• WEEKLY POLL





 

Three football teams, three coaches, one region

By Mark Griffin
Special to the Press
sports@presspublications.com

Gary Quisno, Mike Vicars and Jerry Rutherford know a thing or two about having their teams in the state playoffs.

Quisno’s Oak Harbor team first made the playoffs in 1994. Since then, the Rockets have gone 9-7 in the postseason and twice been to the state semifinals, including last season in Division IV.

Vicars, the first-year coach at Genoa who has the Comets in line for a Suburban Lakes League title, coached at Delta for eight years. Delta made the playoffs six times during that span, reaching the state semis in 2003.

Rutherford, who has guided Eastwood to the past five SLL championships, had the Eagles in the playoffs from 2002-04. The Eagles went 2-3 during that span.

Eastwood (7-1) still holds out hope for a sixth straight league title but the Eagles, who lost to Genoa 21-14 on Oct. 5, need the Comets (7-1) to lose one of their final two games.

Oak Harbor, Genoa and Eastwood are all in the same state computer region and through Week 8, all three were in line for a playoff berth.

Genoa is ranked No. 1 in the region, while Eastwood is fourth and Oak Harbor is fifth. None of the coaches felt secure that their team had earned enough computer points to reach the postseason just yet. The top eight teams in each region advance to the playoffs.

Genoa, which has never made the postseason, could have the toughest time getting in because, even with victories, their final two opponents, Lake (0-8) and Otsego (1-7), will not give the 14th-ranked Comets many second-level computer points.

“That’s one of those things we can’t control at this point,” Vicars said. “We’ll just have to wait and see. We have some confidence if some things fall our way, but there are too many variables yet. We’ll have a better handle on it after Friday night. We just have to win and see what happens, because so many things can still happen.”

One of the big games this week – for Genoa and Oak Harbor – is the Rockets’ matchup at Huron this week. Huron is also in line for a playoff berth, and the Tigers and Rockets have had some incredible battles in the Sandusky Bay Conference over the years, including a four-overtime thriller a couple years ago.

Oak Harbor (7-1), whose only loss was a 21-0 shutout at Eastwood on Sept. 7, can claim the outright SBC title with a win over Huron and against Clyde next week.

“All of us need to win,” Vicars said, “but Oak Harbor is in much better shape than us. Eastwood and Oak Harbor can control what they’re doing. We’re not in a desperate situation, but if the cards fall the wrong way, we could be on the outside looking in.”

Quisno said the Rockets should get in with a win this week or next week against the Fliers.

“We want to win this one this week,” he said. “Huron's got six wins and Clyde is 7-1. One website predicts everything and has us controlling our own destiny. We have to take care of our own business and try to take care of Huron. We’ve had a lot of good football games with them over the years.”

The veteran coach added that the Oak Harbor players aren’t thinking playoffs, only on beating Huron.

“Our focus all week has been Huron,” Quisno said. “That's step one, and Clyde the following week. Clyde plays Perkins this week and that’s one Clyde should win.”

The possibility of getting a rematch against Eastwood is there for Oak Harbor. Asked what he would do differently if the two teams met again, Quisno said he can’t worry about that at this point.

“That was a while ago,” he said. “Both teams have changed. To answer that question, I’d have to see them (on film) again. We’ve changed a little bit personnel-wise and I’d have to see what they’re doing.”

Likewise for Genoa, which lost to the Rockets 14-7 in the first game of the season.

“We are so much of a different team,” Vicars said. “We’ve improved, yet we’ve added to things we can do. Now we have a full offense and a full defense. I don’t know if it would make a difference against Oak Harbor or not. They’re a great team. I know they’ve had to improve over the year and improved since they lost to Eastwood.”

The Eagles should coast into the playoffs with season-ending wins over rival Elmwood (6-2) and Lakota. Rutherford said losses to the Royals and Raiders would have Eastwood sitting home for the playoffs.

“I don't think we’ll get in at 7-3,” he said, “so we're going need to get two wins. We have a lot of computer points to pick up here with a couple wins. If we win our last two games, we'd finish in the top four (in the region).

“We can't concern ourselves with winning the league. The two teams Genoa plays has won one game, so you have to think Genoa is going to win its last two games. We’re focusing on getting in the playoffs.”

And what about the possibility of another meeting with the Comets in the playoffs?

“We can't think that far ahead,” Rutherford said. “We have to beat Elmwood first before we think about anything else. It’s hard to imagine playing Genoa again right now.”

Stay tuned.

One region, three teams vying for playoff positions

By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

So Eastwood defeated Oak Harbor 21-0 in a game that Rocket coaches and fans say could have been closer?

So Oak Harbor defeated Genoa in a game that Comet fans say could have resulted in a Comet win? The Rockets grabbed a 14-0 lead by halftime before the Comets could prove what kind of team they really were this year in a 14-7 Oak Harbor win.

Of course, at press time for this weekly newspaper, nobody really knew yet what would have happened in this weekend’s 49 th annual match-up between Genoa and Eastwood, but by the time readers are taking this all in, they will already know.

Last week, six Press soothsayers picked Eastwood to defeat Genoa, and two picked the Comets over the Eagles — so someone had to be right.

Of course, among the group of soothsayers we have an Eastwood graduate, two Genoa grads, a Lake grad, Rossford grad, and a Bowsher grad. An Eastwood grad and a Genoa grad picked their own school, but one Genoa grad picked Eastwood, probably because of the trend.

“They are a good football team, well coached, and they have some great athletes. Every year it’s a good game,” said veteran Oak Harbor coach Gary Quisno after his team lost to the Eagles.

Eastwood and Genoa started out playing each other when they were competing in the Northern Lakes League, starting two short years after Eastwood’s state forced consolidation of three township school districts. The Comets had been playing football for decades at historic Bergman Field, but the year previous, 1958, was Eastwood’s first on the gridiron.

In 1958, Eastwood started by competing in the San-Wood League for one year before leaving for the NLL. Of the two schools, only Eastwood won an NLL championship, in 1966.

But once they got into the NLL, Genoa dominated the series. From 1959-84, Eastwood won only five games of 29 games against the Comets, but since then Eastwood has won 17 of 20, although Genoa still leads the series, 26-22.

Eastwood coach Jerry Rutherford, a former Clyde Flier, knows about those Genoa teams.

“I’ve been here 26 years and it was only 10 years before I got here when Jim Firestone did the job at Genoa,” Rutherford said. “I know him personally and he had some great teams. John Boles (now Maumee coach) always had some great teams.

“There have been some down years, but they have had one of the better programs over time in our league, no question. Never at any time did I think somebody wasn’t going to come in here and win with them.

Rutherford even noted a recent season when former Cardinal Stritch coach Bill Hrabak was at Genoa and the Comets were playing the Eagles for a league title.

(Hrabak, by the way, is now a first-year coach at Fostoria St. Wendelin, where he is trying to do the same thing he did at Stritch and at a small Christian school in Florida — turn around a program on the verge of collapse and turn it into champions. His son, J.J., transferred from Genoa his senior year and is now a starting running back and linebacker for the Mohawks.)

However, it is the same historically with Oak Harbor and Genoa — both teams had their streaks competing in the annual Celestial Bowl, which also dates back decades, but in the past decade or so, it has been all Oak Harbor.

Shoot to this year, with the Vicars era emerging at Genoa — for the first time in a long time, any of the three teams are no easy pushover, but regular season play will have been decided by the time readers consider this — that no matter who wins those three games, these teams could be matched against each other in any combination a second time during the Division IV playoffs.

Combined, the 10 Press area football teams are eight games behind .500, but at least four teams are in the running for playoff spots — three of the them in the same region in Division IV.

It’s possible that the three, Eastwood, Oak Harbor, and Genoa, could help to eliminate or help each other by defeating each other, or by getting wins. But heading into this past weekend’s 49 th annual match-up between Eastwood and Genoa, a lot remained on the line.

Heading into week seven, Eastwood remains in first place, where the Eagles have been since the computer polls were first released in Region 14. Wins over Clyde, Oak Harbor, and Rossford have helped immensely, as both were the Fliers’ and Rockets’ only losses, and any win the Bulldogs get in the Northern Lakes League will help the Eagles.

Oak Harbor follows closely and Genoa is sixth. The top eight get into the playoffs after 10 weeks of regular season, the top four get home games the first week of the playoffs.

Northwood (4-2) moved up to Division V, but by no stretch of the imagination are the Rangers out of the picture, although they were 13 th in Region 18.

After this weekend’s match-up with Danbury, Northwood will have contests with Toledo Christian and Ottawa Hills remaining, and both teams are TAAC contenders.

The problem for the Rangers is, the Green Bears are D-V and Toledo Christian is D-VI, plus the other remaining games against Danbury and Cardinal Stritch are also against D-VI schools.

49 th Comet-Eagle match-up for all the SLL marbles

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

Genoa football coach Mike Vicars and Eastwood coach Jerry Rutherford have never faced each other on the field, but they still know about each other¹s programs.

