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From The ZANESVILLE TIMES RECORDER By John Kerr, Sports Writer
MEDINA - While Medina Buckeye's defense came in as the ballyhood unit, it was John Glenn's defense that carried the Muskies into the second round of the playoffs.
Sixth-seeded John Glenn held No. 3 seed Buckeye scoreless the second half en route to a 10-6 comeback victory in a Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal contest at Steinglass Field.
John Glenn (9-2) advances to meet No. 2 seed Licking Valley (11-0), a 31-28 winner over Dover, in the regional semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11, at a site to be determined.
"Our kids just kept playing. They were going to leave it on the field," John Glenn coach John Kelley said. "They are an outstanding football team." Fifth-ranked Medina Buckeye, which had a decided size advantage, finished its best season in school history at 10-1. The Bucks had allowed just 33 points all season compared to 99 for the Muskies, who faced four playoff teams during the regular season compared to two for Buckeye.
"We knew our defense was just as good," said John Glenn cornerback Aaron Bates. "We knew we were capable of putting up a couple scores against a great defense."
John Glenn senior linebacker Matt Heagen led the defense with 15 tackles, including 11 in the second half. Heagen was involved in eight of the last 12 plays Buckeye ran on offense.
John Glenn trailed just 6-0 at halftime despite being outgained 222-23 in the first half.
"Being down six at halftime, we were lucky," Bates said. "We knew one play could be seven points and pull this one out."
Brandon Barr's 22-yard punt return to Bucks' 48 gave the Muskies' offense the life it needed.
John Glenn picked up its initial first down of the game with 3:30 left in the third quarter on Tanner Bradley's 5-yard run to the Bucks' 36. Bates connected with split end Seth Dodson for a 19-yard gain to set up Bates' 27-yard field goal with 45 seconds left in the third quarter.
"That puts us back in the game and gives us some momentum," Kelley said. "And it takes some momentum from them. They've got some guys that are going to make big plays."
The run-oriented Muskies mixed the pass and run on their winning 82-yard drive, which started with 10:36 remaining in the game.
Dodson sealed off a defender for a 24-yard pass from Bates to push the Muskies to their own 43.
"We didn't have a first down the first half. We threw the ball three times, but didn't have the ball long,"Bates said. "The second half we started completing a few passes and getting first downs and that helped open the running game."
Cody Ramsey's 12-yard run on a sweep, Heagen's 9-yard gain on catching a deflected pass behind the line of scrimmage and Brad Bradley's 14-yard throwback pass to Bates provided the Muskies with a first down at Buckeye's 15.
On the next play, Brad Bradley's sweep right resulted in a 15-yard touchdown run to give the Muskies a 9-6 lead. Bates drilled the PAT kick to make it 10-6 with 7:12 left to play.
It was only the second time Buckeye trailed all season and first time it was behind in the second half.
Buckeye got the ball back for three final possessions.
On its final time with the ball, John Glenn defensive lineman Zack Marlatt sacked Buckeye quarterback Adam Read for an 8-yard loss and the Bucks were faced with a 4th-and-17 at their own 39. Read's screen pass to Chaz Jordan, the fastest player on the field, was stopped by Heagen 2-feet short of a first down.
Buckeye's final chance started on its own 25 with just 10 seconds remaining, with Jordan tackled inbounds after a 9-yard gain.
Buckeye dominated the first half but its only score was a Read to Matt Dash 19-yard strike with 9:58 leftin the second quarter. Dash's PAT kick bounced back off the left upright and the Bucks led 6-0.
Heagen helped set the tone for the game by tackling Buckeye tailback Dustin Supan for a 2-yard loss in the opening minutes. Supan, a 1,400-yard rusher this season, was limited to 21 yards on 13 carries.
"Our No. 1 goal was to shut down their running game,"Kelley said. "If they were going to beat us they were going to have to do it with the pass."
Brad Bradley's 35 yards rushing on seven carries paced John Glenn, limited to 72 yards on 30 carries. Bates completed 4 of 8 passes for 59 yards with Dodson hauling in two for 43 yards.
Read completed 16 of 26 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown with Jordan catching seven balls for 92 yards and Dash four balls for 88 yards.
Buckeye had a 322-141 advantage in total yards in a game that didn't have a turnover.
jkerr@nncogannett.com 740-450-6763
From The PLAIN DEALER By Jack McDermott, Plain Dealer Reporter
The season that almost wasn't didn't come with a Cinderella finish Friday night for Buckeye High, as the Bucks (10-1) lost to New Concord John Glenn, 10-6, in Division III regional quarterfinal play at Steingass Stadium.
