BACK AT IT AGAIN; EAGLES FIND THEIR WAY TO FINAL FOUR

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NEW PHILADELPHIA, OH – The Warren JFK Eagles came into Saturday night’s game at Quaker Stadium as the defending regional champions and wanted to make a trip back to the State Semifinal game. But they would have to cross the dangerous Danville Blue Devils, who won last week against the Lucas Cubs 21-20 when down 0-20. The Blue Devils would have to make no mistake in this regional matchup, for the Eagles would not leave room for error. However, it was not enough. For Warren JFK was victorious against Danville with a score of 22-21 in a thrilling finish. 

 

On the second drive for the Eagles, a long drive capped off with an 8-yard touchdown run by Caleb Hadley to set the tone in the first quarter. The Blue Devils had one big play in the first quarter that included a 24-yard pass completion from Walker Weckesser to Kaiden Colopy. That drive ended in a punt that caused Warren JFK to start their drive from the 7-yard line. On that drive, Antonio Smith got the ball stripped from him, and Weckesser recovered it and turned it in for the score making it 7-7. 

 

The first half didn’t have much action after that score, but the second half provided a classic duel of dominant forces. 

 

Danville received the ball at the start of the second half and had a drive that lasted 5:21 and capped off with a 5-yard touchdown run from Max Payne. The defensive line for the Eagles stepped up to block the extra point, which kept the score 13-7. The defense continued to step up to the plate on Danville’s second drive of the half. Thomas Easton intercepted a pass from Weckesser and took it to the Blue Devil’s 19-yard line. It only took four plays for the Eagles to tie up the score led behind Caleb Hadley, and the extra point made it 14-13 as they faded into the fourth quarter. 

 

Danville again responded well to the score from Warren JFK and led their team 12 plays, 61 yards down the field, which capped off with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Payne to Colopy with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter. They also converted in a two-point conversion on a special play from Colopy to Caleb Lucas making it 21-14. 

 

Kennedy on their final drive had plenty of special plays to help right this story to a finish. Hadley performed a spinning circus act dodging defenders and connected 31 yards downfield to Aidan Rossi on the opposing 33-yard line. A couple of short yards from Easton, Hadley, and Ambrose Hoso ended them up with 4th down and 11 yards to go on the 13-yard line. Hadley dropped back and dodged two blue devil defenders and sent a pass to a diving Rossi for a touchdown where only he could get it, making it 20-21. Coach Dom Prologo looked at his team, and made the gutsy decision to go for the two-point try. Rossi handed it off to Hadley behind his powerful offensive line and dove for the score with 37 seconds left on the clock. Danville received the ball back on the 33-yard line but got stopped in their tracks within four plays to give Warren JFK the win for the regional championship, 22-21. 

 

Danville will end the season with a record of 11-3 and Warren JFK will advance to the state semifinals next week to play a rematch with Newark Catholic in Orville. 


*Contributed By YSN’s Dom O’Brien 



JEFFERSON SPOILS THE WARRIORS SEASON TO CONTINUE HISTORIC RUN

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NILES OH- West Branch came in to Saturday night with aspirations of pinching a ticket to the final four. After two seasons of coming to this very round and falling short, there were a lot of people who thought this was the year West Branch would break through. Standing in their way was an up and coming Jefferson team who had already gotten deeper in the playoffs than any team in their program had before.  On paper maybe it was a mismatch, but the Falcons never received that memo. They recovered from a fast Warriors start to come back and win a thriller 41-37.

the Warriors started the game with back to back touchdown drives. They were both capped off by 1 yard touchdown runs. Boston Mulinix ran in the first, then Dru DeShields followed him up. In what might have ended up being a difference maker the Warriors went for two both times, and failed to convert both times. What could have been a 16-0 lead was just a 12-0 lead. Those stops gave Jefferson some momentum as they finally got on the board with a Luke Funtash touchdown run from 5 yards out to close out the first frame.

After the first quarter, the two teams would trade touchdowns 3 times.  Grant Hitchcock ended that trend though as he took a punt return 75 yards to the house to give the Falcons their second consecutive score.  After DeShields would answer with a score of his own, Hitchcock struck again to go ahead for good. This time around he found pay dirt from 65 yards out.  Jefferson would go on to win despite being outshined 470 to 348.

