Benedictine 2012 Football Awards

Senior quarterback/defensive back Daniel Piascik of South Euclid won the prestigious Fr. Florian Award for the 2012 Benedictine football season. Another senior, linebacker Matt McCarthy of Twinsburg won the Joe Rufus Spirit Award.  Both Piascik and McCarthy were among the team’s captains in 2012.

(Matt McCarthy, left, and Daniel Piascik, right, receive their awards at Convocation)

The Fr. Florian Award, presented since 1969, goes to the senior player who demonstrably achieves the fullness of his potential, exhibits leadership on and off the field, puts the good of the team ahead of his own glory, and furthermore, the achievements of the award winner largely went unrecognized. The award winner must have a good record academically and with regard to his self-discipline. He is a person that Fr. Florian would have loved to work with… a hard worker and a winner.

Fr. Florian Hudac ’34, O.S.B. was a three-sport athlete at Benedictine, passing up a major league baseball contract to join the Benedictine religious order after college graduation. He died in August 1969.

Benedictine football coach Ben Malbasa spoke about Piascik, “Daniel demonstrated selfless leadership when he changed positions from quarterback to cornerback during the season, and he excelled at his new position recording four interceptions to lead the team in that category. Not only did Daniel excel at corner, but he also showed strong support for his replacement at quarterback, helping him at practice and in games,” added Malbasa.

“In the two years that I have coached him, Daniel has shown great determination and commitment. He embodies the ideals of a Benedictine Student-Athlete,” added Malbasa.

In his career, Piascik completed 166 of 365 passes for 2,347 yards and 14 TD. Piascik also has the fifth-best single-game passing yardage in school history when he threw for 307 yards in a 31-30 win over Boardman in 2011.

This past season, as a cornerback, he had 17 solo tackles and 34 assists as well as leading the team with four interceptions. He also had two fumble recoveries and broke up five passes.

As the Bengals punter, Piascik averaged 32.6 yards per punt with a season-best of 61 yards against Akron Hoban.

Daniel was a rare four-year letterman. As a freshman midway through the 2009 season, he started several games at quarterback when injuries moved him up the depth chart. He led the Bengals to a 14-3 win over Walsh Jesuit that year, which kept the Warriors out of the playoffs.

Daniel is interested in the Honors Program at The Ohio State University, as well as Case Western Reserve University.

The Joe Rufus Spirit Award began in 1987 and goes to the senior player who helps his teammates to the best of his ability on the field and leads by his example off the field. It is named after long-time teacher, coach and athletic director Joe Rufus, who was at Benedictine High School from 1945 to 1987. Rufus died in 1996.

“Matt McCarthy's preparation for the season, his commitment to his teammates, and his consistent effort to help the team reflect the legacy of Coach Rufus,” said Malbasa.

A two-year letterman, McCarthy had 12 solos and 62 assists in 2012. Matt is interested in John Carroll University, St. Vincent College, and Thiel College.

Also recognized at a special school convocation honoring the Fall sports teams were the following winners of North Coast League and AP All-District Honors:

North Coast League First Team:                            AP First Team All-District:

                Peter Cvijanovic and Jerome Baker                         Peter Cvijanovic and Jerome Baker

North Coast League Second Team:                        AP Second Team All-District:

                Marshall Howell                                                      Marshall Howell and Antonio Robinson

North Coast League Honorable Mention:             AP Honorable Mention All-District

                Jovon Dawson                                                        Jovon Dawson, Dan Piascik, and  

                                                                                              Jaylen Funches

By Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian and Statistician

- Cleveland Benedictine High School-

This Week in Benedictine History

October 27, 1990

Benedictine Shuts Out Cleveland Central Catholic 23-0

For the third straight year, Benedictine ended its season with a shutout victory over the Ironmen.

The 23-0 win gave the Bengals a 5-5 record. The victory, however, was tougher than it appeared in the final score.

Benedictine coach Augie Bossu was happy that his team did not have a letdown after a hard-fought 19-7 loss in the previous week against top-ranked St. Ignatius.

“It was a good team effort,” said Bossu, of his team’s win against Central Catholic.

As he had done so many times before, Pat McDonald got the Bengals off on the right track with a touchdown catch from junior quarterback Ron Schultz that covered 25 yards. The extra point kick missed so the Bengals led, 6-0, with 6:24 left in the first.