John Glenn (9-2) will meet Newark Licking Valley, a 31-28 winner Friday night over Dover, in regional semifinal play next Friday.
Following a failed school levy in late May, the Buckeye Board of Education voted to eliminate all extracurricular activities, including sports. Only after the school's boosters agreed to pay all costs associated with the sports teams and band did the board agree to let the programs proceed.
The Bucks went 10-0 during the regular season, winning the Patriot Athletic Conference title and advancing to the playoffs. The volleyball team posted a 19-5 record, the most wins ever in school history; the girls soccer team was 19-1, winning the PAC title and a district championship.
"For us, this was just one of 11 games, but you all are champions and I don't want you to ever forget it," Bucks coach Chris Medaglia told his players following the loss.
Buckeye held a 6-0 lead after the first half, with senior quarterback Adam Read connecting with senior split end Matt Dash on a 19-yard toss with 9:58 remaining in the first half. Read's conversion kick hit the upright and bounced off.
John Glenn cut the deficit to 6-3 with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter as junior Aaron Bates kicked a 27-yard field goal.
The winning drive for the Little Muskies, 82 yards in eight plays, was capped by senior wingback Brad Bradley running around the right side for 15 yards and a touchdown with 7:12 left. Bates' conversion ended the scoring.
Meanwhile, John Glenn's defense managed to hold Buckeye's leading rusher, senior halfback Dustin Supan, to 21 yards on 14 carries.
"They did a great job of taking us out of our game plan," said Medaglia. "I told the kids at the half that I felt we were doing a lot of good things, but we needed to get some movement up front to get our ground game going.
"They took Dustin right out of the picture, and that made us totally one-dimensional," Medaglia said. "Plain and simple, they beat us personnel to personnel, and that was the ballgame."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmcdermott@plaind.com,1-800-767-2821
From The GAZETTE By Brad Bournival, Staff Writer
YORK TWP. — It was a position sixth-seeded New Concord John Glenn had been in before. For the third-seeded Buckeye Bucks football team, not so much.
In a game that was a tale of two halves and a contest that went down to the end, Buckeye lost its first and only game of the year to the Little Muskies in a 10-6 Division III, Region 11 quarterfinal.
As a result, the Bucks, who are 0-3 in the playoffs, finish 10-1, while John Glenn (9-2) plays second-seeded Newark Licking Valley next Friday.
That the Bucks had only trailed once all season, by three points, while John Glenn lost twice and came from behind to win one other time, played a big role in this postseason opener.
"They're a good football team that didn't want to lose," John Glenn coach John Kelley said. "But we have kids that don't quit. We gutted it out and found a way to win. We could have folded our tents, but when you get to this level you leave everything on the field."
The Muskies could have folded and might have had they not been there and done that. A team that has now played five playoff teams this season, John Glenn didn't collapse when Adam Read (16-of-26, 219 yards, TD) found Matt Dash (4 catches, 88 yards) on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 9:58 to go before intermission.
Led by Mike Arena (9 tackles), the Bucks did everything they wanted, holding the Muskies to 19 yards of offense at the break and no first downs to go into halftime with a 6-0 lead.
John Glenn didn't cross midfield until 4:54 remained in the third quarter and didn't get its initial first down until 3:34 remained in the third frame.
"We knew coming in how good they were," John Glenn wingback Brad Bradley said. "We just kept our focus. Our
second-half motto is about being finishers. That's how we break the huddle and it's why this team wins. We've been down before. To us it was no big deal."
Showing the patience of a squad that's played in close games, the Muskies chipped away at the Bucks, making it 6-3 when Aaron Bates kicked a 27-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining in the third.
Though the Muskies amassed just 143 yards total offense against the vaunted Buckeye front, they went 82 yards in eight plays to win their fifth postseason game in 10 tries.
Bradley (7 carries, 35 yards) did the damage, punching it in from the right side on a 15-yard run with 7:12 remaining.
The Bucks had their chances — Dash had a 64-yard punt return to the John Glenn 3 negated by a penalty — but couldn't execute. Despite finishing 5-of-13 on third-down conversions, Buckeye shot itself in the foot more often than not.
With Dustin Supan struggling — he rushed for 21 yards on 13 carries — Read and the Bucks went into halftime holding a 218-19 advantage in total yards and a 15:05 to 8:55 advantage in time of possession.
