In a cat fight, Bengals rout Lions 42-16

October 21, 2011

Benedictine 42, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 16

                Geneva – Four touchdowns in a span of four minutes in the first half keyed Benedictine’s 42-16 victory over North Coast League rival Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at the Spire Institute.

                After NDCL had taken a 7-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first quarter, Benedictine scored just about one minute later on a Dan Piascik-to-Mike Roberts 66-yard pass play to tie the game on freshman Toby Leahy’s extra point conversion. That Bengals score came with 2:58 left in the first.

                The Bengals then received a big break when the snap from center skipped past the Lions quarterback and was recovered by Richard Allen on the Latin 16. It took only one play from scrimmage – a Bryan Lacey 16-yard run - and Leahy’s kick to give the Bengals a 14-7 lead. Lacey’s score came only 13 seconds after the Bengals first TD.

                An NDCL punt put the ball on the Bengals 14. After an incomplete pass, Lacey broke through for an 82-yard run to put the ball on the Latin four. Marshall Howell ran it over from there to give the Bengals a 21-7 lead with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.

                The Bengals defense clamped down and forced the Lions into a punting situation. The ball was snapped over the punter’s head. In attempt to make a play, he threw the ball downfield and was intercepted by the Bengals Jovan Dawson, who returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. That came with 11:01 left in the first half and gave the Bengals a 28-7 lead.

                That completed a nearly four-minute stretch when the Bengals broke open the game.

                Midway through the second, the Bengals faced a third-and-17 at their own 48. Dan Piascik and Bryan Lacey executed a perfect screen pass that went for a touchdown. That increased the lead to 35-7.

                NDCL got on the scoreboard again on a six-yard pass with 3:02 left in the second to make the score 35-14.

                With under a minute remaining in the first half, the Bengals were pinned back on their own one.  On the first play, the Bengals back was tackled in the end zone for a safety that made it 35-16.

                On the opening drive of the second half, the Bengals methodically moved downfield with Kelvin Blake’s one-yard run giving Benedictine another score. It finished a 15-play, 76-yard scoring drive that ended all the scoring in the game at 42-16.

                NOTES: The most impressive statistic of the night was the -81 rushing yards by the NDCL. All five Lion ball carriers finished with negative yardage.

                A lot of credit should go to the stalwarts on the defensive line … Richard Allen, William Cloud, Joe Nawalaniec and David Porter. In addition to stopping the run, they combined for a total of four sacks of the NDCL quarterback.

                Senior back Bryan Lacey had 26 carries for 170 yards (one TD) and caught one pass for 52 yards (TD) for 222 yards in total offense.

Due to unplayable conditions at NDCL’s home field, the game was moved to the Spire Institute.

Benedictine’s victory increases its all-time series lead with NDCL to 4-1.

The win gives the Bengals a 7-2 record and should keep them well-positioned for a Division III, Region 9 state playoff spot.

                The longest road trip of the year is on Friday when the Bengals travel to play Columbus DeSales.

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

This Week in Benedictine Football, Week 9

October 20, 1946

Benedictine 26, St. Ignatius 0

Returning from World War II military service, Coach Norb Rascher came back to Benedictine to lead the Bengals football team in 1946. He coached the football squad in 1944 and then was called to serve his country. Joe Rufus coached the Bengals in 1945 and now Rascher returned to lead the team.

This Bengals victory broke a six-game losing streak to St. Ignatius.

Although both schools were members of the Cleveland Senate with Benedictine in the East Senate and St. Ignatius playing in the West Senate, this game did not count in league standings and was considered a non-league game.

After a scoreless first period, Benedictine got on the scoreboard when left end Ed Kubancik caught a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bob Keefe. That was the only score in the first half as the Bengals led 6-0.

Benedictine increased the lead to 12-0 midway in the third when left halfback Jerry Eckert broke through right guard for 31 yards and a touchdown.

On the last play of the third, the Bengals blocked the Wildcats punt which was recovered by Kubancik on the St. Ignatius 11.

Early in the fourth, fullback Ed Bellovay slashed four yards through center for another Bengals touchdown. Kubancik kicked the first of his two extra point kicks to give the team a 19-0 lead.

The last touchdown came on a pass interception by lineman Stan Cservenko, who rumbled in from 14 yards for another score. Kubancik’s kick made it 26-0.

The victory increased the Benedictine overall record to 3-1-1. In picking up the victory, the Bengals also helped ruin the Wildcats homecoming.

Benedictine finished the season with a 4-2-2 record. They finished with a 3-2-1 record in the East Senate for fourth place in the eight-team league.

 NOTES: Interestingly, Benedictine began and ended the 1946 season with 6-6 tie games. In the opener, the Bengals and Holy Name deadlocked and in the finale, the Bengals tied East Tech.