“They¹re just a model of consistency,” said Vicars, in his first year at Genoa after several successful years at Delta. “They're always good, year in and year out. Jerry and I know each other, that's about it.”

The Comets, the surprise team of the Suburban Lakes League this season, won four of their first five games, with their only loss coming against Oak Harbor (14-7) the first week of the season. Genoa was also 2-0 in the league heading into Friday night’s game at Lakota. The Comets host Eastwood this Friday.

Earlier this week, Vicars said he didn’t know much about Eastwood yet, “other than they're just rolling over everybody and they defeated an opponent who beat us. They're super strong and the rest of us are looking up at them. They've won five straight SLL championships and looking for No. 6.”

Eastwood, which hosted Woodmore this week, was 5-0 and 2-0 and was ranked sixth in this week’s Associated Press Division IV poll. Rutherford, in his 26th year with the Eagles, said being ranked so highly in the state poll is “neat.” Eastwood is also the No. 1 team in Region 14 in the stat computer ratings. The top eight teams in each region at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs.

“It's neat to see your name up there with Steubenville and Cardinal Mooney and Akron St. Vincent St. Mary, some great programs,” Rutherford said. “We understand we're there because we gave Oak Harbor and Clyde their only losses. If Oak Harbor won, they'd be ranked. Winning the league championship and making the state playoffs are what really matters.”

Prior to the season, not many people expected Genoa to be a player in the SLL race. Seven weeks ago, Vicars admitted he did not foresee his squad contending for a league title. “I couldn't have made that prediction then,” Vicars said. “There were too many unknowns. (Being 4-1) tells you that the kids and the assistant coaches have done a nice job and the kids have done a nice job and bought into what we¹re doing faster than most kids do.”

Eastwood went to the playoffs for three straight years, from 2002-04 and is hungry for another berth. A win over Genoa would certainly boost the Eagles’ chances of qualifying.

Rutherford said he has high regards for Genoa’s tradition.

“I've been here for 26 years and it was only 10 years before I got here when Jim Firestone did the job he did at Genoa,” Rutherford said. “I know him personally and he had some great teams. John Boles always had a solid team. There have been some down years, but they have had one of the better programs over time in our league, no question. Never at any time did I think somebody wasn't going to come in here and win with them.

“Bill Hrabak won that one year with them, when they came out here in 2002 in Week 10. If they would have beaten us, they would have tied us for the league championship. We had a pretty good team that year and we beat them pretty handily, but they were playing for a league championship.”

Rutherford added that he isn’t surprised with how Vicars, who brought his sons, Derrick and Marcus, to Genoa with him, has turned the Comets into winners so quickly.

“I'm not surprised at all,” Rutherford said. “When you take a solid group of guys and add two quality running backs, you're going to be pretty good. Mike comes in and he's a solid coach and he knows how to coach fundamentals and he brings two sons with him.

“You add two good running backs, whether they are your sons or not, and it makes a huge difference and you can see what happens.”

Rockets remain on course toward league clashes

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

The Sandusky Bay Conference schedule makers didn’t do preseason favorite Oak Harbor any favors this season.

After a clash with Ottawa County and SBC rival Port Clinton this Friday ­(the Rockets haven’t lost to the Redskins since 1987), ­ Coach Gary Quisno¹s squad finishes with games at home against Edison on Oct. 12, at Huron on Oct. 19 and at home against Clyde on Oct. 19.

Edison has always been a thorn in the Rockets’ side, and Huron and Clyde are perennial playoff and SBC title contenders. Clyde is ranked No. 19 in this week’s Division III state poll.

“We have the three toughest teams at the end of the schedule,” said Quisno, whose team was 5-1 and 3-0 in the SBC entering Friday. “After the Eastwood game, that helped get our feet back on the ground and showed us things we had to do to get better.

“ Edison is always a team that is like us. They play good defense and they run the football and they¹re tough-nosed kids. No team in the SBC has a perfect record. It seems like somebody has always been undefeated six games into the season. Clyde and us both lost to Eastwood, and Huron has lost two league games. It’s not over with yet.”

The Rockets, who finished 13-1 and reached the state semifinals a year ago, have had a couple of close victories but otherwise have won most of their games convincingly.

They opened with a 14-7 over Genoa, which is the Comets’ only loss, then beat Woodward 27-7 before losing to sixth-ranked (Division IV) Eastwood 21-0. Oak Harbor whipped Sandusky St. Mary 42-0 and Sandusky Perkins 49-14, then handed Margaretta a 28-14 loss last week.

“We knew going in that we needed our defense to be our strong suit, and that’s what it has been,” Quisno said. “The last couple games, offensively, we¹ve come along a little bit. We didn't have that many true starters coming back on offense.

“On defense we had some core people coming back, like at linebacker with David Ulery, Kirk Tank in the backfield and on the defensive line, where we had three full-time starters in Wade Ishmael, Spencer Skinner and Jeff Chambers. They’ve done what we expected of them. They've been the strength of the team, that¹s for sure.”

The Rockets are allowing less than 100 yards a game rushing and around 80 passing.

“Last year our defense was maybe a little more dominating than this year,” Quisno said, “but I don't really care to make that comparison.”

The coach added that the loss at Eastwood in Week 3 showed the Rockets they still had a lot of work to do.

“It was definitely a wake-up call, that we have to continue to get better,” Quisno said. “Give Eastwood credit. They’re a good football team. The score doesn't sound as close a game as it was. They had like six or eight first downs and it was a field position-type thing.

“They scored before the first half to go up 14-0 and we threw an interception late in the ballgame. We had a first-and-goal at the 8 to start the second half and didn't score. We didn’t make the plays when we needed to and they did. Maybe we¹ll run into them down the road, if we keep getting better and taking care of business.”

Oak Harbor¹s tradition-rich program graduated several talented athletes from last year’s team, but the Rockets always seem to reload. Quisno said this year’s captains, Chambers, Ulery and Spencer, have done a nice job of keeping the 2007 squad focused.

“They were in the weight room and did everything we asked of them (in the offseason),” Quisno said. “They each got bigger and stronger and faster. Some of the other kids were involved in other sports, like Tank and Ishmael. Our seniors and some of the juniors have shown good leadership.”

If the Rockets’ offense can continue to play as well as the defense, Oak Harbor should get another shot at the playoffs this season. Quisno’s teams have made seven playoff appearances, going 9-7 with two state semifinal appearances.

This year’s leading rusher is Ulery, who should get help again in the backfield from Dustin Hernandez, who has been hobbled by a bad ankle. Tank has been moved to running back from split end “and he¹s been getting better and better every game,” according to Quisno.

Quarterback Josh Stone is also starting to show flashes that he¹s ready to lead the Rockets to another SBC title.

“He had his best game last week against Margaretta,” Quisno said. “He ran for close to 100 yards and had one big completion to Wade that set up a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, which kind of turned the game around for us.

“He's kind of a quiet leader, but he works hard in the weight room and at practice.”

Eastwood gridiron win pushes program to new level

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

There may have been more talented teams in the history of Eastwood football, but none have ever extended their season as long this year’s Eagles.

Coach Jerry Rutherford, in his 26th year, has the Eagles in the playoffs for the fourth time. When Eastwood lined up against Marion Pleasant on Nov. 16, however, it marked the first time his squad has reached the third round of the playoffs.

Eastwood and Pleasant are both 11-1 and were to meet at Findlay's Donnell Stadium in a Division IV regional final on Saturday night. An Eagle win will have put Eastwood among the state’s final four Division IV teams.

The Eagles advanced with a 14-7 regional semifinal win over Suburban Lakes League rival Genoa at Lake Flyer Stadium.

“I’m just really happy for the guys, having a chance to play for a regional championship,” said Rutherford, who is 4-3 in postseason play. “We knew (after beating Genoa) it would be in Findlay, but we didn't know who we would be playing. I’m just excited to have another week together as a group and see where it goes.”

Rutherford’s son, Eric, the Eagles’ starting quarterback, had a long run on one of Eastwood's two touchdown drives in the first half against Genoa. He threw an interception against the Comets — just his third of the season — as the Eagles relied on their defense to shut down Genoa’s powerful running attack.

Eric Rutherford said it seemed strange playing Genoa again. The Comets handed the Eagles their only loss of the season, 21-14, on October 5.

“It was kind of weird going out and seeing the same guys again,” he said. “It seemed like that game never stopped, like it was in the fifth quarter. It was fun. They’re a good team. I like playing them. They're a great bunch of guys. They had a good team this year and they deserve having the season they did.”

Genoa finished 10-2 under first-year coach Mike Vicars and won its first SLL title since 1994, breaking Eastwood's five-year title reign.

With last week's win, however, the Eagles set a school record for victories. Their 1977 team went 10-0, as did the 1988 team. Eastwood finished 10-2 in 2002 and 2004. Coach Rutherford said the Eagles benefited from having played Genoa earlier in the season.

“That was huge,” he said. “We looked at what they played defensively. The game was pretty similar. Our special teams didn't give up a big kickoff return or a big punt return. We moved the ball early and had 14 points at halftime. We looked at what they played defensively and where they played guys. They did some things we weren't ready for, but we made some adjustments.”

