BITS AND PIECES FROM THE BEES SWAN SONG AT  STEELE

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Saturday evening, October 4, 2014

AMHERST – It was late Friday afternoon and as usual the calls and texts came pouring in. Mostly cloudy but warm skies turned windy in Brecksville around that time. Work for the week was over and it was time to head west. People wanted to talk football – the high school variety. That’s what we do here in Northeast Ohio this time of year.

“It doesn’t look too bad now. You guys might be all right with the weather. I can’t make it to Amherst, but good luck,” said The Mouthpiece.

“I’m on the Turnpike now going through North Royalton. It’s dry. It doesn’t look like it’s rained here at all. In fact I just passed the Brecksville buses headed west,” “Berea Roy” Hruska said.

And so the Blue Goose hit the road. As it approached the E-Z Pass lanes at entrance number 173 (Route 21) some genius by the name of Trucker Dave called the Trivisonno Show. “I’m in Sandusky, near Cedar Point. There is a big dark bank of clouds that are blowing east. It looks like it is going to snow more than it is going to rain,” the trucker said.

Great.

By the time the Blue Goose reached the Lorain County line the rain had begun. Trucker Dave knew what he was talking about. By the time the old Chevy exited the Turnpike at milepost number 140 (Route 58) its new windshield wipers, recently installed at Lastoria’s BP, were on full speed.

Welcome To Amherst

At the corner of Cleveland and Washington Hot Dog Heaven was doing a brisk business. Luck was on my side when I pulled right into a good parking spot in the Steele High School lot. The scoreboard inside Memorial Stadium said there were still 36 minutes and change until kick off.

The Smart Phone was refreshed. It was 64 and raining in Amherst, Ohio and the forecast was not good. The rain gear was hauled out of the trunk for the first time this season.

The Steele student section was already a dozen rows deep on this Homecoming night in Amherst. The adults that were early birds in the home stands were under umbrellas. This wasn’t good.

Against tradition I headed up to the press box. On Thursday morning I had emailed Casey Wolf, the Comets Athletic Director to reserve a spot in the booth – just in case. “We’re not expecting much media. You’re more than welcome,” Wolf responded.

Brian Kelley, the public address voice of the Comets, offered a cordial welcome. A reporter from the Chronicle-Telegram sat in the upper level of the press box. I took a seat in the lower level, next to the scoreboard operator. It was 20 minutes to kick off for this Southwestern Conference game between Brecksville-Broadview Heights and Amherst Steele.

At the eight-minute mark, after the Homecoming King and Queen had been announced, I stood up to leave. It was still raining. Drops of water rolled down the press box windows and splattered the colorful umbrella’s that were opened in front of us. I’ve got to get down to the field. It doesn’t feel right being up here. I said. “Stay up here,” Kelley said with a smile that seemed to say ‘you won’t regret it’.

And so, with a fish-out-of-water mentality, I did. “Berea Roy” called. He was in the visitors stands. “You’re staying up there? You’re going to ruin your reputation,” he said.

I am glad I took Kelley’s advice and stayed. Warm and dry. The steno pad was protected from the elements. Ink was not smeared. Game notes were preserved.

The game takes on a different perspective from the rarified air of the press box. It looks different. It feels different, distant.

The natural grass surface at Memorial Stadium looked great. In fact, the field held up throughout the game, a one-sided 36-6 Brecksville victory.

Settling In

When both marching bands took to it, exchanging fight songs and playing the national anthem, it was a spectacle. This might not be so bad up here after all.

For whatever reason the pregame coin toss between captains took place at the 30-yard line instead of on the big white A that was painted on the 50. The Bees won the flip and elected to receive.

Talk in the box was of North Ridgeville’s DeMario McCall, a junior running back who has scored 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1,151 yards in just five games this season.

The Comets took the field. It was good to see them in their former uniform style; yellow helmets, green jerseys and yellow pants. Brecksville opted for its black trousers. They wore white jerseys below their traditional red lids.

The rain continued.

Brecksville statistician Greg Roderick was joined by his fifth-grade daughter Anna. She got the nights only Tootsie Pop. Another improbability. “I will now,” Anna said when asked if she reads brecksvillefootball.com.

Across the way Bee fans were huddled in clusters. Some under umbrellas. Most seemed to brave the elements. Brecksville cheerleaders and players wore pink socks.

BBHHS head coach Jason Black pulled on his head set. It came as no surprise that Black wore just a white short-sleeve Bees coaching shirt and black shorts. The man is insane. “You can’t tell the players not to worry about the weather if you do,” Black, who is not a fan if this scribe being upstairs, said after the game.

“If you guys call out for pizza, I’m in,” said the C-T reporter.

Less than eight minutes into the action Brecksville had already taken a 16-0 lead. Sophomore quarterback Luke Strnad tossed a four-yard TD pass to junior wide receiver Tyler Tupa. And on the next series he scrambled 14 yards for another.

The Comets (1-5, 0-2 SWC) could not solve Brecksville’s muddle-huddle extra point package. After both touchdowns holder Danny Shirilla passed to Zach Venesile for two-point conversions.

