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The Spirit Sweeties was started in 1978 by then Buckeye Head Football Coach, and present AD Ken Woodruff, as a support group for the football team. Woody was also responsible for beginning the Buckeye Football Mom's Club.
The Spirit Sweeties currently operate within the Mom's Club. In the Spring of 2000 Ken Woodruff, Athletic Director asked Christine Sharrar, Vice President of the Football Mom's Club to be the Spirit Sweetie advisor. In 2001, Mrs. Sharrar, attempted to take the Sweeties school-wide to support all the sports, while good intentioned, this task proved to be too great for the club. The Sweeties went back to the Football Mom's Club, and are currently involved decorating the school for games, arranging Friday Power Treats for the Football Team, having a pre-season kick off BBQ, and forming cheering sections at the games. All the money earned by selling spirit items goes back to the football team in the form of power treats and spirit items.
The club consists of 30 girls from all 4 classes and they remain LOUD and PROUD!
Some background on Advisor Christine Sharrar: She has 2 sons that are in open enrollment at Buckeye, grades 9 and 12, Dan and Steve. She has been married 19 years to fellow Californian, Kristopher.
She volunteers at Buckeye High School as a Registered Nurse on Wednesdays and Fridays, and also works Per Diem as a staff nurse at Akron City Hospital.
Her Spirit Qualifications:
She was elected Pep Commissioner(sounds official) at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California(Isn't that where the Swallows return to?)in a year that she says slips the mind at the moment. Her High School football team took the CIF Championship in her Senior Year. GO COUGARS!
She has worked at Disneyland, and was chosen to be a "Bruin Belle" at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) and be an official hostess to the University a few years after that year she can't remember. She also was a Kappa Delta sorority girl.
From the GAZETTE: By Craig Gifford, Special to The Gazette
YORK TWP. — The Buckeye football team couldn't decide which would be sweeter: Opening the season with a 3-0 record or doing it by pitching a shutout.
In the end, it decided to have its cake and eat it too.
The Bucks shut down the Avon Eagles 21-0 Friday to open a season 3-0 for the first time since 1991.
"The shutout feels good, but being undefeated feels a whole lot better," Buckeye defensive tackle Travs Travers said.
The defense was solid from the start. It held Avon without a first down in the opening quarter and allowed only four in the entire game. The Bucks also held the Eagles to 26 yards on 26 carries.
In the first quarter, the Eagles (2-1) had a first down at the Bucks 11 and turned the ball over on downs at the 6.
Not to be outdone, the Buckeye offense took the field and marched 94 yards in 12 plays for a Tyler Van Drei touchdown run.
On the drive, the Bucks converted two third-and-longs — including a 56-yard sprint by Tim Maxworthy on third-and-7 — and Van Drei's 6-yard scoring rumble came on fourth down.
"We physically handled them," Maxworthy said. "We just wanted it more than they did."
"Our kids have heart," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "We kept getting long fields and our kids just kept playing. We've taken long drives in all three of our games so far this year."
In what turned into a game of one-upmanship, the Buckeye defense proceeded to block a field goal and intercept a pass on the next two Eagles possessions.
Then it knocked Avon starting quarterback Jason O'Rouke (1-of-8, 46 yards, 1 int.) out of the game with a knee injury at the end of the first half.
Following Dan Cereshko's interception of O'Rouke in the second quarter, he led the Bucks 51 yards in four plays, capping the drive with a 16-yard fade pass to Darren Cereshko in the back of the end zone.
"That touchdown was just pretty much throw it up and see what happens," said Dan Cereshko, who finished 7-of-13 for 114 yards.
Led by sophomore backup quarterback Shawn Stencil, Avon ventured inside the Buckeye 5-yard line twice in the second half, only to be rejected each time.
On fourth-and-goal from the 1, the Eagles' Dan Siegfried never got a handle on the pitch and fumbled it into the end zone, where Buckeye recovered.
Then with less than 3 minutes left in the game, Avon had third-and-goal from the 4. But Stencil was intercepted by Dan Cereshko to seal the shutout.
"Our defense played phenomenal tonight," Medaglia said. "It means a lot to get the shutout."
Maxworthy finished the scoring on a 2-yard plunge with 1:56 left in the third quarter. For the game, he contributed 93 of Buckeye's 233 yards rushing.
"The stats are good, but it's all about getting the ‘W,'" Maxworthy said.