Eastwood took advantage of five Genoa turnovers, getting interceptions from Mark Schult, Chad Fairbanks, Joey Starkey, and Travis Rahe, and a fumble recovery by Ashton Brown.

“Defensively, we just knew them a little bit better,” Coach Rutherford said. “When you play coaches over the years, you get to know them. We didn't know what Mike did the first time we played them. Our guys did a great job shutting Derrick (Vicars) down. We did a pretty good job on Vicars, but you're never really going to stop those guys.

“Our defense came up with five turnovers and that was probably as big as anything in the game.”

Coach Rutherford added that he knew his players were ready to play by their demeanor in the pre-game locker room.

“Our guys were ready to go, just from losing to them the first time,” he said. “They knew this was their chance to go further in the playoffs than any Eastwood team. We’ve had chances in the playoffs against Kenton and (Columbus St. Francis) DeSales, but they weren't legitimate chances. Those were state championship-caliber football teams.

“We were 10 miles from home (last Saturday). It was an unbelievable atmosphere. Lake did an exceptional job running that game. It was a great high school football atmosphere.”

Coach Rutherford said he didn’t go overboard playing the revenge card against Genoa during last week’s preparation.

“I’m sure they felt it, but we didn't talk too much about it,” he said. “Our goal was to get to the regional finals. We just happened to be playing Genoa.”

Eric Rutherford agreed, saying Genoa just happened to be the next team the Eagles had to beat to reach their goal.

“Some guys fed on it a little more than others,” said Rutherford, a senior tri-captain along with Fairbanks and Nick Schling. “Me, I was still happy to be in the playoffs and make it to another round. Now that we did, we’re happy to be moving on.”

Saturday night, the Eagles had a big mountain to climb in the Marion Pleasant Spartans, who are making their 17th playoff appearance with three state titles.

“They have a solid team,” Coach Rutherford said. “It's like playing Oak Harbor. We know it’s going to be another battle like the two Genoa games. It’s like playing Clyde and Oak Harbor. It will take a great effort to win Saturday night.”

Eric Rutherford said the Eagles are happy to still be putting on the pads in mid-November, but they’re still not satisfied.

“We’ve never been playing this late before,” he said. “It’s a great feeling, like it’s not going to stop. It’s been a great feeling all season, getting to stay with the guys as long as we can.

“This is our last time being together, so we’re just trying to make the best of it.”

Foster, Vicars at the top of their rushing game

By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Next season, when Genoa and Eastwood meet in their annual Suburban Lakes League football rivalry, both schools would have been celebrating the 50 th meeting between the schools.

But, for the first time, the two schools played each other twice in one season, and the result was Eastwood’s 14-7 Division IV regional semifinal playoff win before 4,700 highly-charged fans at Lake Flyer Stadium was the 50 th meeting.

Genoa still leads the series, which dates back to when both schools were members of the Northern Lakes League, 27-23.

But the two schools share more than playing 50 football games against each other and an even split in two games this season. Eastwood senior back Jeremy Foster led all rushers in the area with 1,745 yards in his 10 regular season games, and senior Comet Derrick Vicars, a transfer from Delta, followed with 1,620.

Since the regular season ended, Foster, who was ruled ineligible to play last season as a junior, topped the 2,000 yard mark as the Eagles prepared to face off with perennial playoff competitor Marion Pleasant at Findlay’s Donnell Stadium last Saturday.

Derrick Vicars came to Genoa with his father, Mike Vicars, the new Comet coach, and his brother Marcus. Derrick led the area in scoring with 31 touchdowns, plus successfully completed three 2-point extra conversion scores, for a total of 192 points. Foster followed with 168 points on 28 touchdowns.

Eastwood Coach Jerry Rutherford said he isn’t surprised with how Coach Vicars turned the Comets into winners so quickly.

“I'm not surprised at all,” Rutherford said. “When you take a solid group of guys and add two quality running backs, you're going to be pretty good. Mike comes in and he's a solid coach and he knows how to coach fundamentals and he brings two sons with him.

“You add two good running backs, whether they are your sons or not, and it makes a huge difference and you can see what happens.”

Following a close third is Woodmore running back Aaron Wright, who ran for 1,223 yards, even though his team finished 3-7 overall. The Wildcat’s record doesn’t include a potential win that ended up being a close loss to a good Lakota team.

Following Wright is Clay’s new all-time rushing leader Nick Tammerine, who broke the mark set by former Clay and Ohio State great Jimmy Harrell. Tammerine, running against the likes of City League and Northern Lakes League defenses, finished the 2007 season with 1,138 yards, which does not include yardage in Clay’s 26-20 Hall of Fame Game loss to Start.

Tammerine, who plans to attend Notre Dame and run track, said it is a “good feeling” knowing defenses are geared to stop him week in and week out.

“I like it,” said the 5’10, 175 pound Tammerine, who admitted to being a very vocal leader on the field. “It’s good knowing you're the guy they have to stop. If they don't, it's going to be a long night for them. I think by me being the main focus of their defense, that opens it up for the other guys, especially (senior receiver) Jordan Kovacs and junior quarterback (Drew) Kuns.

“When I have success, they start keying on me and it opens everything up. It's kind of a win-win situation for us.”

Two quarterbacks threw for over 1,000 yards. Clay’s Drew Kuns completed a remarkable 63 percent of his passes and led with 1,199 yards — including 611 to top receiver Jordan Kovacs. Woodmore’s all-purpose athlete, Chris Noe, threw for 1,092 yards.

Clay also had the four of the top five defenders — Jordan Bedra led the area with 119 tackles, teammate Justin Wharton followed with 116, Kovacs was fourth with 102, and Brad Knierim followed with 100 tackles.

The only person to intervene on the leader board is Derrick Vicars, who closed the regular season with 103 tackles. Vicars also led the area with 20 tackles for a loss, tied with Northwood’s Justin Grindle, but Grindle led the area and the Toledo Area Athletic Conference with eight interceptions in leading the 8-2 Rangers to a league championship.

Working hard to clear the way for Jeremy Foster

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

In Eastwood's run-and-shoot offensive philosophy, the idea is to run more than shoot.

That's why it's imperative for the Eagles to have an offensive line that can move the defense off the ball and pave the way for running backs and wingbacks to pick up chunks of yards.

At Eastwood, their names are Corey Bettenbrock, Grant Hale, Matt Nicely, Nick Eckel and Alex Hernandez. They are all senior offensive linemen, and darn good at their craft

Bettenbrock (6’2, 255) and Hale (5’10, 228) are both tackles, Nicely (6’0, 226) and Eckel (6’3, 204) are guards and Hernandez (6’3, 254) is the center. Together, they have helped coach Jerry Rutherford's Eagles (10-1) reach the second round of the Division IV state playoffs.

“They're all pretty good athletes and getting a good grasp of what they're doing and picking up their pass protection,” Rutherford said. “We don't throw much, but when we do we're getting more time. I'm really pleased with how they have progressed this year.”

Thanks to those five guys up front, and blocking wingbacks and receivers as well, Eastwood has rushed for 3,013 yards and 42 touchdowns this season. Senior tailback Jeremy Foster, the first Eagles back to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, has rushed for 2,035 yards including 290 in last week's 42-27 playoff win over Elyria Catholic.

Eastwood ran the ball 59 times for 402 yards last week, and hopes to do so again this Saturday at Lake when it gets a rematch against Suburban Lakes League champion Genoa. The Comets (10-1) handed the Eagles their only loss this season.

Hernandez, Nicely and Bettenbrock all started last season.

“It took some time for them to come together as a group,” Rutherford said of this year's line. “Right now, especially after last Saturday night's game, they're playing pretty well.

“I've always felt that great running backs can really make a line look good. I think these guys have really improved and they're continuing to improve. Hopefully, we'll have a few more weeks to get better.”

The coach said Bettenbrock, a right tackle, and left tackle Hale have played their positions well.

“We run a lot of outside zone plays and they have done a good job reaching guys to get outside on our zone blocking,” Rutherford said. “They're pretty physical guys and have done a nice job. They had some huge plays last Saturday night.”

Rutherford also had high praise for Nicely and Eckel, who play right and left guard, respectively.

“Matt's done a great job for us in two years,” Rutherford said. “He pulls pretty well on sweeps and traps and is a pretty tough kid. Nick's probably shown as much improvement as anyone as the season's gone on. He's continued to get better. He is definitely improving every week and done a nice job for us. He had some nice blocks for us last week.”

Rutherford said Hernandez also played well in the Eagles' opening-round playoff win.

“He's a big kid and a pretty good athlete,” Rutherford said. “He's started two years for us now and doing a pretty good job right now. He also had a great game the other night. We saw a lot of odd fronts where he had a guy over him this year. He has progressed really well with blocking a guy over him.”

In the run-and-shoot, the Eagles' linemen must be mobile and be able to run and block at different angles. Rutherford credits line coach Gary Jennings, who has been with the team since 2002, for getting the guys in the trenches prepared to get the job done.