In the third, when McDonald fumbled the snap on a 38-yard field goal attempt, he had the presence of mind to roll out to his left and found Jeff Kadlub open in the end zone. That touchdown gave the Bengals a 12-0 lead. The two-point conversion pass failed.

McDonald had quite a game for the Bengals.

He had one touchdown catch, and threw one touchdown pass.  In addition, as a defensive back, McDonald intercepted one pass and swatted away several passes away from the Central receivers.

After Central failed to move the ball on its next possession, the Ironmen went into punt formation. The snap went over the head of the punter into the end zone where the Bengals Ben DeJohn tackled the punter for a safety.

That increased the lead to 14-0.

Following the free kick, the Bengals moved to the CCC 23. The big play of the drive came when Schultz hit Mike Clark for an 18-yard gain.

The drive ended with Denis Belusic kicked a 24-yard field goal that boosted the lead to 17-0 with 11:47 left in the game.

Benedictine’s final touchdown came on a sequence of turnovers.

The Bengals Andy Kostos, who was the game’s leading ground gainer with 70 yards in 12 carries, picked up 46 yards in a drive that took the ball to the CCC one, where a fumble was recovered by Central Catholic.

On the next play, Central fumbled the ball back to the Bengals with Bill Davis recovering once again at the one.

From there, the Bengals fullback Mel Johnson popped over for the game’s final points.

NOTES: The 5-5 season record may not have been impressive but the competition facing the Bengals this season was top-notch.

Three of the losses came on late field goals by a total of five points. Those losses were to Mansfield Senior (22-19), Steubenville (13-12) and Akron Hoban (9-8). The other losses were by two touchdowns each to Sandusky and St. Ignatius.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

Bengals Drive Long-Distance; Fall to Hoban in North Coast League game

Recap

October 19, 2012

Akron Hoban 48, Benedictine 21

                

                AKRON – Benedictine all-purpose back Marshall Howell continued his drive from long-distance. The senior scored two of Benedictine’s three touchdowns in this North Coast League loss to Akron Hoban. Both scores came from the other side of mid-field.

                His first score came late in the first quarter on a 65-yard run that completed a five-play, 80-yard drive.  On the two-point conversion, senior Dan Piascik threw the scoring pass to junior wide receiver Matt Merimee to close the gap to 14-8.

                Then, to start the second half, Howell fielded the low kick on his own nine-yard line, broke through the Hoban containment and cruised down the left sideline in front of the Bengals bench for the touchdown. Howell evaded several Hoban tacklers near the Knights 40 yard line to finish off his 91-yard return.

                Howell’s runback is 10^th longest in school history.

                It was Howell’s second long-distance scoring play of the game and nearly matched his long-distance score from the previous week. Against Walsh Jesuit, he ran 97 yards from scrimmage to set the school record, breaking the old mark by two yards.

                After Hoban scored with 7:01 left in the third, Bengals senior Jovon Dawson picked up the Knights bouncing kick-off at his own 20 and took only 16 seconds to reach the end zone. His 80-yard kick return for the touchdown was the second of the game for the Bengals.

                Benedictine football historians are scurrying to find out if the two kick returns for touchdowns in one game is a school record. Even if the accomplishment is not a record-setting achievement, it certainly has been a long time since it happened last.

                Benedictine still leads the series with Hoban by a margin of 11-5 but saw its eight-game win streak end over the Knights. It was the first Hoban win over the Bengals since 1991. Included in the streak by the Bengals were two state playoff wins in 2002 (Benedictine 23-20) and 2004 (Benedictine 42-28).

                Benedictine now prepares for its season finale at Padua Franciscan on Friday night October 26.

               

                NOTES: Benedictine leads the all-time series with Padua 8-1 and has won the last seven games dating back to 1980. The first game was played in 1963 with the Bengals winning 56-0 in Padua’s first year of football. It was the Bruins first varsity loss in school history.

                That game set the standard in this series. The 56 points are the most scored by either team in a single game and it was the only shutout in the series history.

                The only Padua win came on a Sunday afternoon in the mud at Byers Field in 1972 by the score of 13-7.

               

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

This Week in Benedictine History

October 18, 2003

Benedictine 30, Villa Angela-St. Joseph 10

With an eight-game winning streak, Benedictine entered its next game at Euclid’s Sparky DiBiasio Stadium with Villa Angela-St. Joseph with some apprehension that was well-deserved. VASJ was poised for the upset.