From The GAZETTE: By Jason P. Skoda, Staff Writer
The year before their historic merger, the members of the 1953 Buckeye High football team were anything but a cohesive unit.
They were, in fact, two different schools and they played six-man football.
Against each other. Without facemasks. To no avail. They played twice in 1952. York won on Liverpool's home field and Liverpool won at York.
Then on July 1, 1952, Liverpool, York and Litchfield consolidated to form one school, and one heck of a 11-man football team.
Buckeye's initial football team — 50 years ago to the season — went 7-0-1.
"It was quite an adjustment," said Ray Kemp, a junior fullback who was the team's MVP. "We had all of these players from two teams coming together, and playing a completely different game.
"I remember telling the coach (Harold Scrivens) we weren't in shape."
But once the season started, "the players forgot that they were once two separate schools and developed team spirit comparable to any other school in the county." That's how the 1953-54 edition of The Buckeye yearbook described it.
It all came together for the first of three undefeated seasons in the history of the program.
The Bucks, who played their home games at Brunswick, won their first five games, tied Brunswick 7-7, then won their final two games.
It led to sharing the County League title with Brunswick.
"There are so many memories," said Bill Gunkleman, a junior halfback. "Coach Scrivens was hard-nosed, winning on a safety against Doylestown, and Brunswick scoring late in the game to tie it.
"We had a lot of fun that year. You still see some of the guys from time to time and it's always nice."
Ring of honor
Tonight they will get a chance to relive highlights of their special season with teammates that they haven't seen in many years.
The majority of the 30-man roster will be in attendance at Buckeye for the Bucks' game against Avon.
The players will be honored at halftime, surrounded by today's edition of the Bucks. The former players will sign a football from the '53 season and present it to the current players.
"We felt this was the perfect time for this," Buckeye athletic director Ken Woodruff said. "We feel we are about to turn the corner with our football program, and it's a great way to continue the tradition of winning football at Buckeye."
Woodruff, along with athletic department secretary Denise Piovarchy, made phone calls, dug up all the research they could and set up the event. But once the ball got rolling it wasn't hard to sell the idea.
"Everyone has been very receptive," Woodruff. "They're all very excited, but who doesn't like to have a ceremony in his honor?"
Former players, who will attend a reception after the game, are coming from as far south as South Carolina and as far west as Colorado.
What Woodruff couldn't have planned for is that Buckeye, which has a 249-201-13 (.538) all-time record, is coming off its biggest win in many years.
The Bucks defeated county rival and playoff-tested Highland 17-15 last week.
"It just adds to the excitement," Woodruff said.
Legacy built
Every great team has a starting point. A moment where a season is made or lost.
As it turned out the '53 team's watershed moment came in the last game of the year.
Buckeye defeated Doylestown 2-0 when senior defensive tackle Jim Stahl made the game-winning tackle in the end zone.
"I remember Doylestown running on to the field," said the 67-year-old Stahl, who was a 6-foot-2, 210-pound back in his day. "It seemed like they just kept coming and coming. They were a much bigger team.
"We played them tough. It was physical. They had a fast, scat back. He came off the ball and I got him with one hand and flipped him down."
Gunkleman, 66, said it's the one play that he always remembers when he thinks back.
"It was such a tough game," he said. "They made Stahl mad. I remember that, and then the next play, he did them in."
It was the culmination of a terrific campaign that saw the Bucks outscore their opponents 179-36.
Kemp, who helped the Bucks win their first seven games the following year before finishing 7-2, was second on the team in touchdowns with six, while senior quarterback Ted Haury had seven.
Six other players scored touchdowns that year, but Stahl's safety was hands down the most revered play of the magical season.
"Everything gets better as the years wear on, but that Doylestown game is hard to forget," Kemp said. "Stahl busted through there and kept our (undefeated) season going."
Buckeye lineage
There will be some familiar faces surrounding the '53 team at halftime.
Kemp is the godfather of current linebacker Tim Maxworthy's father, Kevin.
Stahl had four sons play for Buckeye teams during the 1970s, including George Stahl, who went on to play at Ohio State.
Gunkleman is a member of the chain gain for Buckeye's games today.
There have been many more links to the '53 team over the years, but none of them are as ingrained as the one being celebrated this evening at Steingass Field.
There's nothing like the very first go-around.