“We do a lot of pulling and stuff, so obviously knowing your assignment helps,” Rutherford said. “They've learned and improved as they've gone on. Gary has done a great job with them. He works really well with them and they work well with him. They have a really good relationship, and we're pretty pleased with how they have progressed.”

All-Press choices about “All-in-the Vicars Family”

By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Genoa football coach Michael Vicars made the trip from his native Northwest Ohio Athletic League territory to the Eastern Maumee Bay region with a hope and promise for Comet gridiron fans.

The oldest continually operating league in the state, the NWOAL had been considered in recent years by some prep football fans, along with the Sandusky Bay Conference, to be stronger on the gridiron than the SLL — Eastwood and Otsego being the exceptions.

Vicars had his players rated among the 10 local teams for the Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press team. Those teams include the two schools (Cardinal Stritch and Northwood) that have combined to win nearly all of the Toledo Area Athletic Conference championships, the two teams (Eastwood and Genoa) that have owned or shared the Suburban Lakes League title the last six years, and two City League teams (Clay and Waite).

Vicars brought his family, including two sons, and they made due on their promise. Genoa not only won an SLL title, they defeated perennial playoff qualifier Sparta Highland in a first round regional quarterfinal, 12-7.

Plus, Vicar’s presence may be one more step in making the SLL a notch better than other leagues. Eastwood defeated Elyria Catholic, 42-27, in its 2007 playoff opener, and then in a Division IV playoff scene reminiscent of past legendary rematches between NWOAL rivals Patrick Henry and Liberty Center, Eastwood avenged a regular season loss to the Comets.

Around the SLL, Lakota is emerging to once again establish itself as a presence on the gridiron after a long absence, and at Lake, there is no doubt the Flyers will reemerge after taking severe hits in roster numbers in recent years.

Genoa and Eastwood combined to earn 10 first team choices on the Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press offensive team, and eight on the defensive first team.

To prove Genoa’s reemergence is here to stay, the Vicars family swept voting by 10 area football coaches and 10 media members for the Alan Miller Jewelers Coach of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year.

“I don't think we expected to turn it around so fast; in such short a time as we had,” said right tackle Nate Diekman, one of 12 seniors who have been in the program all four years. “It was a group effort. We all had to buy into it. If we wanted to turn it around fast, someone had to do it.

“Our senior class, we turned it around and now we have a community that backs us up, where people actually want to come to the game. They want to see the game and see us win now. I haven't seen that since we were over at Bergman Field.”

Count on Genoa staying at the top — classes now coming into the varsity ranks won SLL championships in middle school. It looks as if Coach Vicars’ timing could not have been better.

Coach Vicars got 16 of 20 votes for Coach of the Year honors — Eastwood’s Jerry Rutherford and Northwood’s Ken James got two apiece. James led his 8-2 Rangers to their fifth TAAC championship.

Derrick Vicars won both offensive and defensive Player of the Year honors. Derrick got 11 votes after gaining 1,620 yards rushing in 10 regular season games, easily outdistancing Eastwood senior running back Jeremy Foster (four votes, 1,745 yards rushing) for Offensive POY.

Clay senior back Nick Tammerine, a first team choice in 2006, had his numbers fall slightly due to injuries, which may have cost him a first team selection this season. The second team choice did receive two offensive POY votes.

Others receiving one offensive POY vote each were Genoa quarterback Mike Bassitt, Waite senior running back Ray Parker, and Eastwood quarterback Eric Rutherford.

For Defensive POY, Derrick Vicars won by a much closer margin. He got four votes, outdistancing by only one vote Clay defensive back Jordan Kovacs and Northwood middle linebacker Justin Grindle.

Getting two votes each for defensive POY were two Oak Harbor defensive linemen — first team All-Ohio tackle Wade Ishmael and teammate Spencer Skinner — and Genoa defensive end Michael Stevens.

Getting one vote apiece for the defensive honor were Comet defensive back Nick Kinzel, Eastwood linebacker Chad Fairbanks, Rocket linebacker Dustin Hernandez, and Derrick’s younger brother, Genoa junior linebacker Marcus Vicars.

Uncle Mike compares his Eastwood days to today

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

Mike Gardner has been the Eastwood golf coach for nearly four decades, but there is more to his past than biding his time on the links.

Eagles students and fans may not realize it, but Gardner, whose teams have won 13 Suburban Lakes League titles in 36 years, was also a three-year starting quarterback at Eastwood from 1965-67. Alan Millers Jewelers All-Press Eastwood quarterback Eric Rutherford, a first team choice, is Gardner’s nephew.

On the gridiron, Gardner was a second-team All-Northern Lakes League pick as a junior, and earned first-team honors as a senior in 1967.

“I had the most fumbles ever in one game, against Lake,” Gardner recalled. “I had seven and lost five, and that (school) record should still stand. Anybody who fumbles nearly that much should be out of there.”

Gardner played during some of the lean years of Eastwood football. Today, under 26 th-year coach Jerry Rutherford, the Eagles are one of the top Division IV programs in Ohio.

This year’s team, led by Gardner’s nephew, senior quarterback Eric Rutherford, reached the Division IV regional finals after beating Elyria Catholic 42-27 and Genoa 14-7 in the first two rounds.

The Eagles finished 11-2 with a 21-12 loss to Marion Pleasant, but this year marked the fourth year Eastwood was in the state playoffs and the first time it had gotten past the first round.

Gardner was loving every minute of it.

“My sophomore year, in 1965, we were a smooth 0-9 (under coach Ed Barney),” Gardner said.

What was the problem that season?

“Me,” Gardner said, chuckling. “I don't know. I was part of the problem. I probably wasn’t ready to be a quarterback.”

The following year, however, Gardner and the Eagles improved to 8-1.

“We lost our first game, 6-0, to Springfield,” Gardner said. “The next game, against Perrysburg, we were behind in that game and all of a sudden Denny Henline, whose son, Todd, is the new (boys basketball) coach at Eastwood, intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown. I consider that the turnaround for that year.

“I joke with him about that to this day. We went on to win that game 40-14, and we won the rest of them, too. I consider Denny Henline having turned around Eastwood football, at least temporarily.”

That year marked Eastwood's first league title in football.

In 1967, the Eagles finished 6-2-1 and took second in the NLL behind Perrysburg. Eastwood joined the Suburban Lakes League in the 1972-73 school year, and Genoa and Elmwood also joined that league as well, moving over from the NLL.

Eastwood, which first fielded a team in 1958, joined the NLL in 1959 before winning SLL titles in 1974, '77, '86, '88 and from 2002-06.

Jerry Rutherford, who is married to Gardner’s younger sister, Connie, became the Eagles’ head coach in 1982.

The Eagles finished 1-9, 2-8 and 1-9 in Rutherford's first three years. They took second in the SLL in 1985, won the league in 1986 and took second again in ’87. A year later, the Eagles finished 10-0 for their first perfect season since they finished 10-0 in 1977 under Coach Fred Koester.

Rutherford clearly has a good thing going now, and Gardner said the entire school system and community are behind the Eagles.

“The team and what the guys have done is a tremendous source of pride for the entire district,” said Gardner, whose brother, Randy, is a state senator. “It’s been a real upper for the whole district, especially the last six years. This year was the longest run in the playoffs. They had five league titles before that. Genoa ended that, but they had a fine team. The whole community has rallied around the team. It’s been a fun run.”

Gardner’s other nephew, Craig Rutherford, is a long-snapper for the Bowling Green State University football team, so Gardner has had plenty of football to keep up with this fall.

“Right now I’m just a fan in general, and a relative, which makes it even more special,” he said.

Gardner added that he and his brother-in-law, Jerry, don’t talk football much when the family gets together.

“I’m not with him that often in that type of setting,” Gardner said. “We had a good get-together the other night and we talked about Marion Pleasant. He wants to talk about other things at times.

“He wants to talk about football with someone who knows more about it than I do. He’s obviously enjoyed this special season.”

Eagle receiver efficient target for run-oriented team

By Scott Calhoun
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

Some people just have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and Eastwood junior starting strong safety Mark Schult has it.

Schult owns six receptions for 220 yards and five touchdowns this season for the 8-1 playoff bound Eagles.

A strong safety with receptions? Yes.

Schult is in his first year as the platoon wingback along with senior Chad Fairbanks (starting linebacker) in Coach Jerry Rutherford’s run-oriented run-and-shoot double slot offense.

“You can call it a hybrid wing-T,” said Rutherford, “and (Fairbanks and Schult) trade off series.”

While senior fullback Jeremy Foster is the bread and butter with 1561 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns on 267 carries, Schult seems to be the perfect unexpected lightning strike in the attack.

“We run the ball. It just happened that he was in there when we called those pass plays that he scored the touchdowns on,” Rutherford said.

Senior three-year starting quarterback Eric Rutherford (coach’s son) has thrown just 61 passes this fall. Schult’s caught six of them for a remarkable 36.7 yards per catch.

His first five grabs on the year turned into the five touchdowns he has.