But penalties turned third-and-short situations into medium-range attempts.
"You've got to make plays," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "They made more plays than we did. It came back to bite us in the end."
So did the Muskies defense. A unit that gave up an average of 128 yards on the ground and 83 yards through the air buckled down in the second half. Read threw for 70 yards and Buckeye runners, who average 235 yards rushing, picked up only 34 yards after intermission.
Though the Bucks outgained the Muskies 322-143, just 103 were amassed without the arm of Read, who was under heavy pressure most of the second half.
"I got my butt kicked," Read said. "It was unbelievable. In the second half they dropped two safeties back and we couldn't do anything. It hurts."
Buckeye had one last chance in the fourth, but Chaz Jordan (7 catches, 92 yards) came up one foot short on a fourth-and-17 screen pass from the Bucks 40.
"If you're on defense and you have guys who know what they're doing and listen to what their coaches say, you'll shut down any offense," Buckeye two-way lineman Nick Tavernelli said. "I don't care who you are."
Bournival may be reached at Bournival929@sbcglobal.net or 330-721-4045.
From the GAZETTE By Eric Pfahler, Staff Writer
Buckeye junior Chaz'Elliot "Chaz" Jordan has had a pattern before each of his football games.
Tonight will be no different as the wide receiver/defensive back and his team host New Concord John Glenn in a Division III, Region 11 first-round playoff game.
Jordan will write "Dad" over the tape on his right shoe and "Mom" on his left. The junior will then take a walk to the end zone, sit down and have a conversation with his parents, Lloyd and VirGella Jordan, both of whom passed away in the last two years.
Following that, Chaz will look to the stands and smile at the other woman he references with the insignia on his left boot.
Chaz has made a ton of big receptions for the Bucks this year, but his greatest catch came off the field when he met Toni Parker five years ago.
Toni was engaged to Lloyd and invited Chaz into their home after VirGella suffered a stroke shortly after his eighth-grade year. Chaz moved from Euclid — he finished grade school at Euclid Central Middle — to Medina Township and began attending school at Buckeye.
The two hit it off immediately.
"I felt very comfortable around her," Chaz said. "She was always easy to talk to. It was just like a friend."
The relationship of trust and companionship continued, though times became tough for both.
"About a year, year-and-a-half later, my mom passed away," Chaz said. "Then almost a year after that, my father got into a car accident and passed away."
Chaz could have taken lots of different turns after losing both parents — his father died in May — but the love of a new mother, who received custody, helped him keep it together.
"She's been real important," Chaz said. "Without her, I wouldn't be able to function. She's been the mother since my mother had her stroke."
But Chaz has done more than function, he has succeeded and thrived.
"He's had to go through and endure more than any kid should have to go through at this point in his life," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "He's a tremendous kid, a kid you'd like to take home with you and have date your daughter.
"I feel for him. I would do anything for the kid because he's a special one. He's truly an inspiration to his school, to his classmates and to us as coaches."
Chaz was also there for Toni, just like she was strong for him.
"But he's a child," Toni said. "I try to be strong for him. He reminds me of Lloyd. He looks just like his dad. He has that beautiful smile."
An avid baseball fan, Toni made an immediate impression on the Buckeye sports scene while watching Chaz play football and basketball, where Chaz paced the Buckeye junior varsity in assists (45) and steals (44) while logging enough varsity minutes to earn a letter and pave his way to a bigger role this season.
"She was our biggest fan last year at our basketball games," Buckeye basketball coach Steve King said. "You could always tell where she was in the gym. She was the one who was leading most of the cheers."
That energy continued into the chill of autumn football, where the Bucks responded with a perfect regular season.
"If there's one lady that roots for the Bucks, it's Toni," Medaglia said.
Said senior Dustin Supan and close friend of Chaz: "She sometimes cheers more than the cheerleaders."
With the help of Chaz's paternal grandmother, Linda Jordan-Patton, and other family members, Toni has provided much more than a human standing ovation for Chaz, who earned a 3.8 grade point average as a sophomore.
"She's stepped up and come to the plate when the kid needed her most," Medaglia said. "He calls her Mom for all the right reasons. She's a tremendous lady and I think she's part of the reason, or a big reason, why he is as comfortable and as stable and as well-rounded of a kid as he is right now."
Chaz responded to the love of Toni. He studied hard. Teachers and administrators are quick to point out his warm personality and effort in the classroom.
