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SHEFFIELD — To say the Buckeye football team is on a roll would be an understatement.
The Bucks rolled over Brookside like a herd of hungry deer over a one-foot fence into an unguarded corn field.
Buckeye crushed the Cardinals 62-13 in its Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division opener Friday night.
The Bucks (4-2, 1-0) picked up their fourth consecutive win and came out of the gate blazing, scoring four touchdowns in a mind-bending eight plays to put the game out of reach early.
“Any time you can start fast like that and do the things you can do, you can get your confidence and you get your team rolling,” Buckeye coach Mark Pinzone said. “It makes your team feel better. Things were working for us, especially offensively.”
Building the 28-0 lead over the Cardinals (3-3, 0-1) seemed almost too easy.
Trevor Thome (6 carries, 49 yards, 2 receptions, 31 yards, 3 total TDs) touched the ball twice and scored twice, from 9 and 3 yards.
“We practice all week and don’t want to go out there and just lay an egg,” Thome said. “It’s easy to get down and think, ‘OK, this team’s not that good’ and kind of give up. But we didn’t do that tonight. We just kept playing and what happened, happened.”
Nate Polidori (7-for-14 passing, 170 yards, 5 carries, 102 yards, 5 combined TDs) connected on his first six passes, including a 50-yard touchdown to Justin Lowry, and added 52-yard keeper up the middle.
“I think we expected them to be a lot better than what they were,” Polidori said. “But really, an early defensive stop and us getting the ball inside their 10 set the tone for the game. We scored fast and just took off from there.”
In the blink of an eye, it was over.
The rain that started coming down late in the first quarter was about the only thing that could slow down the red-hot Buckeye offense. And even the rain didn’t really stop the Bucks.
“We’ve got a tough stretch of games coming up here,” Polidori said. “Black River, Wellington, Keystone and Firelands, those are some real good teams, and you have to play some real good football to come out on top of that.”
The Bucks’ four wins have come over teams with a combined 6-18 record, but they finish the season with games against teams with a 14-10 combined record, including 5-1 Keystone and 4-2 Firelands.
Polidori had a hand in the next three touchdowns, finding Thome and Nathan Scott (2 receptions, 58 yards) on stop-and-go routes down the sideline and capping the first-half scoring with a 5-yard run.
The Bucks went deep into the depth chart in the second half. All told, 12 players notched carries and five quarterbacks took at least two snaps.
“Any time you can get your young guys in and protect your varsity guys and get your young guys some experience, that’s what you want to do,” Pinzone said. “That’s how you get your program improving and that’s one of the things we try to do here.”
With all the offensive fireworks, it would be easy to look past the Buckeye defensive effort.
The Bucks gave up a 60-yard run to Jeremiah Edwards in the first quarter, but just 164 total on the Cardinals’ 63 other plays.
“When we watched them on film, they could do some things,” Pinzone said. “The quarterback is solid, they were 3-2 and that’s where we came in. Brookside has a good program and we were ready for them.”
The Cardinals, who came into the game averaging 34.4 points, were without the services of junior running back Dudley Taw, who came in leading his squad with 505 yards rushing and 5 TDs, but still had senior quarterback Tyler O’Malley (946 yards passing, 9 TDs).
Taw sat out the game with a concussion and O’Malley mustered just 57 yards through the air while completing 7-of-24 attempts.
Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com.
BATH TWP. — The Buckeye football team was hoping its stars would shine on the first night of the season.
Revere, on the other hand, was hoping to get its program back to the level of dominance it had from 1989-2005, when it qualified for the playoffs seven times.
The Minutemen ended up winning 42-21 Friday in a non-league season opener.
The game was full of big plays, and Buckeye didn’t waste any time revealing its glimmer. Two plays in, Trevor Thome took an inside reverse handoff around the right side and scampered 75 yards down the sideline to shock the Minutemen.
“We have some great athletes who can make some big plays on offense,” Buckeye coach Mark Pinzone said. “We made plays all night and just need to work on our consistency.”
Revere tried to dim the Bucks’ shine, as the Minutemen’s stars responded in kind with a solid seven-play drive that included a 39-yard screen to Clayton Langdon to the Buckeye 27-yard line.