Despite trailing 10-0 midway through the second quarter, the Bengals put together a “complete” victory as they scored 30 straight points to secure a 30-10 victory.

Bengals coach Art Bortnick made some adjustments and then the Bengals took control of the second half. Something had to be done. In the first half, VASJ ran 42 plays from scrimmage while the Bengals ran only 20.

The first step toward a comeback came on the legs of Raymond Williams, who scored on a 63-yard run with 6:03 left in the first half.  Sam Koyl added the extra point that brought the Bengals closer at 10-7.

That score came just 17 seconds after VASJ scored on a 13-yard pass from Mike Cvelbar to David Lighty. Sean Evers, who had a 31-yard field goal earlier, kicked the extra point that gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead.

Twice Benedictine moved deep into Viking territory but were turned away without scoring. At the end of the first half, the Bengals moved to the VASJ five, but a field goal attempt was blocked.

Then at the start of the third, Benedictine got down to the Viking one, but on three successive plays, were held for no gain, and losses of three yards and one yard as they turned over the ball on downs.

The score remained 10-7 through much of the third quarter.

On the second possession, the Bengals took over on their own 37 following a Viking punt.

Five plays later, the Bengals reached the end zone on a 44-yard pass from Joe Laffey to Lorenzo Hunter with 4:14 left in the third that gave the Bengals their first lead of the game. Koyl hit the extra point to make it 14-10.

The Benedictine defense held VASJ to a three-and-out and the Vikings were forced to punt from their own three.

Jon Huddleston took the kick on his own 44 and raced through the Vikings coverage team and scored on a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Koyl kick made it 21-10 in favor of the Bengals.

On the kickoff, the Vikings took over on their 23. An incomplete pass, and 14-yard sack put the ball on their nine. With the quarterback attempting a pass in the end zone, Bengals defensive end Chris Lorber made the tackle for a safety.

Now the Bengals led 23-10 with 1:15 left in the third.

Benedictine got one final score in the fourth with 4:13 left in the game as Maurice White ran six yards for the touchdown. Koyl’s kick made it 30-10 and a Bengals victory.

Both coaches heaped praise on his opponent.

VASJ coach Tom Schoen noted that the Bengals had scores by the offense, defense and special teams. He told Mark Koestner of the News-Herald, “What does that tell you? It tells you that they’re a complete football team.”

It was Bortnick’s turn.

“You have to give them (VASJ) credit,” he told the News-Herald. “That was a well-executed offense, and they played intense. They made plays. There were numerous times I thought we had them tackled, and then (Cvelbar) or a receiver made a play.”

Part of the halftime adjustments made by Bortnick resulted in superior defensive play in the second half. The Bengals held the Vikings offense to minus -25 yards after the break. 

Raymond Williams had his usual game rushing for 189 yards on 28 carries. That was a big share of the 273 yards running the ball in the game for the Bengals.

VASJ had more luck throwing the ball as they completed 13 of 30 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown.

Benedictine outgained the Vikings, 364-179.

The victory increased the all-time series lead by the Bengals to 10-7-1.

Now undefeated in nine games, the Bengals would like to complete their first undefeated regular season since 1997. But it would take a victory over tough St. Edward at Bedford Stadium in the next week.

Benedictine was 9-0 and ranked No. 1 in the Plain Dealer while St. Edward was No. 5 in the same poll.

The Eagles were looking for the upset that would give them a chance to host a home game in the state Division I playoffs.

Their hopes became reality as the Eagles topped Benedictine 18-13 to knock the Bengals from the ranks of the unbeaten.

NOTES:

The loss to St. Edward was the only one of the season for the Bengals.

                In the playoffs, Benedictine defeated Ravenna Southeast 35-7; University School 44-0; Lake Catholic 33-20; and Steubenville 49-7 to reach the title game.

                For the Division III state title, the Bengals defense once again came to the forefront shutting out high-scoring Kenton. The Bengals won its fifth state playoff crown with this 12-0 victory.

                The win in the title game gave the Bengals a 14-1 season record, the most wins by a Bengals team.