Hitchcock ran the ball 20 times for 152 yards on the night.  He only needed to pass 9 times, he had 4 completions for 80 yards.  Trent Hodge gained 84 yards on the ground for Jefferson.

DeShields went 10/21 on the night with 178 yards, and he ran for 42 more yards to gain over 200 total for the offense.  Boston Mulinix did all he could gaining 250 yards on 20 rushes.

Jefferson advances to the State Semifinsls for the first time in team history. They’ll take on Glenville on Saturday at Canal Fulton Northwest High School. Kickoff is slated for 7:00.

 

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM, CARDINALS GOING TO STATE

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RAVENNA, OH- On a freezing cold night in northeast Ohio, The Canfield Cardinals met the Chardon Hilltoppers in the regional final for the second time in three years. Chardon won 15 consecutive playoff games before meeting the Cardinals after winning back to back state championships in 2020 and 2021. The Cardinals defense fought hard all night long to hold the Hilltoppers to just seven points, which was enough to go back to state for the first time since 2005.

Neither team scored in the first quarter as Canfield opened up the game with a turnover on an interception by Chardon’s Caleb Hewitt. In the second quarter, the Hilltoppers struck first on a 35 yard touchdown run by Andrew Bruce to make it 7-0. After both teams fumbled inside Chardon’s 10 yard line, the Cardinals capitalized with a 8 yard touchdown reception by fullback Dom Marzano to tie the game at 7-7. Both teams went to the locker room deadlocked at 7-7.

Both teams had just one scoreless possession in the third quarter to setup a tie for the final 12 minutes of play. The Cardinals made the biggest play of the game late in the fourth quarter on a 56 yard touchdown run from junior tailback Danny Inglis to take a 14-7 lead. On the next possession, Chardon moved the football inside Canfield’s 40 yard line, until they turned it over on downs with a stop by linebacker Dom Marzano on a fourth and one. Canfield goes back to the state semifinal for the first time since 2005. The Cardinals will play Holy Name next Friday at Euclid Community Stadium at 7 P.M. Our YSN crew got a chance to talk with Canfield head coach Mike Pavlansky after the victory. Here is what he had to say:

SOUTH RANGE POSES PROBLEM FOR PERRY

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BURTON, OH- “To get to the state final game, you have to beat good teams,” said Dan Yeagley.

And beating good teams is exactly what South Range has done all season, and repeated that recipe last night in an explosive 49-21 victory over Perry on Friday night to claim the Division V Region 17 Crown.

The temperatures were a bit frigid, and like some of the cars starting up to make the hour-long drive to Berkshire High School, the offenses didn’t start up when the key was turned.  The Raiders cracked the goose egg just before the first quarter ended with a 3-yard score from Blake Ewert to make it 7-0.  On the next possession, Ewert would find paydirt from 30 yards away to put the Raiders up 14-0.  South Range would keep on rocking in the second quarter when Billy Skripac would push his way across the goal line and put South Range up 21-0 going into the half.

Perry had some confidence coming out of the locker room because the talented Brayden Richards helped the Pirates march downfield and get on the board from 6 yards away with a rushing touchdown, and hoping to give Perry some momentum.

That momentum was short-lived as Blake Ewert would roll over a defender and stay off of the turf and on his feet to sprint away from the defenders for a 65-yard score to put the Raiders back up three scores at 28-7.

On the next possession, South Range would look into their stable of backs to find sophomore, Aidan Dominguez who plowed his way behind the offensive line from 23 yards out to make the score 35-7.

Logan Butcher would then bounce a kick off an up-man for Perry with the Raiders falling on the football, and moments later Skripac would connect with JD Crouse on a crossing route that would result in a 43-yard strike and start the mercy clock with the score being 42-7 with 2:53 left in the third quarter.

That running clock would be short-lived as Perry would not give up, Walter Moses would help lead a drive that culminated with a 7-yard TD pass to Owen McKoon to shorten the distance to 42-14.

South Range would lock things down with six and a half minutes remaining when Aidan Dominguez would bully his way off of tackles into the endzone from 13 yards out.  Perry would add one more score at the 2:36 mark to finalize the scoring at 49-21.

South Range’s offense sprouted 377 yards from scrimmage, while the Raider defense only gave up 147.  The Raiders averaged 7.5 yards per play on the night and paced the first downs as well at a 22-12 clip.  The only stat the Raiders didn’t care to be on the short side of was penalties as South Range was nailed 6 times for 65 yards and had a pair of scores called back via holding calls.