From the GAZETTE: By Tom Suitts, Special to The Gazette
WELLINGTON — Buckeye football coach Chris Medaglia likened the Bucks' 24-14 win Saturday night over Wellington to a chess game.
The "board" was set Friday evening before play was postponed due to inclement weather with Buckeye holding a 21-7 lead. This was on the play of Tim Maxworthy, Darren Cereshko and Tyler Van Drei, plus the running and passing of junior quarterback Dan Cereshko.
When the game resumed Saturday evening, Wellington took the opening kick and moved from its 33 to the Buckeye 40 before things began falling apart for the Dukes.
The Bucks defense forced two fumbles by sophomore quarterback Garrett Haldeman, which he managed to recover. His third boo-boo, however, ended up under a gang of Buckeye defenders.
Medaglia chose that spot to unveil his strategy, which featured senior running back Forest Mercer as the rampaging "knight" who carried the ball eight straight times to put the Dukes "in check" at the 3-yard line.
Dan Cereshko subsequently put Wellington in "checkmate" with a fake to Mercer, followed by a 3-yard dash around right end with 4:31 left in the third period.
"This was pretty much fun," Dan Cereshko said. "Our offensive line was doing a great job and the defense really picked it up."
Mercer, who had 18 yards in the first half, liked his heavy workload.
"Things really came together," he said. "Our linemen were picking off their linebackers and I just followed the holes."
Buckeye's defense held Wellington without a first down until the final four minutes when both coaches began unleashing their benches.
The Dukes' final score came on a 2-yard run by backup quarterback David Haswell.
"We were able to do some things we wanted to do tonight by pounding the ball at them," Medaglia said. "We wanted to do something totally different to mess up their defense, so we went inside the tackles, and the kids were opening up some huge holes for Mercer. It's like a big chess match."
Wellington coach Matt Stoll, a former Black River mentor, was impressed with the Bucks.
"We were trying to contain their quarterback," he said. "We've got a lot of work to do and we've got to get better."
From the GAZETTE: By Jason P. Skoda, Staff Writer
Chris Medaglia's first season as Buckeye's head football coach will be about fun and games.
"We have 11 dominoes and you can't get to the last one unless you knock down the first one," said Medaglia, who included the team's scrimmage against Columbia Station as the first. "We have to stay healthy — we are already dinged up — and take it one day at a time.
"The kids understand the concept of the dominoes and we will see where we are when the last one falls."
The Bucks (6-4, 3-2) are coming off their first winning season since 1995, and a third-place finish in the Mohican Area Conference.
Buckeye lost several key contributors from last year, but there is plenty of talent left.
The offensive line should be solid with tackles Jason Reutter (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) and Brian Vasel (6-1, 210), guards Travs Travers (5-11, 260) and Chad Collins (6-2, 265) and center Adam Peters (6-0, 210).
Junior Dan Cereshko will take over for the departed Dustan Dolata at quarterback.
"We will do a lot of sprint-outs with Dan," said Medaglia, who will retain his role as offensive coordinator. "At 5-foot-11, he'll have some trouble seeing over the offensive line, so we are going to move the pocket around."
The running game should set up with senior Forest Mercer (630 yards, 7 TDs) getting most of the work. Junior Tyler Van Drei and senior Tim Maxworthy (380 yards, 13 catches) will also get a handful of carries a game.
Senior wide receiver Mike Kruse, junior split end Darren Cereshko and tight end Joe Filous should contribute to the offense as well.
The defense has a chance to be very good with Maxworthy, a MAC honorable mention pick in 2001, and Van Drei leading the linebacking corps.
"Maxworthy will anchor our defense," Medaglia said. "We might cut back his reps on offense because we want him fresh when the opponent has the ball."
Travers, a MAC honorable mention pick, Reutter, Vasel and senior Jason Seeley will get the majority of time on the defensive line.
The Cereshko brothers and Kruse should man the defensive backfield.
Medaglia said his first couple of weeks at the helm have been positive.
"They are starting to trust us, believe in us," Medaglia said. "That hasn't always been the case in the past. We have been trying to change that. There haven't been any surprises from the coaching staff."
Medaglia has also done little things to try and instill team unity.
"Even if it is wearing black shorts instead of anything they want, it shows some discipline," the coach said. "If you can't show enough (discipline) to wear the correct shorts on the right day, then how can you be expected to carry out your assignment on a certain play?"
Or win a game of dominoes.
