News and Announcements
From the GAZETTE: By Rick Noland, Assistant Sports Editor
Gotta answer all my fan mail from supporters of Medina High football, so let's take a quick Rick-o-chet around the world of sports and get out of here:
Part of me likes the idea of the Cavs returning to wine and gold, but if their new uniforms aren't designed properly, they'll become a bigger laughingstock around the NBA than they already are. ...
Wait a minute. Can the Cavs become a bigger laughingstock? ...
Latrell Sprewell just doesn't strike me as the yachting type. But if he saw me, I'm sure he would strike me, somehow. ...
Think Butch Davis might have already known Kelly Holcomb couldn't play when he announced Tim Couch was still his starting quarterback? ...
If Couch can't go because of his concussion, the Browns will have to make a Booty call. ...
The next time William Green carries the ball will be too soon. ...
I love to watch Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis knife his way through opposing blockers. ...
Could ESPN's announcing crew on Sunday night football games possibly be any more annoying? ...
How come women don't know how to use remote controls properly? You don't slowly go up and down the channels one by one, ladies. You rapidly jump all over the place searching for sports or skin. ...
If I'm the St. Louis Cardinals, I throw my next pitch so close to Kenny Lofton's ear he will actually have something to complain about. ...
By the way, ever notice how much braver Mr. Lofton gets once there are 50 people between him and the guy he's upset with? ...
OK, I give up. What channels are the baseball games on this weekend? ...
Wait a minute. It doesn't matter. No one's watching anyway. ...
Seriously, how do you work up any love — or hatred — for any of the four teams left in the postseason? Heck, how do you work up any interest, period, for the teams left in the playoffs? ...
Please tell me hockey season hasn't started already. ...
If Ohio State is the fifth best Division I college football team in the country, the country's in trouble. ...
Here's hoping the Black River and Buckeye football teams are both 8-1 when they meet in the 10th and final week of the regular season. ...
Buckeye fans can breathe easy. I, the kiss of death, will pick the Pirates in The Gazette's weekly predictions. ...
Speaking of those predictions, my picture is further to the right than Rush Limbaugh. If I drop much lower in the standings, my handsome mug will fall off the side of the page. ...
Oh, one other thing before I go. Why can't I be as good at this as Sports Illustrated's Bill Scheft?
From the Wooster DAILY RECORD: By Aaron Dorksen, Sports Writer
WOOSTER - Triway football coach Jim Reynolds matter-of-factly said earlier this week his favorites to win the Mohican Area Conference title are Buckeye and Black River.
However, that doesn't mean the Titans (4-1) will be conceding anything when they visit Medina to take on the Bucks (5-0) as action in the six-team MAC begins this week. In other games, Loudonville (4-1) will visit Black River (4-1), while defending co-champions Clear Fork (3-2) and West Holmes (0-5) will meet in Millersburg.
Although it's only Week 6 of the football season, Reynolds sees tonight's game as a must-win contest if Triway is to realize its goals. And if his Titans play up to their potential, he sees them having a chance to win until the end.
"If we want to win the MAC and set ourselves up for the playoffs, this is obviously a crucial game," said Reynolds, in his second year as coach. "They don't get much bigger than this. Our kids will have to be ready."
Although the Titans suffered just one loss through the season's halfway point, the four teams they beat had a combined record of just 6-14. Last week's 34-12 win over Fairless came over an 0-5 team, not doing much for the playoff picture, where the Titans sit 17th in the Div. III, Region 10 rankings.
Buckeye, which has never won a MAC football title in the league's dozen years and has never made the playoffs, has set itself up for a historic season if it can stay hot.
The Bucks have charged past Wellington, Medina Highland, Avon, Vermilion and Warren JFK by an average margin of 24.8-8.6 and are ranked fifth in Triway's playoff region.
First-year Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia, who was the team's offensive coordinator the past two seasons, said his team has been successful by focusing on one game at a time. Although it's an old sports cliche to "take'em one at a time," it's certainly worked for the Bucks.
