Announcement
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."
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