That was followed four plays later by a 6-yard TD pass from Chase Costanzo to talented receiver Zach Lalkowski. Buckeye almost came up with a big third-down stop, but Lalkowski was just inches over the goal line.
For the remainder of the first quarter and well into the second, Revere controlled the game at the line of scrimmage. The result was several sustained drives resulting in scores.
Just two plays into the second quarter, Revere struck pay dirt again, as Nick Zimmerman took a sweep around the left side for a 12-yard score that capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive.
Buckeye went three-and-out and Revere took advantage of the short rest. Three minutes later, the Minutemen scored on another Costanzo-to-Lalkowski pass to the corner of the end zone.
“Our kids really played hard,” Revere coach Mike Murphy said. “We have a diverse group of weapons on the field and can mix it up pretty well.”
Down by 14, Buckeye showed no signs of panic. Starting from their own 20, the Bucks squeezed out a first down and struck quickly on a brilliant 69-yard crossing pattern from Nate Polidori to speedy Nate Scott, who outran the Minutemen to the end zone.
The quick strike once again created an unforeseen problem for the Bucks. Their defense was back on the field again with very little rest. It came back to bite them before the half, as Revere put together a sustained drive that ended on a nifty pass-and-run of 51 yards to Zimmerman.
The Bucks tried to tighten the gap before half, but ran out of time.
The halftime rest seemed futile for Buckeye, as Revere put together another seven-play drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Clayton Langdon. From that point, Buckeye struggled with key players going down on the turf with leg cramps in the opening-game heat.
“We have a lot of respect for Buckeye’s program,” Murphy said. “Unfortunately, they struggled a little bit with some injuries on defense, so from that standpoint we had a slight advantage.”
The dagger for Buckeye came with 2:48 left in the third quarter, when Polidori sustained a hard hit and coughed up the ball on his own 47. Defensive back Jared Wright scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to the end zone.
In typical Bucks fashion, they didn’t give up and responded with a seven-play drive that ended with a 5-yard quarterback keeper into the end zone by backup Michael Doerge with 7:17 remaining.
The Bucks never saw the ball again, as Revere finished the game with another 12-play drive that ran out the clock.
“I am so proud of our kids,” Pinzone said. “Hats off to Revere. They’re a great team, but our kids never gave up and kept fighting. We saw a lot of good things that we can capitalize on and a few things we can improve upon. We’ll just have to go back to work.”
Contact Richard Doyle at sports@medina-gazette.com.
Revere 42, Buckeye 21
Grant Wallace and Nick Corvo each rushed for more than 100 yards and the defense dominated all but four minutes, leading Highland to a 44-6 non-league victory over Buckeye on a muggy 89-degree night.
The defending Division II, Region 4 champion Hornets (1-1), who were coming off a disheartening 21-20 loss to Wooster, rushed for 396 yards despite a mercy-rule clock over the final 21:32.
“It was great. It was a good confidence booster to get us back on the right track,” two-way lineman Tyler Frederick said. “We really need to pick it up from here and not have mental breakdowns like (against Wooster) and just keep going.”
Corvo (8 carries, 116 yards), a 6-foot, 225-pound wrecking ball, rushed for 50-, 27- and 3-yard scores, with the first coming on a right-side hole made by Frederick and tackle David Leach that was as wide as state Route 94.
The slashing Wallace had 11 carries for 142 yards and scored on a 19-yarder after breaking three tackles, while quarterback Tyler Zelinski (3-for-12, 34 yards) threw a TD to Coltin Kinsey on a tunnel screen and rushed for another.
Highland went old school without starting quarterback Blake Phelps (dizziness) and called power plays using pulling backside guards as lead blockers for most of the game.
“Honestly, we really don’t have a complex offense,” the 6-2, 265-pound Frederick said. “There’s a lot of options off it, but we run it all day in practice and that’s all we do until we master it.”
Buckeye (0-2), which has been outscored 86-27 in two games, struggled in the trenches and finished with 150 yards total offense. The Bucks rotated Trevor Thome, Nathan Scott and Kyle Svagerko at running back — the trio combined for 82 yards on 17 attempts — but the bigger issue was poor blocking by their wide receivers rendered jet sweeps useless.