Skripac would only put the ball in the air 7 times on the night, completing 4 of those for 80 yards and a score.  The majority of the damage would come from the running game, as Skripac would carry the ball 8 times for 29 yards.  The E-Train, Blake Ewert chugged his way along the track for 169 yards on 16 carries and 3 scores.  Aidan Dominguez averaged 6 yards a touch with 82 yards and 2 scores on 14 carries.  Jake Starkey would haul the rock for 22 yards on four totes.

JD Crouse led the receivers with 43 yards in his lone catch, Shane Lindstrom would have a grab for 31 yards, and Tyler Remish would have a 9-yard completion as well.

Remish would lead the way on defense with 7 tackles including a sack and 6 solos.  Nick Plunkett controlled the defensive backfield with 4 takedowns of his own, and Jake Starkey held down the middle with 3.5 tackles.

Walter Moses was bottled up most of the night through the air, completing 5 of 9 passes for 66 yards and a score, but threw 2 picks.

Brayden Richards was impressive on the ground from all over the field, he carried the ball 19 times for 91 yards and a score.  Jaden Hacking had a carry for 12 yards, and Jayden Studio had 2 carries and a score.  Owen McKoon was all over the yard and stopped the Raiders on 9.5 occasions that included 7 solos, and 5 assists.  Brayden Richards also had 9.5 stops for the Pirates on defense.

South Range will continue their unblemished season in Clyde, Ohio next week as they will play Liberty Center- who defeated Elmwood 49-38 on Friday night.

YSN will have the audio broadcast of the State Semi-Finals on November 25th at no cost, coverage will begin at approximately 6:55 that evening.

LOCAL FLAG TEAM HEADED TO VEGAS

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YOUNGSTOWN, OH- For only the sixth time in area history, Youngstown will be represented in a Flag Football National Championship setting.

The Valley will be represented the first week in February in Las Vegas, Nevada in the form of a handful of young men competing for a title in one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.

As proud as they are to have locked in the spot, they will need our area’s help to get there.  Other NFL franchises, and flag organizations are helping out their teams financially, but these young men are being tasked with raising funds for their trip on their own.

We caught up with a couple players as well as the Assistant Coach, Josh Tedesco to fill us in on how you can help.  (Which you can see in the pictures below as well)

 

THE LIFE OF JAWS

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By Kristin Seidler

YOUNGSTOWN, OH- Ron Jaworski was born March 23rd, 1951, one of three children of William and Mildred “Molly” Jaworski in Lackawanna, New York.  Lackawanna is a small city directly south of Buffalo that thrived around the Bethlehem Steel plant which employed thousands of workers.  Bill Jaworski, Sr was one of these workers who wanted better for Ron than employment in a steel mill.  He arranged for Ron to work there one summer so that Ron would understand the value of a college education.

A talented three-sport high school athlete, Ron developed into an outstanding quarterback and received numerous scholarship offers from major universities., despite the fact that he carried 160 lbs on his 6 ft 2-inch frame.  But when the coach at Youngstown State University promised Ron that he would be able to pass thirty times a game, Jaworski responded “Where do I sign?”. In addition, when signing with YSU, he turned down an offer from the St. Louis Cardinals to play baseball.

Jaworski played a major role in turning around the program at YSU, and in his senior year ranked fifth in the nation among college division quarterbacks.

In 1974, he was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams but played on the taxi squad until 1975, when starting quarterback James Harris was injured.  He played sporadically for the next year and was traded to Philadelphia in 1976.

There he was the starting quarterback and in his second season led the Eagles to its first winning record in twelve years.  Soon Jaworski became one of the NFL’s powerhouse quarterbacks.  “Rifle Ron”s” powerful arm and quick release instilled confidence in his receivers.  In 1980 everything came together for Jaworski and the Eagles.  In recognition of his superb season, Ron was named NFL Player of the Year.  The Eagles won the NFC Championship but lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV.

By 1987, age and injuries had taken their toll on “Jaws”.  Although he was willing to continue with the team in a backup role, the popular 36-year-old quarterback was traded to the Miami Dolphins.  After two seasons with Miami, he signed as a free agent with Kansas City.  In 1989, he retired to pursue his business ventures full-time.

Considered one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history, he ranks thirteenth 

on the NFL all-time yards passing list, ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath.

