POLAND OH- First place was on the line Thursday night as Struthers came in to Poland. Both the Wildcats and Bulldogs came in undefeated in the NE8. The game went down exactly how you’d expect a battle for first place to go. The game was full of runs and lead changes. Struthers had a solid first half and went into the locker room sporting a 31-23 lead. Poland would quickly respond starting the third on a 8-0 run and controlling the whole third frame. The Bulldogs outscored Struthers 19-4 in the third quarter to take a 42-35 lead into the final frame. This time it was the Wildcats turn to run. They used their perimeter dominance to get right back in the game. With a minute to go they lead 56-55. After a couple of empty possessions Poland found themselves with the ball still down 1 with 17 seconds left. After Sarah Forsyth drove in the lane, she missed her first shot attempt, got her own rebound and then got fouled shooting the putback. With 1.7 seconds to go the senior would go to the line to shoot two. She was 4/9 at the line going into those shots, but she buried them both to put Poland ahead for good 57-56.
Katie McDonald got herself healthy in time for the game, and had one of her best games of her basketball career. She finished with a team-high 18 points. Forsyth played hero at the line, and finished with 15. Ariana Daniels was also in double figures with 10.
Faith Stellato had a stellar day for Struthers especially from beyond the arc. She drilled seven threes on her way to a 24 point performance. Chloe Neider finished in double figures for Struthers with 13 points. Emma Morris was also in double digits with an impressive 10 points.
Poland will be off for 8 days as they return to action Friday December 30th traveling to Canfield. Struthers will get back to the floor in the new year. They will host Ursuline on January 2nd.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/1DE262E8-8E61-4F8F-B7B6-1A65AEC428A0.jpeg12341968Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-23 03:44:232022-12-23 03:44:23FORSYTH PUTS ON A CAPE AND KEEPS POLAND ON TOP
KINSMAN, OHIO- The Badger Braves came out firing away tonight as they took on the visiting Chalker Wildcats. Badger’s defense set the tone early as allowed only 8 points in the first quarter.
The hot hand for the braves on the offensive side tonight was freshman, Preston Geracitano. Gercacitano led the braves in scoring with 20 points and had help from Brad Hamilton who had 11 points, Cole Burnett who had 10 points, and as well as Duncan Moy who put up 12 points, which included a huge in transition dunk.
The Braves were too much for the wildcats to handle as they went on to win 71-30. Badger will be back at home tuesday to take on the Bristol Panthers.
*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0972DCBD-8A06-4F2E-81F4-1BFAD8A5683A-scaled-1.jpeg13482560Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-12-10 16:38:112022-12-10 16:38:11HIGH FLYING BRAVES TOO MUCH FOR CHALKER
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.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/98B60821-6D77-499A-839D-FAEC14DE81B2.jpeg344576Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-11-14 01:04:592022-11-14 01:04:59JEFFERSON PUTS THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD
BELOIT OH- The West Branch football team kept things rolling Friday night with a 54-35 win over the Struthers Wildcats in the second round of the division 4 region 13 playoffs. Coach Tim Cooper now improves his playoff record to 2-0 in his first season at the helm for West Branch.
The Warriors were hitting on all cylinders early on when Boston Mulinix scored on a 1-yard touchdown. Just a few minutes later after forcing a Struthers punt, Dru Deshields hooked up with Freshman Jeremiah Thomas on a 23-yard strike for six points making the score 12-0. Struthers would not go away, answering right back on a long 73-yard touchdown run from Anthony Carter to cut the Warriors lead to 12-7.
The next drive West Branch was faced with a fourth down. Deshields and Martig connected for the conversion. Later that drive Deshields tossed a 22-yard score to Michael Kanagy extending the score to 20-7. Struthers was able to put together another quality drive resulting in a touchdown making the score 20-14. Unfortunately Struthers was not able to stop the balanced Warrior attack on the night.
Warrior running back Boston Mulinix eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark on the season with a 179 yard performance last night. Quarterback Dru Deshields has thrown for over 3,00 yards for the second straight season. West Branch moves on to play 13th seeded Akron Buchtel next Saturday. Where the game will be played is yet TBA. Struthers ended their fantastic season at 7-5.