"With all the adversity that he's gone through, he's a stand-up kind of guy," Buckeye athletic director Ken Woodruff said. "I think he's a class kid. If you see him on the football team, as a junior he's one of their leaders. He's not afraid to step up and take charge."
On the football field, Chaz has 396 receiving yards and six touchdowns, while collecting two interceptions as the team's shutdown corner. Chaz still copes with the past, but the days are becoming brighter.
"It's hard," he said. "I don't know. There's been points where it's like, I didn't think I could do it. But with the help of friends and family and everyone that's been there, it's gotten easier and easier. There's still days where I don't know what to do. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I always have teachers and Toni to talk to. It gets easier, but sometimes it can be hard."
Sports provide a place for Chaz to escape, even if the end zone is a sanctuary to remember and converse with those who made him. That makes him even happier that the school found a way to keep athletics going, even without the passing of the levy last May.
"It's everything to me," Chaz said. "Without this, I don't know where I'd be. I'd probably be in school, but I guarantee my grades wouldn't be like they are now. Sports pretty much keep me out of trouble, keep me interested. It keeps me going. That and family is what keeps me going.
"It makes this season a lot more special. We're grateful, we're happy. There's nothing we'd rather do than be out here playing football."
It shows in Chaz's play. He makes blocks downfield to help spring running backs for long runs, follows his assignments on defense and does wonders when the ball comes close to his hands. Chaz has turned just 18 catches into six touchdowns and a team-high 22.0 yards per catch.
"He gives us that explosive athlete on the edge that a lot of teams don't have," Medaglia said. "When he touches the ball, something is going to happen that's good."
Perhaps Chaz simply wants to go back to his place of conversation and follow it with a smile to the sideline.
Someone is waiting to return the joy.
Pfahler may be reached at ericjpfahler@hotmail.com or 330-721-4058.
From the GAZETTE By Eric Pfahler, Staff Writer
YORK TWP. — There's a first time for everything.
Buckeye's football team hopes that rings true in the form of a playoff win.
The third-seeded Bucks will attempt to win the first playoff game in school history tonight when they entertain New Concord John Glenn at 7:30 in the first round of the Division III, Region 11 playoffs.
The sixth-seeded Little Muskies (8-2) will bring a powerful running attack in the form of a wing-T. Stopping that run by filling gaps on defense will be a key for Buckeye (10-0).
"We've got to make sure that we're playing low and we're very disciplined with some of the things that they want to do," Buckeye coach Chris Medaglia said. "They've got a good mix of size and speed."
John Glenn's rushing attack averages 239.5 yards per game. Senior fullback Matt Heagan (5-foot-11, 230 pounds) leads the team with 1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fellow senior Cody Ramsey is a little smaller — 5-7, 160 — but provides more speed, has 758 yards and has found the end zone 11 times.
"We've got some depth at the position," Little Muskies coach John Kelley said. "We play a lot of kids offensively."
Buckeye has given up just 33 points this season and has not allowed more than 10 in any contest.
John Glenn has made the postseason three out of the last five years, with Buckeye playing an 11th-week three of the last four seasons.
By no means will the Bucks overlook the lower seed.
"They're a good team," Medaglia said. "They didn't get here by luck. They won eight games and played four playoff teams. They deserve to be where they're at right now, but so do we."
Though the Little Muskies went 2-8 last year, Kelley had John Glenn in the postseason two seasons ago before a loss to Steubenville ended the season.
Led by running back Dustin Supan (1,324 yards, 24 TDs) and quarterback Adam Read (87-of-134, 1,468 yards, 15 TDs), Buckeye is also in the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, but the Bucks will get a chance to defend their home field.
"To me it doesn't matter," Medaglia said. "You're going to play a game at 7:30 p.m. This isn't going to be a crowd of 80,000 causing communication problems. You're playing football. I don't think it matters one bit.
"We do like to be at home. We're going to have our home people here. Hopefully our kids will be energetic and have a lot of enthusiasm because it is the last home game of the year and it could be for a couple years if we don't get some things straightened out."
Medaglia was referring to a levy situation that nearly wiped out sports for Buckeye, but the team bounced back to post an outstanding regular season.
"It's important that the player takes advantage of the situation when it comes to him," Medaglia said. "We don't need anyone on this team to try to go out and make a play to try to prove a point.
"If they get a chance to make a big play, we have to make that big play. We've had kids all year long step up and make a play every Friday that sparks us and gets us a win. I expect no different this Friday."
Pfahler may be reached at ericjpfahler@hotmail.com or 330-721-4058.
