News and Announcements
YORK TWP. — Less than a week before two-a-days start for area high school football teams, Buckeye has a new head coach. Due to the uncertainty of his teaching position in the school district, which has an emergency levy on the Aug. 7 ballot, Billy Burke stepped down after five seasons.
He will be replaced by Rick Schuler, a volunteer assistant basketball coach at the school. “I was informed that I would be one of a handful of teachers that would be rifted if the levy doesn’t pass,” the 35-year-old Burke said Tuesday. “It was awkward all summer and I kept trying to talk myself out of (stepping down), but I had to step back and let the program move forward as I further my education to make myself more marketable.”
Burke, who plans on retaining his position as a physical education teacher at the high school, is just a couple classes away from obtaining his administration degree from the University of Dayton.
In five seasons, he went 26-25 overall and 25-10 in Patriot Athletic Conference play. His best season was 2009, when the Bucks won their fourth PAC Stars Division title — and third in three years under Burke — and advanced to the postseason for the fourth time in school history. This past fall, Buckeye was 3-7, 3-4.
Knowing practice starts Monday and the regular season opens Aug. 24, Burke went to Buckeye Superintendent Brian Williams on Thursday to inform him of his intentions.
Bucks athletic director Glen Reisner, however, was caught off-guard by the move. “He never talked to me, so I can’t even tell you the reason for his decision,” he said.
When Reisner was informed of Burke’s resignation, the AD quickly started looking for a new coach.
He found his guy in Schuler, who started working with the Bucks basketball program when good friend Matt Saunders took over in 2008.
Schuler, a social studies teacher at Rocky River, is no stranger to leading a grid program. He had head coaching stints at Marion Catholic (1987-91) and Lorain Catholic (2003), along with coaching at various levels at Rocky River and Lakewood.
“This all came about in such an abrupt fashion, the last thing I was thinking of last Friday before Matt contacted me was that I would be working as a head coach this season,” said Schuler, who most recently served as freshman coach at Lakewood.
“I guess while brainstorming, Matt and Glen brought up my name. When Matt called me, I told him, ‘You’ve got to give me a minute to think it over,’ because this really came out of left field.”
After meeting with the players Tuesday morning in the weight room, Schuler now has the challenge of getting ready for practices, which start in just five days.
Saunders, who was Buckeye’s eighth-grade football coach last season, will assist Schuler with the play-calling duties.
Schuler, who was hired Monday night with the label of interim coach, has some talented players coming back.
Tailback Rick Monroe rushed for 500 yards on 98 carries, while offensive lineman/linebacker Colton Theus also returns for the Bucks, who open by hosting Medina County rival Cloverleaf.
“We’ll have to play a little catch-up,” said Schuler, an Avon Lake resident. “As I told the kids, this has created some obstacles, but it’s nothing we can’t overcome.”
Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.2011 Bucks
The 2011 Bucks went 3-7 under Billy Burke in his 5th season as Head Coach. They again went 3-4 in the PAC repeating, as they did in 2010, their worst PAC finish ever. Assistant Coaches were Keith Curtain, Troy Bonidie, Adam Peters, Jesse Horton, Rodney Johnson, Andy Young, Bob Jenne and Bill Graham. They scored 158 points and gave up 271.
QB Billy Doerge was 56 of 143 for 439 yards, 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Nick Prest was the leading receiver with 19 catches for 218 yards and 1 touchdown. Mike Rain contributed 195 yards on 12 catches with 4 TDs.
Bucks Individual Awards
Most Improved Player: Anthony Kisiday
Most Valuable Player: Billy Doerge
Iron Antler Award: Mike Winnans
Golden Buck Award: Tyler Carrow (Played Varsity All Four Years)
PAC All Conference Awards
Honorable Mention: Kyle Haines (CB)
Familiar Face On Mt. Unions 2011 Media Guide
Familiar Face on Mount Union's 2011 Media Guide
A face familiar to many people at Buckeye adorns the 2011 Media Guide for Mt. Union. Purple Raiders senior defensive back, and 2007 Buckeye grad, Chaz Jordan is on of the players pictured. Jordan has been a fixture in the defensive backfield since his freshman season in 2008 and picked up a ring that same season as Mt. Union posted it's 10th Division III National Championship. They have been the runnerup in that game the last 2 seasons. Jordan has played in every game of his college career, and has started every game since the beginning of his Junior year. He averages over 50 tackles a season. He was 1st team All-Ohio Athletic Conference in 2010 along with being 3rd team All-North Region.
The Purple Raiders are 3-0 over all and 2-0 in their conference as they prepare to visit Ada, Ohio this Saturday to take on Ohio Northern. Picture above are Jordan (#20) and Senior receiver and former Medina Bee, A.J. Claycomb as they prepare to lead the team to field in a recent game. If you would like to look at the Media Guide on line simply click on it and you will be taken there.
YORK TWP. — It’s not unusual for Carlton Watkins to miss a call on his cell phone. This call, however, was his future. Inching closer and closer to committing to Division III John Carroll University, the Buckeye High standout got a call that changed everything. “The night before my overnight to John Carroll, I got a call back from Tiffin,” Watkins said. “It was one of their coaches and they had just got done with a spring practice and he said they needed a receiver.”
The chance to play at the Division II level and join former teammate Austin Friel and Gazette boys track MVP — and cousin — Malik Tuck of Medina was too good to pass up, so Watkins made his commitment to play football and compete in track for Tiffin. “It caught me off guard,” Watkins said of the phone call. “I was actually golfing when I saw the missed call and got a message to give them a call. I couldn’t believe it. I thought someone was messing with me. They told me that going D-III, I was limiting myself. You can go a higher level and earn a scholarship.”
Those words were enough to sell the 5-foot-10, 170 pound wide receiver on the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference program, which is looking for a fresh start after a 1-10, 0-10 campaign. While Watkins didn’t know he was going to find himself on the western side of the state with his former quarterback, Friel seemed to know something else. “After I got the call, I called Austin and I told him, ‘You will never believe who called,’” Watkins said. “The crazy thing is, I never said anything and Austin already knew I was going and put my name down for housing. He just knew.” Selling Watkins the most was the fact he will be paying about $4,000 less at the D-II school, with the possibility of earning scholarship money his second year. Add in that Tiffin has one of the best criminal justice programs around and the former Buck is happy to be a Dragon.
“I had it settled with John Carroll and it was going to cost $7,000 to go there, so I thought, ‘Why not try some other schools,’” Watkins said. “Tiffin is great for two-sport athletes, and their criminal justice program is top five in the country, so it’s really a go academic-wise, and that’s why I want to go to college. To play football, too, that’s just a plus.” Tiffin runs a spread offense with four wide receivers, a system Watkins is familiar with, as Buckeye ran a hybrid of that offense last fall. “The opportunity is great to get in there this year,” said Watkins, who also was looking at Westminster (PA), Thiel (PA) and Notre Dame of Ohio. “All I have to do is show them what I can do. It’s in my hands.
“You’re going to get a chance with four wide, because they will be using their receivers every play. That’s where my chance comes in.” Watkins had spoken to the school’s track program just weeks after breaking the Buckeye school record in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 6 inches at the Ernie Moore Invitational in Doylestown. He knows that doing both sports at the collegiate level is a challenge, but with friends Friel and Tuck by his side and the confidence that helped him earn accolades in both sports at the prep level, Watkins is ready for the next test.
“It worked out good,” he said. “I’m going down there with two guys that I’m really close to, and after meeting the (football) team, I got real comfortable with them and they welcomed me with open arms. “Every school I talked to, I talked about doing both sports. The way I see it, why not? You only live once.”
Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.