“We’ve only thrown seven touchdown passes on the year,” Anderson said, “and he’s caught five of them.”

It’s not like Schult has gained exactly 36.7 yards on each reception. In the first game of the season, a big 28-24 victory over Clyde, he grabbed a difference-making TD.

In a Suburban Lakes League win over Otsego, Schult had a 73-yard thriller that erased a 3-0 deficit and ignited the Eagles to a 41-3 romp.

“I’ll bet that catch was about 30 yards downfield, and then he ran for the last 40,” Rutherford said. “He was just wide open, and it was a huge play at the time.”

Schult is 6’1 and 203 pounds, not exactly sleek by receiving standards. His big plays swinging out of the backfield illustrate opportunism.

“He’s a good athlete,” said Rutherford. “It’s not about being quick or anything. He’s just open and he’s made some nice catches on the plays that we’ve called.”

Schult may be flirting with a bit of destiny.

“ Fairbanks could’ve done the same thing if it was his turn to be in there,” said Rutherford. “Mark just happens to be in there on those plays.”

Those coincidences have translated into Schult getting credit for over 12 percent of the Eagles’ 40 touchdowns that have them heading to the Division IV playoffs ranked second in Region 14 behind Marion Pleasant and ahead of Oak Harbor.

“The guys realize that a couple of the catches (Schult) made had a big impact on the game,” Rutherford said.

Foster takes life’s lessons out on his opponents

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

One of the most important things in Jeremy Foster’s life got taken away from him last season.

An All-Suburban Lakes League running back two years ago, the Eastwood senior had to sit out last football season because of academic problems.

Foster, however, buckled down in the classroom and turned himself into an honor roll student as a junior.

“I learned that school is definitely more important than sports and I have to study more and take stuff more seriously,” Foster said.

He added that it “stunk horribly” having to miss out on the Eagles’ 2006 season.

“It was extremely bad,” Foster said. “I still supported the team, especially in the big games. It stunk not playing against Oak Harbor and Otsego and Clyde and Elmwood and teams like that.”

Coach Jerry Rutherford’s Eagles certainly could have used Foster’s talent last season, although Eastwood did finish 7-3 and win its fifth straight SLL championship.

Justin Happeny stepped in for Foster and did a solid job. But, Foster is still Foster – a sometimes bruising runner with sprinter’s speed. He competed in the 400-meter dash last spring and ran the third leg on the Eagles’ 800 relay team that took eighth at the state meet.

“It’s great having Jeremy back,” said Eric Rutherford, the Eagles’ senior quarterback and the coach’s son. “I got to start with him my sophomore year. Last year we didn’t have that power back until Justin Happeny stepped up.

“Coming back this year, Jeremy is a lot stronger and faster than his sophomore year. He’s been pretty good this year. He’ll lower his shoulder and run you over.”

Through three games Foster (6’0, 195) leads the fifth-ranked (Division IV) Eagles with 441 yards and six touchdowns on 91 carries.

In the season opener, a 28-24 win over Clyde, Foster had scoring runs of 8, 14 and 80 yards. In a 14-7 win over Rossford, Foster had two second-quarter TD runs and finished with
136 yards on 29 carries.

Last week against Oak Harbor, Foster rushed for 71 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries in a 21-0 victory.

“He gives us a number one back, a guy we know who can carry the ball 30 times a night if we have to,” coach Rutherford said. “He can pound it and still dish it out. He did that as a sophomore. He runs hard and has great speed. He’s somebody where, to beat us, you’re going to have to stop him. Once we get him going it will open up things for the rest of the guys.”

Rutherford added that he was disappointed when he found out Foster was academically ineligible last season.

“We were disappointed, but we new that at that time missing the fall might help him out and help him make better choices, whether academically or just overall better choices,” Rutherford said. “Something that was important to him was taken away. We hoped things would work out for him and it never changed the way we felt about him.

“Things worked out and he’s gotten another opportunity.”

Foster, who has played some inside linebacker this season, is known for giving speeches to his teammates before games and during halftime.

“I’ve been playing since seventh grade and I've always talked about being state champs and going 10-0,” he said. “I just remind them that the chance is still there and we have to do what’s expected of us and we have an opportunity and stuff like that. I just try to pump them up.

“We have an opportunity to be state champs, but that's going to be taken away from us if we don't practice hard.”

Eric Rutherford, a three-year starter, said Foster is “a pretty emotional player.”

“The stuff he says gets everyone else focused and ready to play,” he said. “He’s ready to play. I think taking a year off really put things into perspective for him.”

Foster admitted he isn’t taking anything for granted this season, and he wants the Eagles to go out on top of the SLL again. All of the ingredients, he said, are there for a memorable season.

“All of us are friends and the chemistry is already there,” Foster said. “It makes playing easier because the trust is already there.”

Coach Rutherford said Eastwood, which traveled to Gibsonburg on Friday, still has a long way to go but he likes what he’s seen so far.

“We’ve played three pretty good opponents,” he said. “All three are 2-1. When we look at the competition we’ve played, Clyde always plays tough defense, Oak Harbor always plays tough defense and Rossford has a nice team.

“We also know that to continue on, we’re going to have to keep getting better. Our best football is yet to be played.”

Genoa snags one of Northwest Ohio’s top winners

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

When Mike Vicars took over as head coach of the Delta High School football program eight years ago, the Panthers were barely on the gridiron map, so to speak.
"Previous to the year I got there we were 0-10,” Vicars recalled. “From 1950-99 they had seven winning seasons.”

Delta's football program is now a legitimate playoff contender and back on the map. If Vicars has his way, he'll get Genoa’s program up and running full speed ahead this fall.
Vicars, 43, whose hiring was approved by the Genoa School Board on April 17, takes over a program that went 6-24 under Bill Jones the last three years. Genoa hasn't won a Suburban Lakes League title in 13 years.
Winning titles was nothing out of the ordinary for Vicars at Delta. The Panthers won three Northwest Ohio Athletic League championships; last year they finished 9-2 and lost to Bedford Chanel in the first round of the playoffs.
Before Delta, Vicars, who played football at Patrick Henry, coached at Ada for six years and at Hilltop for two years. He said he never intended to move around in coaching circles so often. But when the job opened up at Delta nine years ago, he couldn't turn it down.
“At the time, we wanted to get a little bit closer to family,” he said. “Our kids were smaller and we wanted to have more opportunities to have grandpa and grandma and aunts and uncles involved. My wife (Cecilia) and I both grew up in (nearby) Liberty Center. It gave us an opportunity to be within eight miles of family.

“At that time and that point in our lives, we wanted an extended family involved with our family. Out of the blue one day, an opportunity came to come to Delta and we kind of made a quick decision and it happened.”

Vicars and his wife have three boys, ages 20, 17 and 16. He said leaving his Delta football “family” - he was also the school's athletic director - behind for a chance to build new relationships in Genoa was “a terribly hard decision.”

“To make it simple, it was a much easier decision to go to Genoa than it was to leave Delta,” Vicars said. “I have a lot of established time here, a lot of extended family. When you talk about, why go to Genoa, there are a couple of different reasons.

“One is I wanted to get back to working with kids on a daily basis. I wanted to slow life down a little bit. As an athletic director, you're working a lot of 12- and 14-hour days. The other thing was, when I inquired about the ( Genoa) job I had no idea where it would go. I kind of put it in God's hands.”

Nice Fit

Genoa Athletic Director Rick Briggle called Vicars a nice fit for the Comets.

“Coach Vicars, first and foremost, is a family person who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk,” Briggle said. “His decision to leave Delta was made very difficult because of his wife's ties to the community and his kids' wishes to graduate with their friends. Coach Vicars believes in his faith and in his players. He remains humble, despite the many successes he has had.

“Coach Vicars, simply put, is truly an excellent fit for our kids, community and staff. He is a man of character, humility and personality.”

Briggle added that Jones’ contract was not renewed for 2007 “when it became very likely a position on the teaching staff would be available in 2007.”

Jones was never a full-time employee of Genoa Area Schools during his three years as the Comets’ coach.

“We were in agreement that if an opportunity presented itself to fill such a vacancy with a

teacher/football coach, it would be the proper direction to take academically and athletically,” Briggle said. “Difficult financial times prevented this from occurring when coach Jones was hired in 2004.”

Vicars said he was impressed with the Genoa administration and the school's athletic facilities.
“Most of all, from the research I did, I was most impressed with their community and their kids,” he said. “I really liked what I saw. My wife and I spent a lot of time there driving around, going from community to community. The statistics of how well they do on their test scores, Genoa has a very high percentage of students in extracurriculars.

“All of those things add up to a well-rounded community that we as a family were interested in.”

Vicars said he has 10 years of experience working with students who are struggling academically or with other assorted problems. He said and opportunity to get back into that type of teaching - and to be closer to Genoa's student body in general ˆ helped seal the deal.
“One of the reasons I took the job was to get closer to those kids,” he said. “At Delta
I was the athletic director and was pretty out of touch with kids. Me and my computer knew each other pretty well. I'm looking forward to getting the opportunity to work with kids on a much closer basis. I got into being a teacher because I want to spend time with kids. Genoa is giving me that opportunity.”