Protection and drops were factors contributing to scrambling quarterback Nate Polidori (6 carries, 48 yards) finishing 3-for-12 for just 12 yards, but Buckeye put everything together in the second quarter with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that was capped by an 11-yard TD pass from Polidori to Scott on third down.
“Our kids did a nice job and made plays (on the scoring drive),” Bucks coach Mark Pinzone said. “We’d like to have some more of them. I’d like to be taller and better-looking, but that didn’t happen, either.”
The key sequence came with Highland leading 21-6 midway through the second quarter.
Zelinski dropped back on his own 12-yard line and threw across the middle. The attempt was tipped at the line of scrimmage and into the arms of linebacker Jaret Yohman, who rumbled to the 3.
It was the Bucks’ golden opportunity to get back into the game, but they couldn’t put up any points. Highland linebacker Keith Williams stuffed Thome for a 3-yard loss, Hornets corner Zack Levine snuffed Scott for a 2-yard loss and Polidori threw an incomplete pass. Brenden McBride’s 27-yard field goal attempt then went wide right.
Highland wasted little time capitalizing with a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a Zelinski 13-yard TD run.
“That just boosted us up,” Williams said. “Our coach (defensive coordinator Kevin Bowers) got into our faces and said, ‘It’s a mindset,’ like he always says. We came down there and we all looked at each other and said, ‘We’re not going to give it to them,’ so we stopped them.”
The second half was little more than window dressing, as Corvo and Wallace scored TDs and the Hornets’ second-string defense stonewalled quarterback Michael Doerge for a late safety.
Highland outgained Buckeye 162-34 over the final 24 minutes.
“We did great tonight,” said Williams, whose defense also received a fumble recovery from Logan Kosik and two tackles for loss from Tony Svoboda. “We knew all of their plays. Our coaches coached us really well.”
Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.
YORK TWP. — Despite throwing a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter Friday, Buckeye quarterback Nate Polidori was frustrated.
Polidori put that emotion to good use after halftime, as he led the Bucks to a much-needed 35-22 victory over Wellington in Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division action.
The victory keeps Buckeye (6-2, 3-0) atop the division and in position for a Division III, Region 8 playoff berth.
Polidori had a lot to do with that, as the junior quarterback used his arm and legs to overcome frustration stemming from a first-quarter interception and some stalled drives.
“You know, Polidori is Italian like me, so he likes to wear his emotions on his sleeve,” Bucks coach Mark Pinzone said with a smile. “But, you know what, give him an Italian hug and talk a little pasta and he puts it together.
“He’s an athlete and he does things great. I know when we’re in a jam we can rely on him, and he gets the job done.”
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder responded by throwing a touchdown pass — his third of the night — on his first touch in the second half. It followed a Wellington drive that chewed up more than five minutes and cut the Bucks’ lead to 21-14. The march featured big passes from Joey Holliday (12-for-23, 181 yards) and was capped by a 19-yard run by Jacob Nakos.
Polidori tossed a 65-yard bomb to Trevor Thome, who caught the ball while diving forward before doing a 360-degree flip onto his feet to sprint the rest of the way.
“I was really frustrated,” Polidori said. “It was a big relief that the first pass I threw (in the first half) was a touchdown.”
Polidori finished 5-for-9 passing for 159 yards and three touchdowns. He also put away the game on a counter for a touchdown with 11:53 left that capped a 110-yard day on the ground.
The junior was quick to credit Thome and Nathan Scott (12 carries, game-high 133 yards), however, for making his job easier. They also helped Polidori forget his own miscues quickly, as did long talks on the headset with Bucks offensive coordinator Bill Turner.
“It’s amazing,” Polidori said. “Trevor, Nate and all of them, it’s just ridiculous. They just make great plays and are so fast and so elusive.
“The play-action pass was good and they kind of stopped the jet, which opened up some running for me on counters and stuff. We’ve been doing stuff like that all year.”