                Benedictine, Cathedral Latin, Holy Name and St. Ignatius were members of the Catholic League before joining the Cleveland Senate in 1937. As part of the Senate expansion, Benedictine and Cathedral Latin were placed in the East Senate while Holy Name and St. Ignatius became members of the West Senate.

                While Norb Rascher coached only two football teams at Benedictine, he made his mark on the Benedictine basketball program leading the Bengals to the Cleveland city title in 1946. That team was so good that they went 15-0, won the Cleveland city title and was ranked as the third best team in the country. With

6-5 center Mike Medich, who scored a state record 59 points in a game earlier in the season, the Bengals were invited to play in a charity basketball game against an East Coast power at New York’s Madison Square Garden on March 30, 1946. Despite pleas from the Mayor of Cleveland and the Governor of Ohio, the Ohio High School Athletic Association prevented the Bengals from playing, stating that the basketball season in Ohio ended on March 22.

                Ed Kubancik was elected to the Benedictine Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 for his outstanding play in football and on the great 1945-46 basketball team. Kubancik was one of the designers of the current Benedictine “Flying B” helmet logo. Along with the late athletic director Joe Rufus and current Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries OSB '54, Kubanick and the others patterned the new Benedictine logo after the Green Bay Packer Oval G insignia, after the Packers won the NFL title in 1961. The first use of the new Benedictine logo was on September 22, 1962 in a 44-6 victory over Parma Valley Forge.

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

Bengals fall behind early; Lose to Walsh

October 14, 2011

                Cuyahoga Falls – Benedictine fell to host Walsh Jesuit 31-8 in a North Coast League game at Conway Memorial Field.

                Overcoming a 24-0 fourth-quarter deficit proved to be an insurmountable challenge this week as the loss drops the Bengals to an overall record of 6-2 and 2-2 in the NCL.

                With two games remaining, Benedictine still has a great chance to earn a Division III, Region 9 playoff spot.

                Currently (and unofficially), the Bengals are sixth in the region. The top eight teams in each region qualify for the playoffs, with the top four teams earning home games.

                The final North Coast League game will be played next week against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at the Spire Institute in Geneva, a multi-million dollar all-sports facility. 

                Unplayable conditions at NDCL’s home varsity field necessitated the change in venue.

On Friday October 28, the Bengals travel to Columbus on the year’s longest road trip to face always-tough St. Francis DeSales in the regular season finale.

In the Walsh game, Benedictine allowed touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to the Warriors, who added a field goal as time ran out to end the first half to take a 17-0 lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Warriors added another touchdown on a short drive to take a 24-0 lead.

The Bengals bounced back to get on the scoreboard completing a 10-play, 80-yard drive with Richard Allen taking it over from the one. On the two-point conversion, Dan Piascik connected with Marshall Howell to narrow the lead to 24-8.

It appeared that the Bengals may have been in business once again recovering the onside kick but turned over the ball to the Warriors on that drive.

Walsh added a late score with 12 seconds left in the game for the final score of 31-8.

Statistically, the game was extremely even. Both teams had difficulty moving the ball on the ground. Walsh had 84 yards rushing while the Bengals had 60 yards. In the passing game, Walsh totaled 167 yards while the Bengals gained 130 yards through the air. Walsh had 251 yards in total offense while the Bengals had 190.

Walsh had one more first down than the Bengals, 15-14.

Even the penalty yardage was close. Walsh had eight flags for 68 yards. Benedictine was also called for eight penalties but for 65 yards.

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

This Week in Benedictine Football, Week 8

October 13, 2001

Benedictine 23, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 10

                PARMA – This sunny Saturday afternoon game with Youngstown Mooney was a typical Bengals-Cardinals hard-hitting, tough football contest.

                The game was played at Byers Field since Bedford Bearcat Stadium, the Bengals home field, was unavailable for use this weekend.

                Mooney took the early lead in the first on a nine-yard touchdown run and a 33-yard field goal.

                But it took the Bengals only two plays to reach the end zone as quarterback Anthony Tyus hit Bernard Ford with an 80-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore Sam Koyl kicked the extra point to cut the Cardinals lead to 10-7.

                Benedictine took a 14-10 lead when Marcus Slayton scored from the one with 6:19 left before halftime and Koyl once again hit the extra point.

                With time running out in the first half, the Bengals moved the ball to the Mooney 33-yard line.

                From there, Koyl lined up for a field goal attempt.

                With just three seconds left before halftime, the little (5-4, 135) sophomore soccer-style kicker launched into the ball which went through the uprights for a 50-yard field goal. It is a school record that still stands. He thrilled Bengals fans once again on the kick-off when he put the ball through the end zone uprights for the touchback.

