who is a linebacker first and foremost, has become a legitimate and effective option in the offensive backfield. He opened eyes last week with a 64-yard touchdown gallop against Berea-Midpark and tonight, on the divot-pocked sod, he was able to reach pay dirt again. “I was definitely hoping to get more carries. Running the ball is a blast,” Dimitrijevs said. “The line opened up holes. I was glad to be able to help the team out like that and make a difference.”
Senior wide receiver Jared Schott caught a 5-yard TD pass with 11:27 to go in the game. And with that thoughts on the Bees sideline began to turn toward week 11.
“We practiced that play all week. We planned that play to make sure I was open. And it worked out perfectly, exactly as we planned,” Schott, who played with a heavily wrapped shoulder, said of his first varsity touchdown.
Westlake finishes its season at 3-7 overall and 1-5 in the SWC. It was the Demons final game under veteran head coach Mark Campo, who announced his resignation to his team Thursday evening. Campo will stay on as a guidance counselor at the school.
Meanwhile Brecksville is 8-2 overall. The Bees finished with a 5-1 mark, good for a second place finish, in their Southwestern Conference swan song.
The playoff pairings will be announced Sunday afternoon. It is likely that the red and gold will play its post-season opener on the road.
“The guys talked about what it means to win tonight’s game at our team meeting yesterday. They talked about how they want to feel the intensity of being in a playoff game again. Of how it is to have the entire community watching you. To be on the big stage. That is why you participate in athletics,” said Black. “Our kids now know what that was like. And they had a hunger and a thirst to taste it again.”
A Near Shutout
Brecksville’s defense was superb in forcing six Demon turnovers. Dimitrijevs, the teams leading tackler, had a fumble recovery and an interception. Ryan Lambert and Niall Lewison picked off passes and Mason Mackovjak also recovered a fumble. Victor Bierman blocked a punt. It was the sophomore defensive ends fourth blocked kick of the campaign.
“Everyone did their job. We’ve been watching film all week and studying hard. Everyone was in the right position at the right time. We read them right,” Lambert, a senior defensive back said as the post game celebration on the Bees sideline was getting underway. “Joe-D and Niall both had really nice picks. Everyone just did their job.”
Black lauded the play of his defense, which basically pitched a shutout against the Demons first string unit. “Joe-D is the king of the fumble recoveries. Bierman is the king of the blocked kicks. And Troy Walter is the king of the interceptions,” Black said. “Joe Dimitrijevs has been a defensive leader for us from day one. It started last November when we talked to him about his goals for the upcoming season. And he took being our defensive leader to heart.”
The Bees have shown an uncanny ability to flush tough defeats (Hudson and B-M) and move on to the current task at hand. When their defense has been challenged one week they have responded the next.
“This year we have really come together as a defense. At the beginning of the year a lot of guys were unsure,” Dimitrijevs said. “We have come together and have been flying around as a unit. I’m excited for the playoffs. It should be fun.”
By Land and By Air
Strnad opened the scoring when he plunged in from a yard out late in the first frame. The real story of that touchdown was his 89-yard run to get to Westlake’s one. “It was a heck of a run. I thought he was in. They put six points on the scoreboard, but the official told me he was tackled at the one,” Black said.
On a first and ten at his own ten Strnad bolted through a gaping hole in the middle of the line and raced toward the goal line with a lone green-clad defender on his tail. The officials, who were trailing the play by 20 yards, marked him down at the one.
Strnad threw a 5-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Tyler Tupa in the second stanza. And he fired a 25-yard dart to senior WR Garrett Patterson on a post pattern in the third.
Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver was a perfect five-for-five on point-after kicks on a muddy field. “Jakob is a tireless worker on his trade. His kicking ability has improved tremendously over the course of the year,” Black said. “The last four or five games he has been automatic.”
The Bees offense did what it does best. They threw the ball on most downs despite the wet conditions. The pass, as it does so effectively, set up the run. Much of that had to do with the offensive line.