Passing:
Dru Deshields- 26/42, 384 YDS, 4 TDS
Rushing:
Boston Mulinix- 30 CAR, 179 YDS, 2 TDS
Dru Deshields- 4 CAR, 18 YDS, 1 TD
Garin Harlin- 2 CAR, 5 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving:
Anthony Perry- 7 REC, 147 YDS
Joey Jackson- 4 REC, 34 YDS, 1 TD
Christian Martig- 8 REC, 89 YDS, 1 TD
Michael Kanagy- 4 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD
Jeremiah Thomas- 2 REC, 31 YDS, 1 TD
*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Ginocchi
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/646E363A-A1C0-48FC-879B-581C69D192BE.jpeg527887Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-11-05 19:27:292022-11-05 19:27:29WARRIORS COOL OFF STRUTHERS TO GET INTO ANOTHER REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
In the start of Week 11, 16 teams from 28 different regions began their quest to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday night. Taking a trip over to Division 2, Region 5 where the #4 seeded Austintown Fitch Falcons hosted in the #13 seeded Mayfield Wildcats. Being a sneaky good team despite their seed, Mayfield went into Greenwood Chevrolet Stadium with a 6-4 record; however, all four of those losses were against would-be playoff teams. Bringing in a ton of speed with Dylan Parnell and Nick Biega at the wideouts, The Wildcats have been a dangerous, quick-scoring offense all season.
Despite the offensive potency of Mayfield, The Falcons won the opening toss and elected to test their defense out of the gate by deferring to Rocco Monastero and company. Getting an initial first down would be all the offense Mayfield could muster on the opening drive, having to eventually punt it away back to Fitch. Following the punt return, The Falcons gave it to their senior star running back Jamell James and on the first offensive play of the game, James took it to the house for six! Josiah Berni tacked on the extra point making it 7-0 Austintown in a blink of an eye.
Both teams exchanged second possessions before The Falcons would force an additional punt from The Wildcats offensive in which they would immediately translate to six more, thanks to a Cam Smith Strike to Jamell James for a receiving touchdown. Beginning in the second quarter, Rocco Monastero found his running back in Anthony Santoro from 16 yards to trim the deficit to seven points. A four play response drive, capped off by a 45 yard rushing touchdown for Jamell James put Fitch right back up by 14. A group of fighters Mayfield proved themselves to be, as Monastero got himself in position to break out of the pocket for the goal line touchdown to once again cut the lead.
With five minutes to go in the half, Fitch would score 21 unanswered points, including a beautiful 65 yard passing strike from Cam Smith to Dominic Perry, giving Austintown a commanding 42-14 lead at halftime over The Wildcats. Not taking their foot off the gas, The Falcons would draw up a similar play from earlier in the game. Resulting in a 51 yard rushing touchdown by Jamell James on the first offensive play of the second half, making it a running clock game at 49-14.
However, Mayfield showed a ton of heart and grit throughout all four quarters. Never giving in, The Wildcats forced the deficit back under 30 a couple of times to keep the running clock at bay. Time would not be on The Wildcats side, but history was on The Falcons. As Jamell James would break not one, but two single game records for Fitch! Earning 305 yards on the ground James dethrones his partner in crime D.J. Williams owned the record of 301 yards for 14 days. James would also get six touchdowns on the day (5 rushing, 1 receiving) to help Austintown put the finishing touches on a 56-34 first round victory. With the win, The Falcons (10-1) will move on to host #5 seeded Akron St. Vincent & St. Mary’s (8-3) in the second round of the regional bracket!
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Fitch 14 – 0 Mayfield
Q2: Fitch 28 – 14 Mayfield
Q3: Fitch 14 – 6 Mayfield
Q4: Fitch 0 – 14 Mayfield
Final: Fitch 56 – 34 Mayfield
Stats (Austintown)
Passing-
Cam Smith: 5/9, 137 YDS, 2 TD.
Rushing-
Jamell James: 20 CAR, 305 YDS, 5 TD, 15.25 YPC.
Cam Smith: 7 CAR, 59 YDS, 1 TD, 8.4 YPC.
Receiving-
Jayden Eley: 2 REC, 39 YDS.
Jamell James: 2 REC, 33 YDS, 1 TD.
Dominic Perry: 1 REC, 65 YDS, 1 TD.
Defense-
Brian Robinson (B-Rob): 11 TAK, 1.5 Sacks, 2.5 TFL.
J’Allen Underwood: 9 TAK, 1.5 TFL.
Xavier Dahn: 7 TAK, 0.5 Sacks, 0.5 TFL.
Kylen Foster: 7 TAK, 1.5 Sacks, 2 TFL.
Christian Latone: 3 TAK, 1 TFL.
Dan Evans III (D.E.3): 4 TAK, 1 INT.
Davion Pritchard: 3 TAK, 0.5 Sacks, 0.5 TFL.
Donovan Bell-Sullivan: 2 TAK, 0.5 Sacks, 0.5 TFL.
Devin Phillips: 2 TAK, 1 FR.
Kicking/Special Teams-
Josiah Berni: 8/8 XP.