                With Benedictine leading late in the game, 17-10, Bengals defensive back Aaron Scales stepped in front of a Mooney pass and ran it back 21 yards for the touchdown. With Koyl’s kick the Bengals had some breathing room with a 23-10 lead.

                Benedictine was coming off a tough 21-17 loss to Chardon in the previous week. This victory over Mooney gave the Bengals a 5-3 record and moved them closer to a state playoff spot.

                The Bengals did eventually host a playoff game losing to Lake Catholic 35-17. It was Art Bortnick’s second season as head coach and turned around a 2-8 season in 2000 with a playoff caliber team in 2001.

                This was the beginning of a great run of playoff appearances for the Bengals. In 2002, 2003 and 2004, they made state championship finals appearances. Although they lost in 2002, the Bengals did win Division III state titles in 2003 and 2004.

                NOTES: Koyl went on to have an outstanding kicking career for the Bengals. He tied the school record with points by a kicker in a game with 12 points with two field goals and six extra points in a 48-7 win over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2003. Koyl is also the career leader in field goals (23), career points by a kicker (198) and most points after touchdowns by a kicker in a season (57).

                Who can forget Koyl’s 20- yard field goal in 2002 in the third overtime in the state Division III playoffs that helped defeat Steubenville, 20-17?  That’s a story for a future installment of “This Week in Benedictine Football History.”

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

Same Old Story: Benedictine rallies to beat Padua 28-17

For Benedictine fans, the script was familiar… another come-from-behind victory.

                For the fifth time this season, the Bengals erased a deficit to earn a tough 28-17 win over visiting Padua Franciscan at Bedford Bearcat Stadium in a key North Coast League match-up.

                Held scoreless in the first half by a very good Bruin defense, the Bengals scored 28 second-half points, including 21 points in the fourth quarter to earn their first winning season since 2004. Coach

Ben Malbasa’s team is now 6-1, while Padua drops to 1-6.

                Padua took a 7-0 lead into halftime and then added a 36-yard field goal early in the third for a 10-0 lead. Benedictine’s senior back Bryan Lacey scored on a one-yard run to complete an eight-play, 75-yard drive midway through the third to cut the gap to 10-7.

                Later in the third, Padua scored again to give the Bruins a 17-7 edge.

                From there, though, it was all Bengals.

                Junior back Marshall Howell scored three times in the fourth quarter to lead the Bengals comeback. He scored on a 70-yard pass play from junior quarterback Dan Piascik on the first play in the fourth quarter. That cut the Bruins margin to 17-13.

                Howell’s one-yard touchdown run with 6:46 left in the game gave the Bengals their first lead in the contest.  Dan Piascik passed to Kelvin Blake for the two-point conversion to increase the Bengals lead to 21-17.

                Adding some insurance points, the Bengals Howell scored on a 14-yard run with 47 seconds remaining in the game and with Toby Leahy’s second extra point kick of the game, Benedictine had secured a hard-fought victory.

                While Howell scored three times, senior back Bryan Lacey was the Bengals workhorse in the backfield carrying the ball 22 times for 181 yards and one score.

                Quarterback Dan Piascik completed eight of 19 passes for 159 yards include four to Mike Roberts for 70 yards and three to Howell for 84 yards.

                Benedictine outgained Padua in total offense 398 to 331 and led in first downs 19-18.

                But the most memorable stat of the evening was the number of penalties and penalty yardage. Both teams had 12 penalties. Benedictine had 123 penalty yards while Padua lost 112 yards to penalties.

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NOTES: Benedictine now leads the all-time series with Padua 8-1. This was the first meeting between these teams since 1986.

By Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

This Week in Benedictine Football, Week 7

October 4, 1991

Benedictine 45, Toledo Waite 20

                TOLEDO - The local newspaper article began, “Even if Waite fans hadn’t heard the name Andy Kostos before last night, they are tired of it already.”

                That’s because the Benedictine senior running back racked up a school record of 263 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns to lead the Bengals to a 45-20 win over the Indians. His touchdowns came on runs of 17, 8, 79 and 26 yards.

                Kostos broke the old school record of 252 yards set by Ron Grosel against Fremont Ross in 1987.

                Benedictine fell behind early in this game with Waite scoring the first touchdown. Kostos answered that with a 17-yard scoring run. Waite came back with another score in the first and led after one, 14-7.

                The Bengals rallied in the second on a pair of Kostos touchdowns (eight and 79 yards) and a Denis Belusic 33-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 24-14 halftime lead. Belusic kicked all six extra point attempts in the game.