Vicars is aware that he is now the Comets' third football coach in five years, but he looks forward to quickly building a bond with his new program and new school.

“They've had a lot of coaches,” Vicars said. “We're going to have to build some relationships and trust. I've moved around a little - I never thought I would leave Hilltop. I'm hoping to come in and bring some stability and finish it out, whether that's 10 or 20 years.

“Things happen with people in our job. We just want to try to go in and build some relationships and trust and love and hopefully do some good things.”

Hometown coaches have arrived to save the day

By J. Patrick Eaken
Press Sports Editor
sports@presspublications.com

Clay football fans may finally be getting what they’ve wanted — a homegrown star who can remind them of the day when a coach named Ted Federici ruled the day.

Most longtime Oregon residents remember the late Federici's storied career as the Eagles' head football coach. Federici led the Eagles to 204 wins, 83 losses, and 20 ties from 1950-81.

Federici had six undefeated seasons and won a combined 14 Great Northern Conference and Great Lakes League championships. He was inducted in the Ohio High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1982. He was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

The new Clay coach, Mike Donnelly, may cringe to find himself compared to Federici, but you can bet he would aspire to that goal. After all, Donnelly played football at Clay, even though the legendary coach was not at the helm during his playing days.

Donnelly, a 1993 graduate of Clay, was previously the offensive coordinator for Central Catholic, where the Irish went to five playoffs, won two City League titles, and won the Division II state championship in 2005.

Donnelly, who lives in the Oregon district, has a bachelors’ degree in chemistry from Wittenberg University, where he played football. He replaces Coach Jeff Lee, who resigned several months ago.

Donnelly has said there are only two high schools he wants to coach – Central or Clay. One Oregon Schools’ board member already feels as if the district has made the right decision in hiring Donnelly.

“In Mike, Oregon is getting a quality coach,” said Jeff Ziviski. “He is a local guy whose dream was to come back and coach his alma mater.

“He knows how to win and what it takes to win. I am excited to have him join our district. There are some lofty expectations for Mike, but I expect him to exceed these expectations and restore the pride that surrounds Clay football. People know the name, he has a good reputation.”

But Clay isn’t the only local school who is bringing in homegrown coaching talent to take over a football program that hasn’t quite met with the community’s standards. At Lake, former Flyer lineman Bob Abbey has taken charge 24 years after he played his last football game.

For Abbey, an assistant under Coach Jim Kubuske the last five years and a biology and human physiology teacher at Lake the last eight, his new responsibility is a dream come true.

“When you get into coaching you always dream about someday coaching at your old high school and, fortunately, I’ve been blessed with that chance,” Abbey said.

Abbey was an outright stud during his playing days at Lake from 1980-83. With the program then in the Northern Lakes League, he was a three-time all-league offensive lineman and earned the same honor playing on both lines as a senior. During his career the Flyers were NLL co-champions twice — 1981 and 1983.

He went on to play center in a successful career at Ashland University.

Abbey has since accrued 18 years of assistant coaching experience at various schools with three more as a head coach.

However, Donnelly and Abbey aren’t the only new coaches in town. At Genoa, veteran Mike Vicars arrived from Delta, near his hometown of Liberty Center, where he once played high school and then semi-professional football.

When Vicars took over as head coach of the Delta program eight years ago, the Panthers were barely on the gridiron map, so to speak.

"Previous to the year I got there we were 0-10,” Vicars recalled. “From 1950-99 they had seven winning seasons.”

Delta's football program is now a legitimate playoff contender and back on the map. If Vicars has his way, he'll get Genoa’s program up and running full speed ahead this fall. He brought his two sons, both All-Northwest Ohio Athletic League selections last season (one a returning all-state running back), with him to help achieve that goal.

Vicars, 43, whose hiring was approved by the Genoa School Board on April 17, takes over a program that went 6-24 under Bill Jones the last three years. Genoa hasn't won a Suburban Lakes League title in 13 years.

Winning titles was nothing out of the ordinary for Vicars at Delta. The Panthers won three NWOAL championships, and last year finished 9-2 and lost to Bedford Chanel in the first round of the playoffs.

In this issue are the football previews for 10 area football teams, as written by Press sports editor J. Patrick Eaken and contributors Mark Griffin, Scott Calhoun, and Jeffrey D. Norwalk.

Genoa Football

By Jeffrey D. Norwalk

Coach: Mike Vicars, first year
Comets Last Year: 3-7, 2-5 SLL

Forecast: The previous trying era of Genoa football now ultimately in the books after a long string of uncertain, losing seasons, the Comet faithful and their team can now finally concentrate on writing a new chapter on this otherwise proud, winning tradition, Delta, Ohio style.

The man who looks to be the successful author of this new beginning? Brand new Genoa head coach Mike Vicars, who knows a thing or two about creating football magic from the ground up, and penning some fantastic finishes himself, as he prepares to enter his 27th year on the local prep football scene, and 19th as a head football coach, with his last eight spent at always-formidable Delta High School, where the living legend once led the mighty Panthers to seven winning seasons, two NWOAL championships, six playoff appearances, and one prestigious State Final Four showing in memorable 2004.

Though to be sure, Vicars will have a little help as he attempts to spread more than a little of that Delta magic in Comet Country this rebuilding season, and it will come in the familiar forms of his own two sons Derrick and Marcus Vicars, a 6-2, 195 lb. senior fullback and 6-1, 200 lb. junior halfback who were both all-NWOAL last year (Derrick was also all-Ohio at fullback), and who rushed for a monstrous 1700 yards and 30 touchdowns and 400 yards and six touchdowns for the Panthers respectively. Look for this two-headed monster to join incumbent halfback Blair Skilliter and rising, new talent Connor Wendt (Soph.) in giving the Comets one of the SLL’s most explosive and formidable backfields in 2007, as Skilliter, at 5-7, 170 lbs. and with a ankle-breaking, track-like speed, could’ve no doubt had an all-Ohio season of his own in ’06, if he wouldn’t have broken his foot a couple of games into his sophomore campaign.

This year though, that fierce 1-2-3-4 punch may have to carry much of the load, and prove that it can hold up throughout a grueling, 10-game season, as the very much run-oriented Comets are still unsettled at the all-important quarterback position, with senior Tyler Davis (6-0, 195 lbs.) and sophomore Matt Bassitt (5-11, 175 lbs.) sharing snaps and both having a really nice summer learning the new system, and even more uncertainty and inexperience out at the wide receiver positions, with 6-1, 185 lb. big target and tight end Justin Adkins (a senior), and 5-10, 170 lb. split end Zach Skees (Sr.), 5-9, 150 lb. fellow senior Nick Kinzel, 5-10, 170 lb. senior Josh Teet, and perhaps even 5-8, 120 lb. senior Nick Brown leading the way for playing time.

Though in the end, that as-of-yet-unproven passing game, and most certainly the Comets’ top-notch running game, may only go as far as the offensive line will allow it to, with the bad news being that Genoa has been banged up all summer long on this unit, with its most experienced guy being senior workhorse Mike Stevens at guard (Stevens is a nice 5-11, 230 lbs., and could be joined by the likes of Ben Sutter, Brodie Hagarty, Jacob Murphy, and big Nate Diekman, who stands in at a monstrous 6-4, 315 lbs. at his tackle position), and a tough first four weeks of the schedule featuring Oak Harbor, Tinora, Port Clinton, and Elmwood looming.

Defensively, the line backing unit will once again be a strength for Genoa, as it will feature most of the studs in its starting offensive backfield to go out and stop both the run and the pass for the Comets when the opposition has the ball, including the Vickers brothers, who led Delta in tackles a year ago, and fellow back Skilliter, who has been moved up to join this elite corps, and whose speed in the middle will bolster Genoa’s pursuit and to help string running plays out to the sidelines.

As it goes on offense up front for the Comets with their big boys, so too will it be for Genoa’s defensive line, as this past off-season has seen its fair share of injuries and discipline problems for this unit, though senior Ben Cowell (6-0, 215 lbs.), junior Ryan Bless (6-0, 183 lbs.), and Teet look to be the front runners to duke it out with opposing offensive lines in the Comet trenches.

Also, the retooled secondary could get tested early, or until it finds itself and proves that it can hang with the oppositions’ best pass catchers, as Vicars says he’s had to piece together this unit slowly, but surely this summer, with Wendt being the only sure thing at safety.

Genoa gridiron seniors — loving every minute of it

By Mark Griffin
Special to the Press
sports@presspublications.com

Mike Vicars was brought in to coach the Genoa football team for one reason: to turn around a flailing program.

Vicars had success at Delta, but his new team didn't know a whole lot about winning. Genoa hadn't won a Suburban Lakes League title in 12 years, and hadn't had a winning record in five years.

When he took over last spring, Vicars knew he had to get the seniors to buy into his coaching philosophy. The results have been nothing but positive.

“I've never had a group of kids buy into it faster,” Vicars said. “Everythng we do is different than the average bear. We play football three-and-a-half yards per play. Everything has to be team-oriented. Nobody cares who gets credit for what.

“It may surface that you get a player like Derrick (Vicars, the coach's son), who gets a majority of the carries. If that happens, the rest of them have to buy into it. They all have to be willing to sacrifice and not care.”

Mission accomplished.

Saturday night, the SLL champion Comets take a 10-1 record into the second round of the playoffs against rival Eastwood (10-1), which suffered its only loss of the season at Genoa. The Comets are in the playoffs for the first time in school history.

“I don't think we expected to turn it around so fast, in such short a time as we had,” said right tackle Nate Diekman, one of 12 seniors who have been in the program all four years. “It was a group effort. We all had to buy into it. If we wanted to turn it around fast, someone had to do it.

“Our senior class, we turned it around and now we have a community that backs us up, where people actually want to come to the game. They want to see the game and see us win now. I haven't seen that since we were over at Bergman Field. We're the first football team to go 5-0 on our (new) field. That was a major goal.”

The Comets have won 10 in a row since a season-opening loss to cross-county rival Oak Harbor.

“When we lost to Oak Harbor, that's been our drive,” Diekman said. “We don't want the loss and emotion to leave us. All the seniors, everyone wanted to beat Oak Harbor. When each senior saw each other crying, that we didn't win, that was our drive and we didn't want that to happen again.”

Diekman is one of several seniors who have sacrificed for the good of the team. He once packed 360 pounds on his 6-4 frame, but has since dropped to 312.

“Tim Spiess, our line coach, encouraged him to lose weight for quickness and what-not,” Vicars said. “He did it just through hard work and eating more sensibly. He's really trimmed down. He's got a special personality.”

Said Diekman, “I actually see myself being a lot faster. You can see it in films, from when we played Oak Harbor until now. I'm a lot faster off the ball.”

The other seniors who stuck with Genoa's program for all four years includes Brodie Haggarty, Nick Wiciak, Michael Stevens, Tyler Davis, Justin Adkins, Donovan Pierce, Ben Cowell, Nick Kinzel, Ben Sutter, Al Lester and Zach Skees.

Wiciak, Stephens, Adkins, Pierce, Cowell, Kinzel, Sutter, Diekman and Skees are all starters.

“Some seniors had to sacrifice and change positions,” Vicars said. “Case in point is Michael Stephens. Last year he was a running back. This year he's an all-league guard. He did it on his own. We felt like he fit better at that position. We knew he was a good athlete, but we knew we had other running backs who fit just a little better. Both of our guards are also guys who could be running backs for us, but you have to get the best 11 out there.

“Justin Adkins is a tight end, and we don't throw too much so he knows he's kind of a glorified tackle. We probably throw about eight times a game. He has two or three catches, but he knows how valuable he is and he's very good. He's a fighter.

“Tyler Davis is a backup quarterback, but his role as supporter of (starter) Matt Bassitt is critical. They work together in getting Matt ready every Friday night. He knows he's not going to be the one out there taking the snaps, but he is unbelievably supportive of Matt.

“Haggarty was a backup role player who played a little bit of defense. When he got the opportunity to play, he played some for us until Justin got back from his (foot) injury. He never complains about his playing time. They've just all really been great, an unbelievable bunch of kids. They come to practice every day and prepare well and give you everything they've got.”

Diekman said coach Vicars brought a winning attitude and playoff experience, so the players trusted what he had to say. It didn't hurt that he brought his talented sons, Derrick and Marcus, into the program as well.

“We've been through coaching systems that really never did work,” Diekman said. “He had the two boys with him and they were in our age group, and we all kind of heard of his records and said, 'Ok, this is somebody who can turn it around and make it better than it was.'

“For us as seniors, I don't think we realized at the beginning of the year how far we would be going. It was a group effort as seniors and we had to buy into it. Some people left (the team) before the season and everybody else stayed who's still there. We bought into it and we meshed together as a team. It paid off, and it's still paying off.”

Vicars recalls days of playing “semi-pro” football

By Mark Griffin
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com


Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press 2007 gridiron Coach of the Year Mike Vicars was a first-team All-Northwest Ohio Athletic League defensive end his senior year at Liberty Center.

Then 5’9 and 160 pounds, Vicars also played fullback for the Tigers, who never really lit the world on fire until the early 1980s.

“There was a lot of misery through the years,” said Vicars, now 44 and the head football coach at Genoa. “In 1980, my senior year, we went 9-2 and were the first ( Liberty Center) team to qualify for the playoffs. We lost to eventual state champion Tiffin Calvert.”

Vicars, who led Genoa to a 10-2 record, its first Suburban Lakes League title since 1994 and the first playoff appearance in school history, is a little bit heftier now and wouldn¹t dream of putting on the shoulder pads again.

A year or two after high school, however, he decided he hadn't had enough of blocking and tackling. He joined the Liberty Center Bengals, a 25- to 30-man semi-pro team in the Northwest Ohio Football League (NWOFL) that played its games at local high school fields.

“I played in the early 1980s - and it was a brief career,” Vicars recalled.

He played defensive end for the semi-pro team.

“It was fun, but it was crazy,” he said. “I saw guys get hurt, and how do you explain that to your boss? I played a couple years and then I wised up. When you were coaching you didn't have time for that. I started coaching very early in my life. You can't let it (playing) go. You're not playing college football, so now you¹re going to try to capture your old glory by doing something like that.”

Vicars said the Bengals, who had a good thing going in the 1970s, began to schedule tougher competition and sent out the word to local guys to come out and play.

“They made a desperate plea for help with players,” Vicars said. “In the 1970s, the Bengals were going strong and decided to up the ante and play tougher competition. Those guys playing for the team were a little long in the tooth.

“We had a good team at Liberty Center. After being out of school a couple years we thought we would try our hand a couple times.”

By 1983, Vicars was already a volunteer coach at Liberty Center, which is still coached by Rex Lingruen. Vicars eventually ended up as an assistant at Delta, then its head coach and turned that program into a perennial playoff participant.

Vicars said the Bengals played teams from Blissfield, Mich., Napoleon, Wauseon, and Defiance.
“It was sloppy and filled with cheap shots,” he recalled. “That will get you out of the game in a hurry. It was just part of it at that level. You had guys who were trying to relive their past and guys who never played who were trying to live their first. The coaching was suspect - basically we coached ourselves.”

The Longest Yard

To this day, Vicars said he looks back on playing semi-pro ball and thinks, “what the heck were you doing?”

“Here I am, in college at BG, but what would some 35-year-old guy do if he broke his leg and couldn't get to work?” Vicars said. “Another thing that was unusual, in high school you take a water break. In semi-pro, the guys took cigarette breaks during halftime.

“It was kind of like 'The Longest Yard' movie. It was fun. You do crazy things when you're young. That only lasted a year or two and then I thought, 'what am I doing?' I never got hurt but I saw guys get hurt.”

Vicars said one Bengals game in particular stood out.

“We were playing at Blissfield and I was three years out of high school and not in good shape,” he said. “I can remember a young kid just out of high school who was just my size who was severely out-athleting me. This young stud was able to keep it going because of the fact he was just out of school. Right then and there I decided maybe I wasn't going to make the climb to the NFL.

“You think about it, it was kind of crazy. I would do it again at that age. At this age? No. That was when you're young and trying to catch one more piece of glory. None of that (semi-pro) stuff exists anymore. You never hear anything about it.”

P.J. Whitman, a contributing writer for the Press, was the place-kicker on some of the
Bengals teams.

“We called him 'Supertoe,' ” Vicars said.

The Bengals, who had a 42-game winning streak in the mid-1970s, played games on Saturdays and practiced two or three times a week. It was a sight to see, Vicars said.

“We had non-matching helmets and whatever anybody could scrape together,” he said. “It was a pretty low-budget operation.”

“It was strictly for fun,” Whitman said. “All of the proceeds went to the school athletic fund. We were originally the Liberty Center Old-Timers vs. the Napoleon Old-Timers and it turned into a six-team league.”

Whitman played for the Bengals in 1974-75 and again in the 1980s. He said he remembered being called “Supertoe.”

“I've been called a lot of things,” he said. “That's a running joke. I was a place-kicker and my field goal line averaged about 275 pounds and I was about 150 pounds on a 5’3 frame. I was a combination kicker and team mascot.”

Whitman said he “vaguely” remembers being on the same team as Vicars. Current Liberty Center football coach Rex Lingruen also played for the Bengals.

“It didn't seem like Mike was a 'holler' guy.” Whitman said. “He was kind of quiet and went about his business. We didn't lose a game in seven or eight seasons and it probably went about 12 or 13 years. Rex Lingruen was a star of our team. He was a middle linebacker and played a lot at fullback.”

Whitman said one of his highlights with the Bengals was replacing Lingruen at middle linebacker for the last three plays of a game. Whitman took the field while still wearing his kicking shoe.

“It was a joke,” Whitman said, “just to tease Rex.”