"Our approach since day one has been to focus on each opponent as they come," said Medaglia, whose team hammered Warren JFK 42-14 last week. "All through two-a-days we concentrated on Wellington and after that we focused on the opponent for the next week.
"We're looking at the season in terms of dominos. In order to knock down all 10, you have to knock them down one at a time and this week we've prepared for Triway as much as we can."
That preparation has included plenty of time spent trying to ready for the Titans' passing game.
"That No. 12 (Ryan Mullins) has done a good job of getting the ball over the middle to No. 7 (Chad McDaniel)," Medaglia said. "We have definitely paid attention to trying to stop those two."
Mullins leads area quarterbacks with 655 yards passing and has a sterling seven-to-one touchdowns to interception ratio. McDaniel has been his main target, hauling in 19 passes for 254 yards and three TDs. The Titans' Adam Bogner (389 yards rushing, 5 TDs) and Mike Ogden (364-5) have very similar numbers in terms of running the football.
Reynolds is also concerned with the quarterback his team will face.
Buckeye's Dan Cereshko has passed for 453 yards and seven TDs, while tossing just two picks. He has also run for 245 yards and a pair of TDs.
Fullback Forest Mercer leads the team with 312 yards rushing and one TD, while Darren Cereshko has 12 receptions for 257 yards and four TDs.
"I think it's gonna be a tough, knock-down, drag-out brawl," said Reynolds, whose school's only MAC title came when the Titans shared the crown with Black River in 1996. "They are a very talented team and I think we can give ourselves a chance to stay in it until the end if we play our best."
Reynolds said his defense has played slightly above the offense, but the real concern is special teams.
"We've had two kickoffs returned for touchdowns against us and about another half-dozen long runbacks," Reynolds said. "A couple of punts have been nearly run back against us, too. We have to do a better job on special teams."
With rain in the forecast, both teams might have to turn to the running game more than they'd like to. Neither team has a decided size advantage in the trenches, so it may come down to simply who wants it more.
"We've told our kids when it gets into MAC play the spirit and competitiveness gets higher," Medaglia said. "The teams know each other well and there really are some great rivalries. Our kids will be ready to play, I know that."
From the GAZETTE: By Jason P. Skoda, Staff Writer
WARREN — In the course of a magical season, there are usually a few plays in a statement-type game that spell out what the members of the team already knew.
Darren Cereshko and Jason Seeley cemented Buckeye's belief that it is every bit as good as its perfect record states with two huge defensive plays.
The Bucks got their fifth win Saturday with a 42-14 whipping of Warren John F. Kennedy at Mollenkopf Stadium. This wasn't your garden-variety type win; it was a domination of a team from the Steel Valley known for its physical play.
"This was huge," Buckeye first-year coach Chris Medaglia said. "I'm sure there were some (coaches) from the (Mohican Area Conference) here and they're probably concerned about playing us right now. I think they should be."
The Bucks, whose previous four victories came against one winning team, manhandled the Eagles, who dropped to 2-3 with an asterisk. JFK won its opener 29-0 over Newton Falls, but forfeited the game because it had two ineligible players.
The Eagles still looked like a contender, at least until they matched up with Cereshko and the Bucks.
Cereshko, who caught a 55-yard touchdown on Buckeye's opening possession, intercepted JFK quarterback John DiFiore on Kennedy's third possession and returned it 80 yards down
the sideline to give the Bucks a 13-0 lead after they had run just six offensive plays.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound wide receiver/defensive back had two more interceptions, including one he took 35 yards for a score in the fourth quarter to put a stamp on an incredible individual show.
"About the only thing we accomplished tonight was making No. 34 look like an all-state player," Eagles coach Tony Napolet said. "He was all over the field."
Cereshko, who finished with three catches for 77 yards, set the tone on Buckeye's first play when he ran a 15-yard out, but turned the route up field when he was covered. His twin brother, Dan (6-of-10 for 119 yards, 2 TDs, 54 yards rushing), hit him in stride, and Darren Cereshko outran the JFK defensive backs.
"That's what we are taught in practice," Darren said. "It was important to score first and give them something to think about other than the run.
"This was one of those nights that you always dream about. I just seemed to be in the right place at the right time tonight."