                Senior Jeff Kadlub caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ron Schultz in the third to increase the margin to 31-14. Kostos added his final touchdown early in the fourth on a 26-yard run to make it 38-14.                A one-yard touchdown by Rafiq Vaughn closed out the scoring for the Bengals.

                Waite scored its final touchdown later in fourth.

                With Kostos leading the way, the Bengals totaled 314 yards on the ground and 69 more through the air for 383 yards. They also had 15 first downs.

                Bruce Tyus caught four passes for 61 yards for the Bengals. Defensively, the Bengals created four turnovers with Tyus and Jason Clayton having interceptions and Ben DeJohn and Curtis Davis recovering fumbles.

                For his efforts, Kostos was selected as one of the Plain Dealer Players of the Week.

                Kostos started the season at fullback but moved to tailback midway through the year when Darrell McClendon was injured. In his first start the previous week, Kostos gained 144 yards in a losing effort to Mansfield Senior.

                Kostos finished the season with 1,075 rushing yards and even had a 92-yard kick-off return in his final game.  At the time, it was the second-longest in school history.

                In a Plain Dealer feature story about Kostos in the week following his record rushing performance, he said he was motivated by his everyday hero, his sister Sarah, age 9. She has cerebral palsy and cannot walk or talk, and was having surgery on the same day as the Bengals game against Toledo Waite.

                “When I was leaving the house, I told my mom (Marie) that I was dedicating the game to her and Sarah,” said Kostos. “Sarah is my inspiration.”

                He said that his 79-yard run on a third-and-10 situation is a play that he’ll never forget.

                “When I found out that I was getting the ball, I said to myself that I was going to do it for my sister. I’ve played football for seven years, but it took Sarah to teach me how important it is to make the most of what God gives you,” Kostos told the Plain Dealer.

                His efforts in this game did not go unnoticed. A University of Toledo coach, who was scouting a player on the Waite team, later contacted Andy to visit the college campus.

                Kostos, however, had other plans as he later earned a bachelor’s degree from Adrian College in Michigan.

                NOTES: This has been the only meeting between Benedictine and Toledo Waite.

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Wally Mieskoski ’71  

Benedictine Football Historian

Lake Catholic “rains” in the Bengals, 30-6

September 30, 2011

Lake Catholic 30, Benedictine 6

This time Benedictine could not overcome its slow start.

For the fifth time this season the Bengals found themselves fighting from behind, but unlike previous games, they could not pull out the victory.

Lake Catholic scored twice in the first quarter and then built a 23-0 halftime lead on its way to a 30-6 North Coast League victory at Bedford Bearcat Stadium that was televised by Sports Time Ohio on a tape-delay basis.

                Both Benedictine and Lake Catholic now have an identical 1-1 record in the NCL and a 5-1 overall mark.

The Cougars quarterback Mark Baniewicz scored the first two touchdowns on short drives to give Lake Catholic a quick 13-0 lead. Evan Gormley, who hurt the Bengals all night, kicked the first extra point but missed the second on these touchdowns.

                Then he scored the remaining points for Lake Catholic on a 24-yard field goal and on touchdown runs of 21 and 52 yards, as well as kicking a pair of extra points.

                The Bengals avoided a shutout when senior back Bryan Lacey scored on a five-yard run to complete an eight-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth. The two-point run failed.

                An opportunistic Lake Catholic squad, heavy rains, strong winds, and chilly temperatures all conspired to foil the Bengals. Some fans felt that the weather conditions were as bad as they had seen at a Bengals game in a decade.

Even with the loss, the Bengals can make a run for the state playoffs as well as playing a big role in the North Coast League race.

Prior to the game, Benedictine was second in the Division III, Region 9 computer standings while Lake Catholic was fourth.

When the updated state computer ratings are published later in the week, the Bengals should remain in a strong position for a playoff spot.

Lake has had a number of impressive wins this season including a pair of victories over Youngstown Catholic powerhouses Ursuline and Mooney.

Even with its first loss in the North Coast League game, Benedictine is a factor in the title race. Pre-season favorite Walsh Jesuit and NDCL remain undefeated, while Benedictine and Lake Catholic each have one loss.

                Benedictine will play Walsh and NDCL in back-to-back weeks, so the team can control its NCL destiny.

                Benedictine plays its last regular season home game this week on Friday, October 7 when Padua Franciscan visits in another North Coast League game.        

               

                NOTES: Lake Catholic leads the all-time series 13-7 and has won the last four games.

                The last time Benedictine lost a league game came on October 2, 1967, a 22-7 loss to Cleveland John F. Kennedy in an East Senate contest. The Bengals played 33 more Senate games from then compiling an incredible 32-0-1 record. From 1972 until 2010, the Bengals played an independent schedule. This is the first season for the Bengals in the North Coast League.

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian