Buckeye Bucks Football

YORK TWP. — The largest party in Medina County tonight will be inside the gates of the “The Buck-O-Dome.” That’s the quirky local nickname for Edwin Steingass Field, where the undefeated, third-seeded Buckeye football team will go to war with No. 6 West Geauga (9-1) in a Division III, Region 7 first-round playoff game. The anticipation is sky-high for this evenly matched 7:30 p.m. showdown, as it marks the first time the Bucks will host a postseason game since 2005.

“I’m very excited for it, and I think the team is, too,” All-Gazette linebacker Dustin McCullough said. “We’re very hyped up for (tonight).” Since beating fellow playoff team Rocky River 42-28 in Week 2, Buckeye has outscored opponents 354-27, with all eight games having a running clock at some point in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Wolverines, unbeaten since losing to Chardon 24-6 in the opener, are coming off back-to-back thrilling wins over then-undefeated Perry (49-28) and traditional Chagrin Valley Conference powerhouse Chagrin Falls (24-21) on a last-minute touchdown pass. The winner advances to face No. 2 St. Vincent-St. Mary (9-1) or No. 7 New Philadelphia (8-2) at a neutral site. The Fighting Irish are a 24-point favorite tonight.

“Obviously, (West Geauga) is 9-1, so they’re a pretty good team,” said Bucks slotback/cornerback Nathan Scott, who will play after missing 2½ games with a hamstring injury. “They have some good skill, some good line, pretty good everything.” Extremely confident West Geauga is one of the hottest teams in Northeast Ohio and, unlike many teams, plays aggressively and loose with the lead. Albeit with an asterisk, the Wolverines have one common opponent with the Bucks, who handled CVC Chagrin Division member Orange in a scrimmage.

West Geauga defeated Orange 35-13 in Week 7. Personnel-wise, coach Lou Cirino’s team is eerily similar to Buckeye an6-2 Zach Suba (28, 572, 7) are complementary receivers.d starts seniors at 17-of-22 positions. Quarterback Cam Searight (680 yards rushing, 1,615 yards passing, 34 combined TDs) has moves on top of moves and loves to throw the deep ball, halfback Joe Daddario (1,227 yards rushing, 13 TDs) has a lightning-quick first step and hits the hole with reckless abandon and 5-foot-6 Julian Edelman-clone Carmen Engoglia (38 catches, 637 yards, 11 TDs) and 6-2 Zach Suba (28, 572, 7) are complimentary receivers.

The Wolverines’ spread offense is unique in its frequent use of an H-back. Most of the running plays feature trap-blocking, but West Geauga has thrown in jet sweeps and read-options while averaging 36.9 points and more than 400 yards. The play-action bomb is a near-guarantee, too, as Searight’s quick-trigger right arm can hit receivers in stride from 55 yards. Buckeye counters with linebackers Kyle Svagerko (10½ TFL, 6½ sacks), Jaret Yohman (8, 3) and McCullough (team-leading 69 tackles) and a speedy secondary featuring the combination of Nathan Polidori, Scott, Justin Lowry (2 ints., 8 pass breakups), John Garner and hard-hitting All-Ohio free safety Trevor Thome.

“We’ve got to stop them up front,” Garner said. “Our defensive line has to get penetration on the quarterback. He’s shifty, he’s fast, he can move around in the pocket. “I’m pretty confident in our secondary that we can stop their wide receivers.” Defensively West Geauga runs a 4-3 and has solid size in the box with all seven players at 200 pounds or heavier.

The Wolverines allowed a combined 52 points to playoff teams Chardon and Perry in the regular season, but have shined otherwise using speed and aggression. Nine starters are seniors, highlighted by outside linebacker Dominic Pavich (5-9, 221). The only non-seniors are junior safety Alec Newton and freshman safety Anthony Albino. Buckeye’s offense is led by the “Big Three” of Polidori (1,036 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, 624 yards rushing, 8 TDs), Thome (920 yards rushing, 357 yards receiving, 28 TDs) and Scott (469 yards rushing, 64 yards receiving, 9 TDs). The Bucks, who enter as the highest-scoring team in Medina County history at 43.1 points per game, also have a veteran line of Hunter Gray (6-1, 228), Jalin Brock (6-1, 227), Brad Calta (6-0, 230), Jack Schroeder (6-1, 200) and Bruce Barnby (6-5, 265).