Down 13-0, the Eagles showed the spunk that led to their 34-23 win over Buckeye last season.
JFK drove 67 yards in nine plays and closed within 13-7 when Anthony Ambeliotis went in on a draw from 9 yards out. At that point, JFK had outgained the Bucks 89-61, with 55 of the Bucks' yards coming on one play.
It appeared the Eagles had righted themselves, but it never materialized after Buckeye's Brad Bauman and Seeley pulled off another huge defensive play.
DiFiore rolled to his right and optioned to tailback Maurice Gore as he was hit by Bauman, a sophomore linebacker. Gore managed to grab to the errant pitch, but Seeley, a senior defensive end, scooped the ball out of Gore's hands, and reached the end zone 38 yards later. It gave Buckeye a 20-7 lead with 9:57 left in the first half.
"That was just team defense," Seeley said. "We do our jobs, and play with heart. That's all we worry about and the coaches put us in a position to win. I got the touchdown, but only because 10 other guys did their jobs first."
The Bucks' offensive line took over in the second half as Buckeye picked up 115 of its 175 rushing yards.
"They controlled the line of scrimmage and ran the clock down," Medaglia said. "They did exactly what we needed them to do."
The same could be said of the defense, which scored three touchdowns, held the Eagles to 39 yards rushing on 27 carries, had three picks and three sacks.
"We defended their (spread offense) passing attack exactly the way we wanted to do," Medaglia said. "(JFK) kept expecting us to bite on their wheel play, but these players are so focused on everything we tell them. We never got out of position and shut them down like we told them we would."
From the GAZETTE: By Rick Noland, Assistant Sports Editor
YORK TWP. — Buckeye's football team still has a perfect record. The hungry Bucks are now going in search of the perfect game.
The Bucks completely dominated Vermilion on both sides of the ball in registering an impressive 16-0 non-league victory Friday, but no one seemed overly interested in talking about the program's first 4-0 start since 1954.
Rather, first-year coach Chris Medaglia and his players were concerned with a pair of fumbles in Sailors territory, a few careless penalties and some errors in the kicking game.
"It feels great (to be 4-0), but we should be doing a lot better than we are," 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive tackle Jason Reutter said. "We had too many penalties."
Chad Collins, a 6-2, 265-pound guard, was even more succinct.
"It feels OK (to be 4-0)," he said, "but I'm not much for words."
Despite a few glitches — the biggest a fumble at the Vermilion 1-yard line on their first possession of the game — the Bucks' actions spoke plenty loud:
Buckeye ran 72 plays to Vermilion's 33, had a 21-4 edge in first downs and held the ball for 33:19 of the game's 48 minutes.
The Bucks ran the ball 63 times for 245 yards and lost yardage on just two plays, one when a backup
From the GAZETTE: By Jason P. Skoda, Staff Writer
Although never proven, there is a belief that twins have a special connection.
The stories are commonplace, especially on afternoon television.
Next on Maury: Adopted by separate families shortly after their birth, identical twins meet 39 years later and discover more than a brotherly bond. The similarities in their lives, from their given names to their choice of automobile, are simply astonishing.
On the next Springer: One was on the East Coast, the other on the West. He was in a car accident and broke his hip, while at precisely the same time she couldn't get out of bed because of a stiff hip.
Tonight at Steingass Field: The Cereshko brothers continue to stymie opponents with their ability to make plays on the run — like the one they pulled off in the season opener. The Buckeye juniors put six points on the board when a bootleg running play was called for quarterback Dan, but when he got to the corner, he just threw into the end zone and brother Darren made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone.
Sounds like a lot of sweeps week hype?
It does to the Cereshkos.
"That stuff is a myth," Dan said. "When he has an itch, I don't have to scratch, too."
Buckeye first-year coach Chris Medaglia isn't so sure.
"There's definitely something there," he said. "I don't know what it is. On that play against Wellington, Dan said he knew his brother would be there. It was a play they improvised."
Dan, a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder, reiterated there are no special telekinetic messages being passed between brothers.
