Announcement
From The GAZZETTE, by Eric Pfahler, Staff Writer
Too many people have been looking through blue rose-colored glasses this season.
Two county teams made the postseason this year in Brunswick and Buckeye and both are solid football sqauds.
Buckeye (10-0) plays host to sixth-seeded New Concord John Glenn at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Division III, Region 11 contest, while Brunswick (9-1) plays top-seeded Canton McKinley at 7 p.m. Saturday in a Division I, Region 2 game.
People often privately point at the third-seeded Bucks' schedule and cry fraud when in fact the Bucks beat more postseason teams (2) than the Blue Devils (1).
Buckeye shut out eventual playoff qualifiers Bedford and Lutheran West by a combined score of 51-0. Brunswick handled postseason-bound Normandy and Strongsville, which would have been in the postseason without the loss to the Blue Devils.
Buckeye's opponents have gone 48-52, while the Blue Devils' opponents are just 36-64.
That's not to demean either squad because both have some of the best talent the county has seen. Buckeye running back Dustin Supan broke the school single-game rushing record against Brookside two weekends ago, while Blue Devils quarterback Anthony Lanzara is third all-time in career passing yards.
"You can only play and beat the teams on your schedule," said Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia, who had to rearrange his schedule this year when a pair of teams dropped the Bucks.
Brunswick coach Rich Nowak knows his non-conference opponents' inability to win games is why his team had to scrape into the playoffs as an eighth seed despite a 9-1 record. This one year after a seventh-seeded 7-3 team advanced to the regional finals.
That's one spot lower in 2005, though this year's Blue Devils are widely considered to be more talented than the 2004 squad.
Bonus points are not awarded for blowouts in the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
"You can only control what you do," said Nowak, among the first to praise Buckeye's performance.
That's what Brunswick and Buckeye did in combining for a 19-1 regular-season record. The Bucks won the inaugural Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division and the Blue Devils won a share of the Pioneer Conference title, their fourth in a row.
It's not Nowak's fault his non-league opponents went 4-26 after last year's non-conference opponents went 17-13.
Nor is it Medaglia's fault the PAC had just one other team, Lutheran West, make the postseason.
Future scheduling makes it difficult to predict who will get second-level points and who won't. But both teams have the right to say they're one of the 32 best in the state in their respective division. Win a game and they're in the top 16.
Both Buckeye and Brunswick are good teams. They'll get chances this month to show they're great because average teams don't win postseason games.
Though neither team wants a first-round exit, there's no shame if Buckeye's first loss or Brunswick's second comes this weekend.
Players, coaches and community members of both teams deserve the right to appreciate their accomplishments, no matter their schedules.
Pfahler may be reached at 330-721-4058 or ericjpfahler@hotmail.com.
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