BEES 8th WIN WAS CONVINCING
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Sunday morning, November 2, 2014
BRECKSVILLE – For the hearty souls who sat in the cool, steady rain Friday night at Westlake, what they saw is exactly what happened. There were no hidden reasons, buried deep inside the numbers, from the Bees 35-7 Southwestern Conference victory over the Demons at Lou Duchez Field. It was simply an impressive win.
Brecksville-Broadview Heights was solid in its final SWC game. It accomplished what it set out to do when preparations began for the week-ten contest last Monday afternoon on the practice field.
The goal was simple. To defeat Westlake and make history by becoming the first Bees team in school history to advance to the state playoffs for the second year in a row.
With that mission accomplished, Brecksville (8-2, 5-1 SWC) can turn its attention to this Friday. All indications are that the Bees will travel to Madison (9-1, 6-1 Premier Athletic Conference) to take on the Blue Streaks at 7:30 in a first-round Division II, Region 3 playoff game.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) will make its post-season pairings official this afternoon at 2:00. However the computer has stopped churning and the top eight teams in the region are in place.
The Bees finished sixth in Region 3. The Blue Streaks, under head coach Tim Willis, third.
A Well-Rounded Offensive Approach
Brecksville had its way with Westlake Friday night. Any motivation the Demons had to win head coach Mark Campo’s final game with the Demons were pretty much deflated when the Bees scored just before the half to make it 14-0. The second half was academic.
BBHHS tallied three touchdowns through the air and two on the ground. Senior kicker Jakob Nypaver was a perfect five-for-five in his extra point attempts on a divot-laden natural grass field.
Brecksville rushed the ball 26 times for 198 yards. Its defense limited Westlake (3-7, 1-5 SWC) to just 112 yards on 32 carries. The Demons lone tally was a 1-yard run midway through the fourth frame.
The Bees were just as solid in defending the pass. The Demons, with back-up senior quarterback Dillon Schneider attempting the vast majority of passes, were limited to 100 yards through the air. Westlake completed 11 of 22 attempts.
Meanwhile Brecksville has proven over the years that it can pass the ball in any type of weather and do it well. That was the case again Friday night. Sophomore quarterback Luke Strnad was 16 of 27 (59%) for 210 yards and three touchdowns to as many different receivers.
It should be noted that Strnad was not intercepted. It appeared as though he may have had trouble with his grip on his first few attempts, but then he settled in nicely and engineered the Beeville offense like a veteran who now has ten varsity games under his belt.
Strand, who bolted 89 yards up the middle on keeper late in the first quarter, scored on the next play from a yard out. Senior Joe Dimitrijevs added the other rushing touchdown, a 15-yarder up the gut late in the third period.
Strnad, the teams leading rusher this season, finished with 1o7 yards on 11 totes. Joe-D picked up 56 on four carries.
On the scoring end of Strnad’s aerials were; Tyler Tupa (5 yards), Garrett Patterson (25 yards) and Jared Schott (5 yards). Tupa, the teams leading receiver and scorer, hauled in eight passes for 106 yards. G-Pat, a senior, caught three for 58. And Schott, also a senior, made three nice snags for 21 yards. Senior Dan Clarke and junior Zach Venesile also were on the receiving end of passes from Strnad.
Stat-Line Snippets
The Bees ran 53 plays totaling 408 yards. Westlake was held to 212 yards on 54 snaps. Each team picked up 13 first downs. Brecksville committed one turnover, a fumble.
Brecksville’s bugaboo was penalties. The Bees were whistled eight times for 71 yards. Meanwhile the Demons were flagged twice for 19. One of those yellow hankies was thrown as a sideline warning during Strnad’s 89-yard romp through the mud. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the play.
The Bees Were The Aggressors
Westlake was turnover-prone. Ryan Lambert, Niall Lewison and Dimitrijevs all intercepted Schneider passes. Dimitrijevs and Mason Mackovjak, Brecksville’s senior linebacker corp, each recovered fumbles. Sophomore defensive end Victor Bierman blocked a punt, his third of the campaign.
Dimitrijevs had a night to remember. The co-captain scored a touch touchdown, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and led the Bees with eight total tackles.
Lewison, a junior defensive back, was in on eight stops as well, including three for a loss. Mackovjak had seven total hits. Junior defensive back Danny Shirilla made a half-dozen tackles, including two solos, and deflected a pair of passes.
Senior DB Troy Walter, along with Lambert and Bierman all had six tackles. Senior tackle Evan Baschko registered three tackles for a loss. Junior tackle Nick Sokolowski made two stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Junior defensive end Ryder Seballos and classmate Eddie Sternad recorded sacks. Tupa broke-up two passes.
“Joe Dimitrijevs is up for Cleveland.com’s defensive player of the year award and Tyler Tupa is up for their offensive player of the year award,” said veteran BBHHS head coach Jason Black. “And they are both legit. Without both of those guys where would we be?”
A Group That Believed
With Friday nights victory Brecksville answered the question that bubbled just below the surface. Was this an overachieving team that came into this must-win, control-its-own-destiny game hoping to make program history by reaching the post-season for the second consecutive season? Or was it a squad with a big heart that had true character and guts and grit and determination? A team that would make its own footprint?
The answer came about 9:15 Friday night. This football team is the real deal. The Bees achieved because they are good.
Upcoming stories: Stay tuned to the website later tonight for the official posting of the Bees playoff opponent. On Monday night there will be a preview of Brecksville’s first-round game, which by all indications, will be at Madison.
See You At The Bee Hive!
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