"We are just making football plays," Dan said. "We've been playing together for a long time and sometimes we know what the other is going to do before it happens, but that's just anticipation. It doesn't have anything to do with being twins."
Whatever it is, the Cereshko brothers are a big reason why Buckeye might be on the verge of a historical season. A win tonight against Vermilion (2-1) would give the Bucks their first 4-0 start since 1954.
"Both of them are phenomenal athletes," Medaglia said. "Dan will get on the corner and a (defender) will be face-to-face and he still gets the outside. Darren is out there every down, offense and defense."
Darren's three touchdown receptions rank first in the county, and his six catches (for 127 yards) are tied for sixth. This from a kid who didn't join the team until after the regular season started last year as a sophomore.
"I still don't know why I didn't come out last year," said Darren, who has a bleach-blond touch to his short 'do. "I saw all my friends and knew I had made a mistake. I got back on the team and played some defensive back last year and that's helped me.
"It's been fun. We are playing well and it's cool having my brother as the quarterback. We've gotten together on a few touchdowns."
And that's just fine with their coach.
"Dan looks for Darren more than anyone else and I don't have a problem with that," Medaglia said. "Sometimes it's almost like they are playing pitch and catch. They've been doing it 15, 16 years. When you do something that long, you are comfortable with it."
Darren, also 5-10, 170, has been one of the forces on Buckeye's defense as well. The cornerback has one of the team's two interceptions — Dan has the other — and is a big part of a Bucks defense that is giving up only 196 yards a game.
"We kind of keep Dan in a bubble because he is so important to our offense," Medaglia said. "With that said, in obvious passing situations we can't afford to not have him out there. And we definitely can't afford to not have Darren out there every play. He can do so many things."
The Cereshkos' ability to make plays is more than skin deep. It's in the blood.
Their uncle, Ron Brant, is the school's all-time leading rusher. Brant rushed for 4,373 yards from 1977 to '79 and set the Buckeye record for touchdowns (54).
"I look at the picture in the cafeteria a lot," Darren said of a photo acknowledging Brant's selection as an All-Ohioan. "It motivates me to try do some of the things he did."
Dan's progress at quarterback has been spurred by two coaching changes.
The most important was Medaglia being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach after Jeff Ladner resigned. Medaglia might be Dan's biggest fan.
"Even before Coach Ladner resigned, I was talking to him about Dan and how it wasn't going to work with a drop-back offense," Medaglia said. "I didn't want to make the kid fit the system, I wanted the system to fit the kid.
"When I got the power to make that decision myself, I knew exactly what I wanted to do."
The second move happened because of a chance meeting between Buckeye athletic director Ken Woodruff and quarterback coach Scott Sorrell at the Damon's in Medina.
A few weeks later, Sorrell, who played quarterback at LaGrange Keystone and Ashland University, got a call. Before he knew it, the former Medina High assistant was helping Medaglia implement the new system that puts Cereshko on the corners, where he can use his athletic ability.
"The first time I met him he knew exactly what I wanted to do with the offense," Medaglia said of Sorrell. "He probably knows more about the offense than I do. He probably calls 75 percent of the offense on Fridays."
Sorrell has no problem calling on Dan, who ranks second on the team with 154 yards on 22 carries (7.0 average) and has scored two touchdowns. He's completed 52.9 percent (18-of-34) of his passes, with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
"He's getting more and more confident each week," Sorrell said of his prodigy. "The first thing I was told when I got here is that he can't go to his left, but I showed him you are really attacking a target and not going a certain direction. He took to it, and most of our big plays this year have come when Dan has gone to his left."
Dan didn't get much playing time on offense last season with then-senior Dustan Dolata running the team, but Cereshko is taking advantage of his opportunity.
"The coaches said I could get 1,000 yards rushing and passing this year," he said. "It's a goal I've set. We already passed one of my goals by beating Highland. That (17-15) win proved to everyone that we can do anything we set out to do.
"It started with Coach Medaglia. From the very beginning he has told us that we can do things that have never been seen at Buckeye before. We want to win the (Mohican Area) conference. We want to make the playoffs. When that happens, that will be something special."