Center Doug McArtor, as a senior, is the elder statesman of the o-line. The 5-5, 200-pound stalwart has been consistent all season. “It’s big to open holes for Joe-D. He’s a hard runner. He helped us out a lot by hitting the holes as hard as he could and driving his feet,” McArtor said.
The Demons, who lost their starting quarterback (Andris Balodis) and running back (JaQuan Hardy) to season-ending injuries about a month ago, scored with 6:33 to play when Mark Schuler burrowed in from a yard out. Thomas Withers, a junior, added the extra point.
35 Points And it Looked Easy
Brecksville’s offense got the type of production tonight from the three guys that have gained the vast majority of yards and have scored the bulk of its touchdowns. But, in the bi-annual Hilliard Boulevard slop, it was the entire total of the offensive units performance that steadily built the lead, quarter-by-quarter, before the Demons were dealt a Halloween defeat.
“How about Joe-D? He’s run well two weeks in a row. Zach Venesile ran the ball well too. It was nice to see our offensive line establish control of the line of scrimmage. We have an extremely young offensive line. We start a freshman, a sophomore and two juniors. We are led by our senior center, Doug McArtor,” said Black. “That’s not a lot of experience coming into the season. But now they have ten games under their belts. And we are starting to do certain things better and better up front.”
The Bees basically forced their will on Westlake, a team whose season began with high hopes and ended with the resignation of its coach. Brecksville did it once again in all facets of the game.
“Scoring points and playing defense are the keys every week. Special teams contributed again tonight. We got a blocked punt. Victor Bierman got one again,” Black said. “I was just proud of the kids effort. It was great to see the seniors step-up in the leadership role and get the job done.”
A Multitude of Reasons
For Schott, who overcame a shoulder injury to make a big catch in the playoff-clinching triumph, there is a deeper reason for the Bees success. “This is amazing and it feels great. The team came together. We are all so close now. That’s why we are winning,” Schott said. “We have a chemistry that no other team has. That chemistry is the reason why we are winning.”
Mackovjak, a senior linebacker who was pressed into duty when classmate Joe Mandato suffered subsequent shoulder and knee injuries in the middle part of the season, believes that this team had something to prove from the get-go. “At the beginning of the year everyone doubted us. Everyone thought that after the season we had a year ago that we graduated too much talent,” Mackovjak said. “People thought that we would be a 5-5 team. But we really showed up. And we are rolling into week 11.”
Lambert took the historical perspective on the victory that sets this Brecksville team apart from all the ones that came before it. “I’ll be completely honest. Back in August I did not think we were a playoff team. But this year we ended up going back-to-back in making it to the post-season,” Lambert said. “This is the first time we made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and we made school history. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Black gave all the credit to his team for its second consecutive playoff appearance. “That’s a tribute to the kind of kids we have in our program,” Black said. “They really work their butts off. And they take coaching very well. We have guys who are willing to fight and claw and do what they are supposed to do.”
LINE SCORE:
BEES 7 7 14 7 = 35
DEMONS 0 0 0 7 = 7
SCORING SUMMARY:
1) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 1 run. Jakob Nypaver kick. 7-0 Bees (25.9).
2) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 5 pass to Tyler Tupa. Jakob Nypaver kick. 14-0 Bees (1:06).
3) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 25 pass to Garrett Patterson. Jakob Nypaver kick. 21-0 Bees (8:35).
3) – Bees ….. Joe Dimitrijevs 15 run. Jakob Nypaver kick. 28-0 Bees (1:43).
4) – Bees ….. Luke Strnad 5 pass to Jared Schott. Jakob Nypaver kick. 35-0 Bees (11:27).
4) – Demons ….. Mark Schuler 1 run. Thomas Withers kick. 35-7 Bees (6:33).
Final: 35-7, Brecksville.
Upcoming stories: Stay tuned to the Bees football website for Saturday’s notes and quotes sidebar story. On Sunday morning we will take a look inside the stats from tonight’s historical win at Westlake. Sunday evening will be the posting of the Bees first-round playoff opponent. And on Monday night we will look ahead to next Friday.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
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