Turnovers or red-zone stops will decide this game because chances for a low final score appear to be very low. “They’ve got a lot of history over there,” Buckeye coach Mark Pinzone said of West Geauga, which is making its seventh playoff appearance in the last15 years. “They do a lot of things right. It’s not like they have a lot of Division I (college) players over there. They’re well-coached, and they're sound.

If Kyle Svagerko was paid a dollar for each time he saw fear in an opposing cornerback’s eyes, he’d, well, you know, never be considered poor. Touchdowns and personal glory be damned because Svagerko is the ultimate teammate — the unsung hero who does the dirty work so slotbacks Trevor Thome and Nathan Scott can run to daylight and quarterback Nathan Polidori can throw bombs, the one who never complains, the one who couldn’t be nicer off the field but also couldn’t be more physical on it. The 2015 Buckeye team will forever be known for a 10-0 record in the regular season.

The jet sweep also will be prominent in the memory bank, and that play wouldn’t be possible without bulldozer No. 40 burying defenders into the football version of hell — on their back and completely worthless. The respectful, well-spoken senior, whose Twitter profile picture is of him lead blocking for Scott, apologizes for nothing when it comes to his philosophy. “(My job on) the jet sweep? Just kill the corner,” Svagerko said. “That’s the only thing I have to do. If I do that, we’re 10, 15 yards and probably a touchdown — mostly touchdowns, you know?

“That’s my job. On the jet, the only thing on my mind is, ‘Kill the corner and knock him down.’ If I pancake him, our guy is running. He’s running for lots of yards. That’s my job, so when I complete it like that, there’s no better feeling.” Old-school, I-formation fullback in a new-school, spread offense is the best way to describe the 5-foot-8, 183-pounder. He’ll never line up anywhere other than next to shotgun quarterback Polidori and, barring a drastic surprise, won’t lug the pigskin Friday when the third-seeded Bucks host sixth-seeded West Geauga (9-1) in the first round of the Division III, Region 7 playoffs. Svagerko is more than cool with that.

His past explains why, as he was the right guard when the Buckeye Jets (Jaret Yohman, Scott and Bruce Barnby) played the Buckeye Jaguars (Thome, Polidori, Brad Calta, Jack Schroeder, Justin Lowry) in the 2009 Brunswick Blue Devils Youth Football championship game. To say Svagerko was born for the fullback role is the understatement of the century, as he has thrown the lead block on 24 of the team’s 50 offensive touchdowns this season — 10 on jet sweeps, three on isolation runs and 11 as personal protector for Polidori.

“He plows into everyone as I run by,” Scott said. “That’s Kyle personality. He’s the kind of guy who will do anything for someone he cares for. He cares for all of us, and he’ll do anything for this team.” “I feel like some people could interpret it wrong, like, ‘Oh, all this kid does is block like another lineman,’ Svagerko added. “But I feel like this is my kind of job. I like to hit people, and our team does a good job of glorifying everyone because if I make a good block on someone, it’s not like I’m going to go unnoticed.

Everyone gives me credit for it and everyone pats me on the back. I love that.” The reward was a one-man drive against Wellington in Week 6. With the Bucks up 34-0 to start the second half, offensive coordinator Bill Turner decided the time had come for the big dog to eat, and Svagerko’s first carry was a counter trey right in which pulling linemen Hunter Gray and Jalin Brock made a massive hole for a 43-yard gain. That paled in comparison to the next play, as “Beefcake” ran the same play to the left, patiently waited for the hole and cut right up the field. A safety was waiting at the 8-yard line, so Svagerko lowered his helmet, drilled him squarely between the eyes, spun out of the desperation tackle attempt and rumbled into the end zone without any emotion. 