“Comet Nation” just loves gridiron return to glory

By Jeffrey D. Norwalk
Special to The Press
sports@presspublications.com

In the sleepy, close-knit town of Genoa, not everything is as it should be, at least if one considers recent autumns past.

Welcome winds of change have torn through once-tomblike Genoa Comets Stadium and the once barely-breathing Comet football program in the form of “Hurricane” Mike Vicars, along with the thunder and lightning attacks of his two All-Ohio candidate sons, Derrick and Marcus, and a host of other Comets.

The Genoa Comets have literally laid waste to nearly 10 long years of frustrating, helpless, losing football, leaving in their wake an 9-1 regular season mark, record attendance crowds of 4,000-plus, an SLL crown, the post-season playoffs, and perhaps most importantly, the rebirth of “Comet Nation.”

In the Division IV playoffs, the Comets traveled to play 9-1 Sparta Highland Saturday night.

From the local merchant to the former Comet marching band member, high school football has once again brought a tight village even closer together, and here is what this edition of the Genoa Comets has them feeling, again, in their own ways and words…

 

“When we reviewed the coaching applications and became aware of the fact that Coach (Mike) Vicars was interested in the position...the Administration envisioned that a foundation for success would be implemented, and that the overall program would be on track to be successful. My hope — that we would be competitive and represent the community with pride on Friday nights.”

—Dennis Mock, Superintendent
Genoa Area Schools

 

“I was one of the rare ones who felt that as soon as they had announced that Coach Vicars was coming, and was bringing his kids, with the team that we already had, that we truly had hope to compete for an SLL title.

I knew the kids that were here, I knew they were good kids, I know their parents, I know they’re people from the community, and I knew that with Coach Vicars and his kids, it was going to be a good fit.

I feel that the Comet football team has now not only become a good team, but is developing into a Comet football program. I have a senior here (center Ben Sutter), I have a freshman on the team (Luke Sutter), and I have a son who is in the third grade, so it’s really important for me to see the program evolving. I know my kids, and my oldest in particular, would run through a wall for Coach Vicars.”

—Marty Sutter, President
GenoaBank

 

“the highlight has been seeing the kids getting all excited again on the sidelines. The Eastwood game was a record game obviously. My whole family was there, and it was pretty cool just being a part of everybody getting excited in the stands. It was really cool to see the coach high-five everybody in the band. I don’t think that’s ever been done before.”

—Roland Lopez, Manager
Genoa McDonald’s

 

“They’ve really surprised me. I thought that maybe they’d have a .500 record, that maybe they’d go 5-5, or 6-4 at best. But they way they’ve been playing, they’ve just surprised me a whole lot.

I’ve been to every game, both home and away. But the Eastwood game was about the best high school football game I’ve ever seen. I think this team can go pretty far in the playoffs.

This team reminds me of the 1989 SLL Champion team, when Boles coached, and of the 1994 team, which was my senior year. Those were real good teams back then, too.”

—Wade Bower
Comet fan

 

“I am delighted with the season. If you believe it, you can achieve it. Great job team and coach.”

—Marilyn Reeder
President, Media Coordinator
Genoa Chamber of Commerce

 

“It’s been great seeing the Comets come back, as a hard-hitting, hard-working team. The team’s drive and determination have really been fueled by the coaches and players.

It’s been great seeing the community rally behind the team. The Comet fans have always supported their teams in both good times and bad; but good is definitely better.

I’ve been there to raise the flag at the home games, and it’s just a great atmosphere, great entertainment, and a great place to meet your friends. It’s not Friday night if the Comets aren’t playing.”

—Larry Reetz
Genoa American Legion
Post No. 324

 

“I’ve been telling people that Genoa has always been a strong football town. We’ve gone some 11 or 12 years without having a top football team, and still if you’d have gone to an away football game, we’d always have more fans at that game than the home team.

In recent years, I’ve had friends from Toledo who have asked me, ‘Jack, what in the world has happened to Genoa? They used to be such a football powerhouse, and now they’re at the bottom of the barrel, or at least close, year after year.’

And I don’t know, I think it’s a case of a mental attitude, and that they’re so used to defeat, they don’t know how to win anymore. And now here we’ve acquired a coach who has come into town, with a couple of sons who are outstanding football players, and they’ve instilled within the minds of the players that ‘By golly, we can win.’

I think that’s made all the difference. I go to the games, I look up into the stands, and I get that old, warm feeling again.”

—Jack Werner
Voice of the Comets, 1948-87

 

“I’m surprised at the way the team is playing. It doesn’t look like they’re a very big team, but this team hits a lot harder, they gang tackle, they play with more determination, and there’s just no quit in them.

I’ve been to all the games, and the hitting on defense has been a highlight for me. It’s just unbelievable.

You take a guy like Connor Wendt, who is only a 5’10, 155 pound sophomore, and just about every game there are at least two hits that he’ll put on guy, and they just make you say ‘Wow!’

(5’11, 230 pound senior linebacker Mike) Stevens and (6’0, 185 junior linebacker Ryan) Bless have also been doing an outstanding job blitzing and tackling, and I’m loving the play of the three linebackers, with both Vicars, and Blair Skilliter.”

—Jim Hill, Mechanic
Martin Marietta

Vicars coaching legacy at Genoa gets good start

By Mark Griffin
Special to the Press
sports@presspublications.com

By now, everyone in Genoa knows what kind of success Mike Vicars had as the head football coach at Delta.

But when Vicars took over a Genoa team that has struggled for several years, and one that was coming off a 3-7 season, the veteran coach knew he was basically starting from scratch.

After three games this season, however, it would appear that the Comets are making huge strides under Vicars.

Heading into Friday night’s Suburban Lakes League opener at home against Elmwood, Genoa was 2-1 and coming off a 61-14 beat-down of Port Clinton.

“There's no question the team has a good bounce in their step, especially this week,” Vicars admitted. “One reason is the win against Port Clinton, and the other is we got everybody in the game. When that happens, you have a good camp. When that happens, practice intensity is much greater and getting them to buy into it is greater.

“There definitely is an added bounce in their step and the intensity level is there.”

The addition of Vicars’ sons, Derrick and Marcus, who are both running backs, to the roster has added a new level of talent, but the Comets’ attitude about learning how to win is also rounding into form.

Genoa opened the season with a tough 14-7 loss to Oak Harbor, a state semifinalist a year ago. The Comets blanked the Rockets over the final three quarters.

Genoa then beat Tinora 22-7 as Derrick Vicars scored touchdowns on runs of 5, 1 and 5 yards. He also converted a two-point conversion and finished with 170 yards rushing on 35 carries.

Genoa’s defense, meanwhile, caused four turnovers.

Against Port Clinton, Derrick had had six touchdowns and rushed for 173 yards on 20 carries. He scored on runs of 7, 2, 49, 1, 18 and 3 yards to help the Comets rush for 472 yards.

In three games, the Comets have rushed for more than 850 yards, including 389 by Derrick Vicars.

This year’s squad has 17 seniors, which is significant in the fact that the seniors told coach Vicars that when they were in eighth grade and did not win a game, the young Comets only had 15 players – total.

Fast-forward four years, and this group of seniors is hungry to go out a winner. A strong showing against Elmwood this weekend will give them a better gauge of where they stand.

“There is some momentum,” coach Vicars said. “It’s one of those things that, for us, it’s a confidence thing. They’re still probably not really sure where they are. Every week, they’re still trying to figure out their own identity, let alone who we're playing.

“That win against Port Clinton was a good win. We hadn’t broken out a lot offensively but we had played pretty good defense in the first few games. We’re trying to get some points on the board. That game helped get us some confidence. They know the task at hand this week is big.”

Vicars said he has been encouraged by the way Genoa is playing.

“We’re competing,” he said. “Anytime you compete, you give yourself a chance to win on a Friday night. The first three games, we competed hard and fought. Even when we were down to Oak Harbor 14-0 in the first quarter, we kept competing and fighting.

“What's been good about our team is, the defense has played well and carried us. Anytime you’re trying to rebuild, the defense is going to come a little faster than the offense. One of the things that has surprised me is the defense has played as well as it has.”

Vicars mentioned the strong play of senior nose guard Josh Teet, junior tackle Ryan Bless and the secondary trio of cornerbacks Conner Wendt and Nick Kinsel and safety Zach Skees.

Skees and Kinsel have two interceptions apiece.

“They'll have a good test this week, for sure,” Vicars said. “That's kind of the group right now that has caught on to things really fast. Our defensive coordinator, Tim Spiess, has done a good job getting the kids buying into playing physical and he’s doing a good job getting them prepared every week.

“That showed in Week 1 against Oak Harbor. We were rattled the first quarter but we settled down and had a chance to win.”

Vicars said sophomore Matt Bassit has come along very well.

“The thing he brings first and foremost is a good huddle presence, and he is a good ball handler,” the coach said. “He has good fakes and has good poise about him. The passing game is coming along and he'll understand it more and more. He’s doing a good job of getting us into the plays at the line of scrimmage.”

 


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