Jaworski has received multiple awards celebrating his football achievements.  He was voted by his teammates as the Ed Black Courage Award recipient in 1985 by the Philadelphia Eagles.

While still playing for the Eagles, in 1986,  Ron was inducted into the YSU Sports Hall of Fame.  In 1991, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame.

In 1992, Jaworski was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Honour Roll, and in 1994, he was nominated for admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in his first year of eligibility 

Jaworski has also shown outstanding dedication to his community endeavors and volunteer work for which he has garnered multiple awards as well.  In 1997, he received the Pinnacle Award from the South Jersey Chamber of Commerce for his outstanding volunteer work and long-time service to the South Jersey Chamber as well as the business community.

In 1997 he received the Bert Bell Man of the Year Award from the Eagles Fly For Leukemia, which is given to the person who has contributed significantly to the NFL.

IN 1998, The United Way honored Ron with their Volunteer Leadership Award, which is the highest award given by the United Way.

Over the years, Jaworski has served as a TV spokesman for Goodwill Industries, The US Department of Labor, the US Savings Bond program, United Way, and Harder”s among others.

In addition, Ron does more than fifty motivational speeches yearly for various organizations.

Jaworski is a well-known broadcast personality, having done NFL color commentary as well as Monday Night Football commentary for ESPN for many years.

Currently, Ron is the CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses and luxury properties in southern New Jersey,  northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Jaworski lives with his wife, Liz, in Voorhees Township, New Jersey.  They have three children.

 

JEFFERSON PUTS THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD

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CANFIELD OH- Jefferson played maybe their best game of the season when it mattered most. On Saturday at South Range, a place that has been haunting for the Falcons in league play became a place of a fever dream as they beat Canton South 49-35 to earn a spot in the Regional Final.

The offensive game plan was simple, keep the ball as long as possible, and finish drives. The Falcons did just that. They dominated on the ground, and controlled the clock.  Grant Hitchcock ran for 191 yards and scored 6 touchdowns. The Falcon quarterback was also perfect through the air going 5/5.  The only time the Falcons had the ball and didn’t score was the last possession of the game where they iced the game in victory formation. Jefferson held a 28-7 lead at half, after Canton South scored out of halftime, the Falcons responded with a 10 minute drive spanning 76 yards and ending in a touchdown.  It was the defining drive of the game.

Jefferson will advance to the Regional Final just one step away from state. It won’t be an easy step though as they region’s top team West Branch awaits.  That game will be played Saturday at 7:00 at Niles.

WARRIORS NEED EVERYTHING THEY HAVE TO GET TO NEXT ROUND

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Ravenna OH-  The West Branch football team looked to continue their playoff success on Saturday when they traveled to the beautiful Portage Community Bank Stadium in Ravenna to take on the 13th seeded Akron Buchtel Griffins. The Warriors were able to walk away with a hard fought 41-33 victory in the Division Four Region 13 bracket . This was a Buchtel football team that was much better than a 13th seed.

 

The Warriors got the opening kickoff but did not have the football very long when Buchtel forced a fumble. The Griffins were able to capitalize when Stevie Diamond found receiver Demetrice Coats for a 7 yard touchdown. However, West Branch answered right back when Boston Mulinix exploded for a 17 yard run and found the end zone. Coach Cooper decided to go for 2 but it was no good. Buchtel fired right back scoring yet another touchdown making the score 14-6.

 

After a Warrior three and out, the punt was mishandled giving Buchtel great field position. That tough hard nosed Warrior defense stepped up holding Buchtel to just three points. The score was 17-6 but that’s when everything changed. The very next drive, Dru Deshields led the Warriors right down the field and scored on a 13 yard quarterback keeper. This time they were able to convert on the 2-point conversion. West Branch then scored again on yet another run from Deshields making the score 21-17. Finally, with little time left in the half Deshields threw a 50 yard bomb to receiver Joey Jackson increasing the lead to 28-17 at halftime.

 

Coming out of halftime, the Warriors wasted no time scoring yet again creating a comfortable 34-17 lead. Buchtel continued to fight and quarterback Stevie Diamond was special when he unloaded a 79 yard spectacular throw on the run for the touchdown. West Branch scored again, but Buchtel answered right back. The lead was now 41-31 until Buchtel forced a safety on another Warrior mishandled punt. The game was getting dicey with that 41-33 score but on 4th down Diamond threw a pass that was caught in the endzone and unfortunately, the Buchtel receiver was ruled out of bounds. West Branch was able to survive a late fourth quarter scare.