All-Ohioan Thome about lost it in excitement, jumping on Svagerko’s shoulders in front of the goal post after the two-play, 71-yard, all-Svagerko sequence. “The second run when I scored, I was like, ‘Oh, man, this is amazing,”’ said a grinning Svagerko, who only has three carries for 3 yards since that TD. “It kind of made me ball-hungry, but I had to put that aside and save it for the jet sweeps.” It’s easy to forget Svagerko is a hard-hitting outside linebacker, too.

Life as strong-side linebacker next to Yohman wasn’t what Svagerko expected after playing defensive line for his entire previous football life. However, the then-new coaching staff felt his talents would be better served elsewhere, so Svagerko switched positions. Last season was a bit of an adjustment, as Svagerko sometimes was caught out of position but still posted 68 tackles (4 for loss). He’s been a quick study, however, and now teams with Yohman and All-Gazette pick Dustin McCullough to form the most intelligent corps in the Patriot Athletic Conference.

Svagerko leads the team with 10½ tackles for loss (6½ sacks) and brought the “wow” factor last week when he unloaded on Brookside standout Dudley Taw for a forced fumble that was recovered by McCullough. This comes as no surprise to anyone who’s known him. “With Kyle, he was just one of those kids that was a quiet kid except when it came to hitting drills — then he tired to kill all his teammates,” youth coach Steve Watkins said.

“We really had to really watch what we did with contact during the week because you couldn’t have him killing Jaret Yohman and Nate Scott.” Buckeye enters tonight as the highest-scoring team in Medina County history at 43.1 points per game. The Bucks also haven’t allowed more than seven points since beating Rocky River 42-28 in Week 2. They all know who selflessly helps them put up such gaudy numbers. “He’s a throwback,” coach Mark Pinzone said. “He’s definitely a throwback.

YORK TWP. — Senior Justin Lowry stalked his prey, orange Gatorade cooler in his arms. Third-year coach Mark Pinzone appeared to be unaware of what was unfolding as his Buckeye football team readied itself for postgame chants. Alas, at the last moment, he instinctively felt No. 11 blitzing hard and ducked as Lowry completely whiffed on his valiant attempt.  Ice dumped directly onto Edwin Steingass Field’s cold, wet grass, but that was the only haunting (yet humorous) mistake Friday as the Bucks completed their dream — a perfect regular season — with a 35-0 victory over upstart Brookside that also clinched the outright Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division championship

The next step won’t be official until Sunday, when the OHSAA reveals who Buckeye (10-0, 5-0) will battle in the first round of the Division III, Region 7 playoffs. All signs point to West Geauga, (9-1), but the only thing for certain is the game will be in York Township. The senior-laden Bucks will enjoy the thrill of reaching their primary goal in the meantime. “It’s an indescribable feeling,” fullback/linebacker Kyle Svagerko said. “We’ve worked so hard for this.

It’s really just something you work for, and you don’t know how it’s going to feel like and if it’s going to be worth it. But once you get there, it’s so indescribable. It’s more than worth it.” While senior star Trevor Thome broke Cory Reisner’s 7-year-old school single-season scoring record on his third touchdown — Thome now has 170 points on the year and 330 in his four-year career — the highly underrated defense stole the show.

The Cardinals (6-4, 3-2), who were seeking their first league title share since 1962, came into play with a solid three-pronged attack of seniors Evan Brown-Fugate (RB), Hunter Schmeltzer (QB) and Dudley Taw (WR). They then grabbed early momentum after recovering a rare Thome fumble. However, Svagerko, Nathan Polidori and Co. rose to the occasion. Brookside finished with 195 yards total offense on 61 plays (3.2 average), committed four turnovers and never seriously threatened to score.

Svagerko had a huge impact with three tackles for loss (sack) and a thunderous hit on Taw that resulted in a fumble and turnover. Polidori had two interceptions, including one in the end zone, while Thome, Hunter Gray, Jaret Yohman, John Garner and Jacob Kohler added pass breakups. Taw made a few acrobatic catches and finished with eight receptions for 76 yards, but Brown-Fugate (19 carries, 58 yards) and Schmeltzer (10 carries, minus-7 yards; 14-for-30, 141 yards, 2 interceptions) were limited. “We stood out,” Svagerko said.