The Bees defense forced another three and out. Strnad hit junior WR Niall Lewison with a 34-yard touchdown pass. This time the visitors went conventional. Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver booted the point-after. 19-0 Brecksville. Early second quarter.

Another three and out by Amherst led to a 59-yard bomb from Strnad to Garret Patterson. Nypaver slipped on his approach to the ball and his extra point kick missed the mark. The score would be 29-0 at the half.

Intermission Spent Indoors

The pizza arrived. Both bands played on the field at halftime in a testament to the turfs toughness. Amherst ladies came up with the 50/50 info and the game ball raffle details. It was said that Beeville fans didn’t participate much in either.

The conversation in the box was of Strnad’s nine-for-nine start to the game. And the fact that the Bees forced five four and outs and scored on their first four offensive possessions. A more staggering number was that Strnad had already thrown for 213 yards.

On the opposite side of the coin Amherst managed only one first down and had only three yards of total offense. The game was all but over.

BBHHS senior Isaac Luther, the voice of the Marching Bees, stopped by. He is owed a debt of gratitude for assisting this old hack in how to respond to an email on a smart phone, which is way too much technology for someone this age.

It got breezier and colder when the Amherst band rocked the house during intermission. Scores from other games were lighting up everyone’s phones. Only in Amherst can you find out what Firelands or Wellington or Keystone is doing.

“It’s 7-7 at the half,” wrote Donny from Avon Lake, who was at the Westlake-Avon Lake game at the War Memorial. “I’m leaving. I can’t take it.” He concluded. Does he mean the weather or the performance? I wondered.

With the press box windows now closed the second half began. Lewison intercepted an Amherst pass. “That kid is all over the field tonight,” said the scoreboard operator.

When Tupa hauled in his second touchdown pass of the night and Nypaver booted the ball through the uprights the score was 36-0. Fans in the home stands dwindled. But the Amherst band played a catchy mosh pit tune that had the Comets players jumping up and down on the near sideline. Steele students later sang along with “Sweet Caroline”.

Play on the field was a bit ragged. So was the officiating (for the fourth consecutive week). During one sequence early in the fourth frame there were penalty flags thrown on five straight plays. There were six on that particular Amherst possession. Both teams were at fault I guess.

Quick Second Half

The running clock format was in effect for the better part of the third quarter and all of the fourth. Steele scored on the games final play when third string sophomore quarterback Johnny Matakovich hit junior wide receiver Josh Kelley with a ten-yard pass. There was no time on the clock when that happened.

The tally may have prevented a Brecksville shutout. But the Comets deserved to score. They had marched 92 yards in a little over 5 minutes to do so.They picked up four of their five first downs on the night in doing so.

But the end result was a solid Bees win. Their third in a row. And it keeps them in a first place tie in the Southwestern Conference with a 3-0 mark. Brecksville is 5-1 overall.

“Have a good, safe trip home. We’ll see you in basketball,” Brian Kelley, whose-step son Josh caught the Comets TD pass, said.

Back down on the field for post game interviews the grass was in excellent shape. Players were wet, but they nary had a grass stain. There was no mud, which was a drastic change from Brecksville’s visit here in 2012.

The best hit of the night was delivered by Beeville team photographer Jeanette Weaver whose backhanded punch to my gut was met by laughter from her daughter Maura, a junior soccer standout. “Look at you. You’re all nice and warm and dry!” Mrs. Weaver said. “You were up in the press box weren’t you?”

Yes I was. But don’t tell anyone. I kind of liked it.

 

LAST NIGHTS SCORES:

Southwestern Conference

BBHHS – 36, Amherst Steele – 6.

A solid win on a squalid night for the Bees. This team is one whose confidence is growing. Yet it appears that they are grounded by a business like approach to things.

Westlake – 14, Avon Lake – 7

The Demons notch their first SWC victory by scoring the difference-maker with 5:37 to play against a Shoremen team that continues to struggle in manufacturing points.

Berea-Midpark – 35, Olmsted Falls – 7

The Titans score five rushing touchdowns in dominating the Bulldogs on the grass at Harding Stadium.

Cross over Game

North Olmsted – 19, Bay – 7

The Eagles defense shined after allowing a first quarter Rockets touchdown. Then the N-O offense put up 19 unanswered points to top a good Bay team.

 

Other Games of Note:

Holy Name plays at Villa Angela-St. Joseph tonight at Euclid’s Sparky DiBiasio Stadium

Twinsburg – 35, North Royalton – 0

This comes as a total surprise as the Tigers were without a win coming in. The Bears are reeling.

Hudson – 38, Stow – 7

The talk on the radio on the way home was of the Explorers getting off to a slow start. Excuse me. Hudson sailed past its rivals with ease. The Explorers are averaging 40.5 points per game and allowing only 8.5. Who is going to stop them?

Rocky River – 14, Lakewood – 12.

The Pirates win a big West Shore Conference tilt at the Mad House on Madison. The Rangers fall to 0-3 in league play.

 

Ozark Conference

Joplin – 45, Lebanon – 7

The Eagles blow past the Yellow Jackets on Homecoming in Joplin to raise their record to 5-2 overall.

 

Please stay tuned to the Bees website for tomorrows look inside the stats of the Brecksville-Amherst game.

 

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on the web at: beesvolleyball.com.

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