 

West Branch will take on sixth seeded Jefferson Area next Saturday at Bo Rein Stadium in Niles next Saturday. West Branch will be playing in their fourth Regional Championship in school history after making it there last year and losing to eventual State Runner up Ursuline. Saturday the Warriors will look to win the big game and make it to State for the first time since 1994 when they won the State Championship.  

 

Passing-

Dru Deshields: 33/48, 403 YDS, 3 TDS

 

Rushing-

Boston Mulinix: 14 CAR, 75 YDS, 1 TD

Dru Deshields: 12 CAR, 75 YDS, 2 TDS

 

Receiving-

Joey Jackson: 6 REC, 101 YDS, 1 TD

Chrisitan Martig: 12 REC, 169 YDS, 2 TDS



  *Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi 

 

 

A PERFECT STORM; JFK GOES TO REGIONAL FINAL

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CANFIELD OH- There’s good reason why Warren JFK’s defense is nicknamed the “Blue Storm.” On Saturday night Southern Local learned the lesson all too well as they got shutout by the Eagles in a 35-0 victory.  This was no easy task, the Indians offense came in to the game averaging 39.5 points per game.  However on this night the JFK defense held Southern to just 213 total yards on 53 plays.

JFK scored first on a special teams blunder. After the Eagles forced an Indians punt on the first drive of the game, the snap went over the punters head and dribbled in to the endzone where Aidan Rossi jumped on it for a touchdown. This play would set the tone for the rest of the night.  JFK would score again without their offense needing to step on the field. Freshman Marcus Komora ran back an interception 35 yards for a touchdown.  There wasn’t much of a chance after that, the Eagles had let everyone know what this night was going to be about as they cruised the rest of the way.

JFK advances to the Regional Final where they’ll have a matchup with Danville.  That game will be a Saturday at a location to be announced later by the OHSAA.  Kickoff will be at 7:00.

 

 

CANFIELD TAKES DOWN URSULINE TO GET A REMATCH WITH CHARDON

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NILES, OH- Canfield and Ursuline met for the first time since 1984 at Bo Rein Memorial Stadium for the regional semifinal in division three, region nine. Canfield got the early lead in the ballgame and took that lead the rest of the way to advance to the regional final for the second time in the last three years.

The Cardinals got the opening kickoff and it didn’t take long to get on the scoreboard as junior tailback Scottie Eaton busted out a 56 yard jet sweep to the house taking the early 6-0 lead. Ursuline would respond later in the first quarter as junior quarterback Jack Ericson took one on his feet for a 50 yard touchdown to tie the game at 6. On the next possession to open up the second quarter, senior quarterback Broc Lowry ran one in from 14 yards out to make it a 13-6 Cardinals advantage. Canfield would turn the Irish over on downs and score again on another Lowry touchdown run, this one being from 43 yards out to take a 20-6 lead in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, senior kicker Joel Miasek recovered his own onside kick to put the ball back in Canfields hands’. The Cardinals would capitalize with the extra possession on Lowry’s third rushing touchdown of the second quarter, extending the lead to 27-6. The Irish got a key score at the end of the first half when quarterback Jack Ericson ran it in from two yards out for his second rushing touchdown of the half. After one half of play, Canfield led by 15, 27-12.

There were no points scored in the third quarter after both quarterbacks had there one and only turnover of the ballgame with interceptions on back to back possessions. In the fourth quarter, junior running back Christian Lynch got the Irish closer with a 25 yard touchdown run to make it a 27-18 ballgame. The Cardinals would respond once again as junior tailback Danny Inglis cut it back on a stretch play and his speed took off for a 52 yard touchdown run, making it a two possession lead at 33-18. Ursuline would not go down without a fight, scoring once more on a long touchdown reception from DC Ferrell to put the Irish back within one possession at 33-25. Canfield had the football with less than three minutes remaining and was able to drain the clock and advance to the regional final, taking down the Irish by a final score of 33-25.

Canfield will take on the number one seeded Chardon Hilltoppers next Friday at a site TBD. Canfield will look to get some revenge as the Cardinals have bowed out to Chardon the last two seasons in the regional final and semifinal. The Hilltoppers have won back to back division three state tittles and have a record of 11-1 heading into next week.