“Everyone played to their potential. Everyone played the best they could, and everyone played how they know they can. It really paid off.” Buckeye shot itself in the foot with two lost fumbles but still led 13-0 with 7:32 left in the second quarter following 5- and 4-yard TD runs by Thome. Polidori (10 carries, 13 yards; 5-for-10, 102 yards) then rolled right, stopped and launched a 53-yard bomb to a wide-open Lowry on third-and-10 to make it 21-0. Brookside’s enthusiasm was dead after that play, and it showed no sense of urgency.

Thome added a 35-yard score in the third quarter when he took a left-side power play, cut upfield and split multiple defenders, while junior varsity quarterback Adam Fauver capped the scoring on a 10-yarder with 5:03 left. Buckeye still finished with 347 yards total offense despite its signature jet sweep being a total non-factor and All-Gazette slotback Nathan Scott (hamstring) sidelined for the second straight game. Even when the going got slightly tough, the Bucks kept chugging and eventually overcame everything. That in a nutshell is why they’re 10-0 for only the second time in school history (2005). “Sublime," Polidori said. "That's a good word to use.

LAGRANGE — It was a historic night in many ways for Buckeye’s football team. Unchallenged from the start, the Bucks clinched their third straight Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division title and a berth in the Division III playoffs with a 41-0 victory over Keystone. 

Along the way, quarterback Nathan Polidori broke the school record for career touchdown passes and Trevor Thome became the 11th player in Medina County history to reach 300 career points. For Buckeye, though, neither the records nor history was the focus. For the Bucks, what meant the most was a 9-0 record and a shot at the 10-0 season they’ve been focused on all season. The lone obstacle left in Buckeye’s way is a home game against Brookside (6-3, 3-1) next week. “It feels great,” sophomore lineman Dominick Kriz said.

“We worked hard all summer and all that hard work has paid off.” Kriz was quick to say getting the chance to be 10-0 wasn’t enough. “We obviously can’t overlook them,” he said of Brookside. “We’ll work hard this week and take that attitude to them. We want to be 10-0.” Polidori threw three first-half touchdown passes to Thome and added his fourth to Justin Canedy on the Bucks’ first series of the second half. That gave him 31 for his career, passing Dan Cereshko (30, 2002-03). “Polidori has a lot of potential, and we know how good he can be,” senior wide receiver/defensive back John Garner said. “He looks for perfection. We click with Polidori, and it’s great to have the receivers on the same page with him.”

Thome scored three times in the first quarter and four times in the first half. He has 312 career points and 152 this year. That’s six points shy of Ron Brant’s 158 points for 10th place in county season history. “We know Trevor can play multiple positions for us, and he’s a big asset to this team,” Garner said. Garner did not play against Keystone, nursing a shoulder injury he picked up in the victory over Firelands last week. He said the prognosis was ice and rehab — keeping his shoulder moving and active — for the week, but make no mistake: Garner knows exactly where he’ll be next Friday. “I’m ecstatic and I can’t wait to get out there,” he said. “It’ll be senior night and I’ll be ready to get out there and play all four quarters with my teammates. “We’re looking forward to the chance to go 10-0. It’s a big deal, especially for this senior class. We want to go 10-0 and prove to ourselves that we can do it, and prove it to the whole school.” 

Thome finished with 69 yards rushing and another 70 yards receiving. Polidori ran for 82 yards and completed 10-of-14 passes for 116 yards. Thome’s first score was set up by a 60-yard run by Canedy (8 carries, 83 yards). Three plays later, Polidori found Thome in the left corner of the end zone for a 3-yard score. After a Keystone punt, Thome capped a seven-play, 48-yard drive with a 1-yard run. After Justin Lowry picked off a Wildcats pass on the next series, Thome ran for 13 yards then caught a 24-yard pass from Polidori in the left corner of the end zone for the 21-0 lead. Polidori added his own TD run in the second quarter, scampering in from 25 yards out to cap a seven-play, 63-yard drive. Polidori hit Thome from 7 yards out just before halftime to get the running clock started with a 34-0 lead. He capped the scoring with a 14-yard strike to Canedy that capped a six-play, 52-yard drive.