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/67E318EB-6AC9-4E6E-B949-7CCAB3FAB237.jpeg6331002Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-30 23:34:502022-10-30 23:34:50FITCH BREAKING RECORDS AND TAKING NAMES
STRUTHERS OH- Both teams were back in the playoffs with a winning record and both teams looked to prove to one another just who can come out on top and make noise in Division four region 13. For Struthers, this was the first winning season under coach John Bayuk, who had coached this team from a one and four record all the way to a six and four regular season finish. For Edgewood, coach Olajuwon Cooper gave the Warriors their first winning season since 2012 and looked to pull off the upset at the Laddie J Fedor Fieldhouse. Struthers and Edgewood have bet four times before with the Wildcats outlasting them (48-22, 30-7, 35-0, and 59-6).
Struthers got on the first big play in which they recovered the opening kickoff. Few plays later and star senior Alec Grzyb took the QB option into the endzone for a touchdown going up 7-0 early. Next possession, it was Tyler Sanchez, part of the three headed backs in the backfield who took the handoff from Grzyb and went five yard making it 14-0. Grzyb scored two more times in the first half. The first took one play before he made a few men miss, going 78-yards to the endzone, and then in the second quarter from 54-yards out making it 27-0. To end the half, the ground and puns game continued with Anthony Carter who after only one play shot up the middle for an 86-yard touchdown as the score was now 34-0 at the half.
Coach Cooper and the Warriors were in desperate need for a second half turnaround and tried to make the biggest comeback. Unfortunately that thought was short-lived. Most of the second team came into the game, getting some playoff experience for when some of these players take the starting roles next year. Sanchez scored for his final play of the night making it 41-0 and even the young Kendis Macleod made some noise scoring a touchdown late going up 49-0. Junior Najier Howard would come into play at quarterback to get reps at this time too.
Edgewood scored two late touchdowns, preventing a shutout. Senior quarterback Tony Hall would find Austin Zak twice, one in the back of the endzone from 14-yards and the second for a gain of 45. It would not be enough to make the comeback as the Warriors, with their best season since 2012 under coach Cooper, finished off the season with a 6-5 record, falling against the Wildcats 49-14. This team has a bright future where they look to make noise in 2023.
Struthers Stats:
Alec Grzyb: 2 of 2 for 48 yards passing
8 rushes, 163 yards and three touchdowns
Tyler Sanchez: 8 rushes for 103 yards and three touchdowns
Anthony Carter: 5 rushes for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Kendis Macleod: 12 rushes for 41 yards, one touchdown.
Devin Braham: two rushes for 16 yards.
Chaz Ekoniak: two receptions for 48 yards.
Edgewood stats:
Tony Hall: 21 of 37 for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
Zeke Lucas: 12 rushes for 46 yards
Christian Cunningham: four receptions for 41 yards.
Austin Zall: three receptions for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Jacob Ernst: three receptions for 28 yards.
Up Next:
9th seeded Edgewood finished their season with a 6-5 record in DIV region 13 and will look to build off that success for the 2023 season.
8th seeded Struthers (7-4, 5-2 in NE8) will make the trip to Clinton Heacock Stadium to take on the number one seeded West Branch Warriors (10-1, 5-0 in Northeastern Buckeye).
After the game, YSNs Ian O’Brien caught up with the winning coach John Bayuk about his first playoff victory, and the way they were able to capitalize early on for the victory.
*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4C058555-D4BF-4615-AD6A-7AECECF5692C.jpeg9461541Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-29 17:34:352022-10-29 17:34:35WILDCATS WILL NOT BE STOPPED
The 2022 Salem Quaker football team met an untimely end on Friday night at the hands of former EBC foe Canton South 28-21. The Quakers found themselves down 21-0 at halftime and were unable to completely claw back into it.
An uncharacteristically slow start for Salem in the 1st half told the story. Of their 1st half drives, two ended in interceptions by South, giving them new life to which they would capitalize to the tune of 14 points. That would prove to be a deficit too insurmountable for Salem to overcome on this night. Salem would mount a comeback in the second half, recovering an onside kick to start the 3rd quarter, and twice getting within one score, just couldn’t get any closer.
Junior quarterback Poochie Snyder would lead the way for the Wildcats as he’s done all season. He would finish the night 16-23 for 203 yards and three scores (Pugh), one of which was an acrobatic scramble that saw him elude numerous Quaker defenders and complete a 7 yard strike. That score made it 28-14 in the 4th, all but sealing the fate of the Quakers. He would also be helped by Freshman tailback Xion Culver, who would chip in 124 yards of his own on the ground, to go with 145 from Snyder.
For Salem, the loss marks the end of a record setting career for quarterback Jackson Johnson, who holds every passing and nearly every rushing record in Salem HS history. For the night he would finish 14-24 for 234 yards passing and add another 49 yards and three scores on the ground.
Salem finishes their season at 6-5, while Canton South moves on the play the 2-seeded Beaver Local Beavers next week.