Scott, whose day included a 56-yard sprint, found the end zone on a 17-yard jet sweep midway through the second quarter after a key lead block from running back Kyle Svagerko,
“We know that the only thing that’s going to stop our offense is us,” Polidori said. “So we decided no more mistakes and we just took it to them.”
The win came with a couple of losses, however, including wide receiver Justin Lowry. After catching a 36-yard pass from Polidori early in the first, the junior sustained a leg injury and did not return. Josh England left the field on crutches.
Despite losing two players, the Bucks are in the middle of a playoff chase.
“We have to take care of our business and we have Keystone and Firelands,” Pinzone said. “They’re both good teams with great records and they’re playing well, so it’s not an easy road.
“We have a lot to do. We’re a little banged up and we have a lot of work to do. It won’t be easy.”
Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.
Buckeye 35, Wellington 22
YORK TWP. — It took a little trickeration, some Johnny Manziel-like quarterbacking and some huge defensive stops, but the Buckeye football team finally ended a long losing streak against Cloverleaf with a 27-7 non-league win Friday.
The Bucks (1-2) ended a 14-game skid against their county rival by taking control of the game late in the third quarter.
With the Colts (0-3) holding a slim 7-6 lead with 4:14 left in the period, Trevor Thome made a huge play when he took a handoff from Nate Polidori (8-for-12 passing, 122 yards, 129 rushing) and swept around the right side of the defense.
Thome then pulled up behind the line and launched a pass to Nathan Scott for 37 yards and a huge momentum-stealing play.
“We practiced it a couple times and I don’t think we completed it once in practice,” Polidori said. “Trevor threw a ‘helicopter ball’ and (Scott) made a great play and came down with it. It was crazy.”
Fittingly, Thome toted the ball the last 15 yards on a pair of carries to give the Bucks back the lead.
“Our offensive line just came up big,” Thome said. “Everybody blocked, we ran hard, nobody gave up and we went hard every play.”
Polidori scampered in to convert the two-point conversion to put Buckeye up 14-7 with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
Thome was spectacular for the Bucks with 240 yards of offense (122 receiving, 81 rushing, 37 passing) to go along with three touchdowns.
The Colts still had some fight left and drove down the field on the back of senior running back John Nespeca (30 carries, 139 yards, TD).
“John is a hard runner for us,” Cloverleaf coach Bob Lake said. “He was hurt earlier in the year and he’s back from that. He showed what he could do tonight. Going forward, we’re going to utilize him a lot more. He showed what a tough competitor he is.”
Nespeca pounded the ball into the heart of the Buckeye defense, carrying nine times on a 13-play drive. His 30 carries were more than half of his team’s 55 offensive plays in the game.
The Colts drove the ball down to the Buckeye 5 and faced fourth-and-goal when the Bucks made another big play.
This time it was defensive lineman Brad Calta. The 6-foot, 247-pound junior chased down Cloverleaf quarterback Garrison Flora for a huge 3-yard sack, giving his team the ball.
“Our defense really picked it up in the second half,” Calta said. “Everybody just got aggressive and we started making moves, pass rush moves. When they tried passing we were getting back there and when they tried to run we were filling it up.”
Polidori came out slinging and drove the Bucks down the field. The junior finished off the 10-play, 92-yard drive with a 34-yard scoring strike to Thome after scrambling all over the backfield and heaving the ball 50 yards and into the middle of the field.
“This wins huge for us,” Polidori said. “It’s really big in the long run for our confidence and playing at the end of the year. We want to have a good record and make it to the playoffs and it’s going to give us some momentum for the future.”
All the momentum was now completely on the Bucks’ side.
A Flora (5-for-14, 69 yards, int.) incompletion was sandwiched by a pair of sacks — another from Calta and one from Kevin Zacharyasz — and forced a Cloverleaf punt with 4:07 left to play.
“John Nepseca ran hard,” Lake said. “That’s for sure. We thought we could run the ball on them and when we fell behind we had to change things a little bit. We wanted to run the ball because it was successful for us, but when we fell behind we had to open it up a little bit.”
Thome drove the final dagger on the ensuing possession with a big 33-yard run to the Cloverleaf 3-yard line, setting up his third score of the game one play later.
Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com.
Cloverleaf 7 - Buckeye 27
