Buckeye Bucks Football

10/14/2016 - By ALBERT GRINDLE Gazette Sports Writer

Quick: Name another high school football team that had to replace more than 20 starters, lost its starting quarterback 1? quarters into the season and still is in position for a league championship.

We’re waiting …

Hello? …

No answer? …

Didn’t think so. A special storyline is unfolding in Medina County, and we’re not talking exclusively about long-downtrodden Medina experiencing success. Look no further than neighboring Buckeye, fresh off a 10-0 regular season led by arguably the best senior class in school history. No one thought that feat could be replicated except the young men from York, Liverpool and Litchfield townships. A wish-they-could-have-back overtime loss to Revere in the opener is the only blemish on what has been a season filled with adversity.

The Bucks (6-1, 2-0) play a pivotal Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division game at physical Firelands (6-1, 2-0) tonight, and their confidence is through the roof because they’ve passed nearly every test thrown at them. How coach Mark Pinzone’s squad has reached this point is a lesson in how to build a successful program. The talent of the players on the field does not solely matter — this team is not as talented as last year — because heart, brotherhood and damn-if-we’re-going-to-lose attitudes trump everything. The respect, prior success and experience of Pinzone’s coaching staff at Brunswick are well-documented. Hall of famer Rich Nowak is coaching offensive line, for crying out loud. 

How coach Mark Pinzone’s squad has reached this point is a lesson in how to build a successful program. The talent of the players on the field does not solely matter — this team is not as talented as last year — because heart, brotherhood and damn-if-we’re-going-to-lose attitudes trump everything. The respect, prior success and experience of Pinzone’s coaching staff at Brunswick are well-documented. Hall of famer Rich Nowak is coaching offensive line, for crying out loud. But, as Pinzone will tell anyone, this goes deeper than coaching — much deeper — because this group of 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds refuses to settle for anything less than perfection.

That starts with two-time All-Gazette picks, senior leaders and likely 2016 All-Ohioans Hunter Gray and Dustin McCullough, who complement each other in positions (tackle and linebacker), size (6-foot-2, 240 pounds; 5-8, 200) and leadership styles. Gray is the mature, magnetic, laid-back California kid who keeps the mood loose and positive. McCullough is old-school intense — the kind of captain who doesn’t accept slacking and whose fearlessness/swagger is contagious on defense.

This team would not be as successful without them, but don’t forget the myriad examples of the newest football clich: New man up. Quarterback is Exhibit A, as a Turf Monster at Revere’s Joseph F. Pappano Stadium tore an ACL of talented junior starter Adam Fauver. Senior backup Eric Keller stepped in, threw for 110 yards in 2 quarters and nearly powered the Bucks to victory, then selflessly gave way to former QB/slotback Michael Doerge the next week. All Doerge has done is lead the county in rushing while going 6-0 behind center. Everyone can identity with the 5-10, 195 senior who would have started for most other PAC teams in 2015 but bided his time behind record-breaking stars Nathan Polidori, Nathan Scott and Trevor Thome. Oh, but there’s more. 

* Returning starting punter Brenden McBride hurt his foot early in the year. Dominick Kriz, who already was starting at offensive guard and defensive tackle, stepped in and has almost caught Highland’s Jack McGinty for top average in the county (38.4 to 38.9).

* Wide receiver Jonathon Neel had 10 catches for 136 yards over the first two games but broke a collarbone (He’s still out). Long-haired senior Richard Van Boxel has elevated and provided key blocking on the Bucks’ signature jet sweeps — he successfully sealed 6-2, 245 Black River linebacker Curtis Roupe multiple times last week — along with big-play receptions.

* Athletic sophomore Dominic Monaco helped replace Neel on both sides of the ball and was on pace for a breakout season before a gruesome broken leg at Wellington. Linebacker Josh England promptly returned to his old position, safety, and Isaiah Williams stepped in at linebacker. Williams then had two interceptions, including the game-sealing pick-six.

* In response to Monaco’s injury, Buckeye simplified its offense against archrival Black River and ran little else than Justin Canedy jet sweeps or Doerge QB counters, with Gray and Kriz throwing lead blocks. The Bucks won anyway. Who needs passing, right?

* Don’t forget the defense, either. McCullough is having another monster year with 10 tackles for loss, but Keaton Sandor, Van Boxel, Williams, McBride and Brennan Thiergartner have interceptions, Cody Jackson (5 sacks), Jacob Kohler (3), Damien Hughes (3) and Kriz (2) have at least two sacks and sophomore Anthony Watkins has a team-leading three pass breakups.

What’s the theme here? These are players no one in the PAC heard of heading into the year. Buckeye’s lofty goals come down to the next two weeks against Firelands and Keystone (6-1, 2-0). The Falcons have a ridiculous beefy offensive line that averages 6-3, 268, while the overachieving Wildcats have won four games by single digits. Win both and the Bucks clinch an unprecedented fourth straight PAC Stars title.