Contributed By YSN’s Jarred Niederhiser
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/6D875208-BFA5-46CC-A9DD-F31E632B73BC.jpeg6221149Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-29 17:13:092022-10-29 17:13:09QUAKERS CANT OVERCOME OLD EBC RIVAL
STRUTHERS OH- The Struthers Wildcats have produced tons of talents in Mahoning county. From Steve Belichick and John Gerak who played in the NFL, to A.J. Musolino and Robbie Best. One player making his name known in the halls is senior running back, quarterback and receiver Alex Grzyb.
Grzyb, a great student off the field and even a better athlete on the field, has been one of the stars on this Struthers team in 2022. Early on, the season started with a one and four record. Over the last five games however, Grzyb and the Wildcats have put on a clinic with five straight wins, two against NE8 conference rivals and the top teams in DIV region 13 in Jefferson and Girard.
Grzyb is a two sport athlete in football and has also shown big promises on the baseball field in the past seasons. This season, Grzyb has thrown for a touchdown with over 200 yards, has rushed for 888 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season and has had 246 receiving yards with five touchdowns as well as 88 yards on punt returns, returning one for a touchdown. Some people can excel at one position, few can excel at two, even fewer can claim three. Grzyb’s goal is to take it one game at a time to lead the Wildcats to a State Championship once it’s all said and done. The only state banner in the school’s gym is the 1978 girls basketball team. But Grzyb looks to have two state banners of his own by the end of his career.
On this edition of the player profile, YSNs Ian O’Brien sits down, discusses his football and baseball career, the family and their support and what to expect against Edgewood Friday. The Wildcats will host Edgewood 7pm Friday and can be live streamed on YSN!!
*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/4CD1859C-A609-422B-812C-4A354EACAA6F.jpeg13302202Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-28 22:30:132023-07-15 03:53:48GRZYB THE GREAT!
STRUTHERS OH- The 2000s era to now has been up and down for the struthers wildcats. After the 1999 season where the team finished 7-5 under Gary Zetts, the team went 12 seasons without making the playoffs until Curt Kuntz second season with the team. After Kuntz left in 2019 to be on the coaching staff for the Miami Dolphins under then head coach Brian Flores, the team needed a new leader. Bring in John Bayuk, who was the defensive coordinator under Kuntz the last three seasons. He also coached for the Campbell Memorial Red Devils under his father/ Hall Of Fame coach Jeff Bayuk who is now the head coach at Warren JFK.
His first season was tough when he was appointed as just two months in, the season for the wildcats and all high school sports looked to have been in jeopardy after the lockdown of the pandemic in 2020. The season did continue as planned a little differently with their only being six games and everyone making the playoffs. In his first season, the Wildcats finished two and five, losing to Salem in the playoffs 34-19. The next season, the Wildcats finished 4-6, missing the new 16 seed playoffs. This year, looked to have been the same, until Bayuk and his talented group of kids won five straight and last week beating Poland 35-7, locking them into the playoffs with eighth seed.
On this coach’s corner, Ian O’Brien talks with coach John Bayuk about the season, the big win to lock them into the playoffs and what to expect against Edgewood this Friday. The 8th seed Wildcats (6-4) will host the 9th seed Edgewood Warriors (6-4) 7pm at Laddie J Fedor Field. You can catch the game on YSN under NE8 and Struthers.
*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21E4B609-AF3A-4A7C-B8ED-BD5848C16820.png16202880Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-28 22:19:412023-07-15 03:53:48STRUTHERS FOOTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 3) WITH JOHN BAYUK
STRUTHERS OH- Do not look now, but The Struthers Wildcats have clawed their way back into the playoffs! Following a near-detrimental 1-4 start to the regular season that included two overtime losses, things were looking bleak for Struthers faithful. However, an emphatic 41-3 victory at home against Lakeview got The Cats right back on track. Collecting big conference wins against Jefferson, Niles and Girard in the weeks to follow, The Wildcats have now rattled off four straight wins to get themselves to 5-4 on the year.
More importantly, Struthers has clinched a playoff berth after the win against #2 ranked Girard in Region 13 at the time. Although in the playoffs, The Wildcats have an opportunity to host a game in Struthers, providing they can take care of business in Week 10. Their opponent? The Poland Bulldogs (5-4) coming off a spoiled senior night courtesy of The Jefferson Falcons. It will be a battle as old as the test of times its Cats vs. Dogs in Week 10 on YSN!
Get yourself ready with this YSN EXCLUSIVE interview with Struthers Football Head Coach John Bayuk as he stops by to chat with Ty on Running Point. Highlighting the season turnaround, the locker room discussions and the preparation for Poland. All that and more on this edition of Coaches Corner.
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
Presented By:
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21E4B609-AF3A-4A7C-B8ED-BD5848C16820.png16202880Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2022-10-21 22:37:102023-07-15 03:47:20STRUTHERS FOOTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 2) WITH JOHN BAYUK