Then a near-guarantee win at Brookside in Week 10 gives them a chance at a home playoff game for the second straight season. Maybe the smaller Bucks wear down tonight. Maybe they even get upset by Keystone. The law of averages has to catch up at some point, right? 

Don’t bet on it. The final chapters of the 2016 season have yet to be written. No matter what happens from here on out, however, the first seven earned Buckeye a tremendous amount of respect. At the end of the day, the Bucks work hard, play hard and always, always, always stick together. Those are lessons for life.

Buckeye Strong Start; Rolls Black River In PAC

10/8/2016 - YORK TWP. — Style points are for losers.

The Buckeye football team did what it does best Friday in a pivotal Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division game against archrival Black River. The Bucks ran jet sweep with Justin Canedy, they ran counter trey with Michael Doerge, they played stout, mistake-free defense and they even got a crowd-wooing night from punter Dominick Kriz. A fast start and late field goal by Richard Gatt were enough, as the Bucks held on 17-7 and beat the reeling Pirates (4-3, 0-2) at Edwin Steingass Field for the first time in eight years.

“This helps us a lot because tonight showed what we can do,” All-Gazette Bucks linebacker Dustin McCullough said. “It’s going to bring the team together, and we’re going to keep on going.” Buckeye (6-1, 2-0), which led 14-0 just 7:57 into the game, got 24 carries for 188 yards and a 79-yard touchdown from slotback Canedy and 92 yards on 24 totes by Doerge, who had minus-1 yard passing at halftime before finishing with 41. The most important drive did not end in a touchdown, however, as the Bucks were up 14-7 early in the fourth quarter. After softening the perimeter of the Black River defense, Buckeye threw in a wrinkle and ran jets with Canedy between the tackles for key yardage. The drive ended short of paydirt 11 plays and 82 yards later, but Gatt’s 28-yard field goal was true with 8:13 to go. With the way the Bucks were playing defensively, Black River had little chance at a comeback. “We were missing some blocks,” Canedy said. “(The Pirates) were coming hard off the edge. It was kind of hard to run to the outside, so I just kept running up the middle.”

Also key in the stalemate middle quarters was Kriz, who started at guard and defensive tackle. Kriz shanked his first punt for 24 yards, but three of his final four landed inside the 20-yard line, and the one that didn’t rolled into the end zone but still had a 46-yard net. The 6-foot, 240-pound junior went 51, 66, 52 over his final three punts, and two of the three were caught in the air by Black River returner Garrett Hord. Plagued by the poor field position, the Pirates did not reach the red zone over the final 31:47. “I’ve been punting since I was 5, and last year I just wasn’t able to,” Kriz said. “This year, they gave me a shot and I’ve been doing what I can. “I just think, ‘Wow,’ because I can usually do that pregame and it doesn’t come off that well (in a game). To finally get those off in a game, it just feels great.”

Surprising Black River with pure speed, Buckeye got on the board when Doerge dropped back to pass and scrambled right for an 18-yard score. Canedy then got the edge and broke an ankle tackle near midfield on his way to the house 2:46 later. The Pirates responded by getting their counter run game going, as Riley Gibbs (8 carries, 79 yards) had carries of 12, 16 and 17 yards and Black River reached scoring range. Fullback Jacob Campbell, who had a quiet night with 13 carries for 43 yards and had to carry multiple defenders just to get miniscule gains, bulled in from the 1 to make the score 14-7 in the second quarter. Another strong defensive performance kept the Pirates around for the next 20 minutes.

Linebacker Curtis Roupe was everywhere, while end Nick Wagner and linebackers Matthew Potter and Cory Hamilton factored in on tackles for loss. Black River’s biggest problem was nine penalties for 70 yards, as holding calls in particular killed momentum whenever the fast-paced wing-T offense strung together 5- to 10-yard plays. “We hurt ourselves, and it’s been the case all year,” Roupe said. “Like Coach (Al Young) always says, ‘Nobody really stops us. We stop ourselves.’ Those are mental mistakes we need to fix.” 

Buckeye also had defensive standouts, as McCullough stuffed quarterback Mike Hazlett in the open field on fourth down in the fourth quarter, Isaiah Williams, Jacob Kohler, Cody Jackson and Brent Medvec (fumble recovery) had sacks and sophomore Logan Schulz added two tackles for loss. The Bucks are allowing 11.0 points during their six-game winning streak, continuing to win the old-fashioned way with ball control and defense. The road doesn’t get any easier with Firelands (6-1, 2-0) and Keystone (6-1, 2-0) next up. “This really means a lot to me personally and to the entire team because of all the injuries and all the adversity we’ve faced,” Kriz said. “After losing (last year’s) seniors, after losing three of our starters (to injury), this means the world.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.