               

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

Marshall Howell breaks 42-year-old school rushing record

Recap

October 13, 2012

Walsh Jesuit 37, Benedictine 7

                Senior all-purpose back Marshall Howell broke a 42-year old school rushing record when he scored on a 97-yard run in the third quarter of the Bengals loss to Walsh Jesuit on Saturday October 13 at Bedford Stadium.

                Trailing 7-0 in the third quarter, the Bengals took possession on the four-yard line after a Walsh punt.  A one-yard loss on first down put the ball on the three. It was from there that Howell took the ball on second down and ran through the right side of the line, broke past Walsh’s first wave of defense and ran untouched into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. Nick Judy kicked the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:43 left in the third quarter.

                Howell’s long run broke the old record of 95 yards set by Jim Johnson in 1970 in a 15-6 win over East Tech in a key East Senate game at John Adams Field.

                Benedictine coach Ben Malbasa said of Howell’s run, “Marshall's run came on a play called Stack Left Over 628.  Coach Joe Schaefer noticed they (Walsh Jesuit) were short a man on the weakside and we added the play at the half.  Jerome Baker threw a great block on the edge and Marshall read his block perfectly.”  

                Later in the third, Walsh added another touchdown to take the lead 14-7. In the final quarter, Walsh pulled away for a 37-7 North Coast League Blue Division win.

                Howell led the Bengals ball carriers with 133 yards in 15 carries. Jerome Baker added 77 yards in 12 carries.

               

Notes: Jim Johnson (Class of ’71) finished his record-setting game against East Tech with 152 yards in 13 carries.                Johnson also scored the game’s first touchdown on a four-yard run in the second quarter. With Pete Szabo’s extra point kick, the Bengals led at halftime 7-0.

                For his performance in the East Tech game, Johnson earned Plain Dealer Dream Team honors.

                Later that season, Johnson led the Bengals once again as he rushed for 144 yards in 26 carries in Benedictine’s 38-12 victory over St. Ignatius in the Cleveland City Championship Game at the old Stadium.  He won the game’s Most Valuable Player Award.

                That year Benedictine finished with a 9-1 record with its only loss coming to state champion Massillon.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

This Week in Benedictine History

October 11, 1985

Lights Out: Benedictine defeats Akron Hoban 32-7

When the Plain Dealer rankings came out on October 10, there was a new Number One team: Benedictine.

The 28-6 Bengals win at Mansfield on October 5 also kept Benedictine in fifth place in the state-wide Associated Press poll.

On the same evening as the Bengals were defeating Mansfield, 28-6, St. Edward (the Plain Dealer’s Number One team at the time) was being upset by St. Joseph 6-0. That opened the door for the Bengals to walk through as the top-ranked team in the area.

Another road trip beckoned, as the Bengals faced Akron Hoban.

Benedictine defeated Akron Hoban 32-7 and it was “Lights Out” that had nothing to do with the score of the game.

It was the Bengals seventh straight win of the season and they won convincingly despite an unusually heavy amount of penalties. Benedictine was flagged 17 times for a total of 195 yards. Meanwhile Hoban was penalized 12 times for 105 yards.

Coach Augie Bossu was not pleased with the penalty situations.

“I don’t feel good because we didn’t execute the way we can and the way we should,” he told the Plain Dealer.

Quarterback Larry Wanke was lighting up the field with his passing. It was necessary since the lights at Dowed Field were slow to turn on since a car hit a light pole a few blocks away from the school.

There was even some doubt that the game could be played.

Only two of the six light standards operated at the start of the game. Shortly after the opening kickoff, two more light standards came on. It wasn’t until 3:23 of the first quarter that all the light standards were completely operational.

That did not hinder the Bengals passing attack as two of the three touchdowns scored in the first were through the air.

The first touchdown came on a Ron Grosel four-yard run with Mike Garred’s extra point kick.

Hoban tied the game on a 41-yard scoring run by Keith Reynolds and conversion kick.

Then Larry Wanke fired two touchdown passes both to Bob Clark before the first quarter was over covering 60 and 15 yards. Those scores gave the Bengals a 19-7 first quarter lead.

In the third, Ken Redd helped the Bengals increase the lead when he caught a two-yard Wanke pass to make the score 25-7.

Adding one more score in the final quarter, Benedictine’s Ron Grosel scored from the two and Garred’s kick made it 32-7.

The last touchdown was set up when linebacker Tony DeJohn recovered a fumble on the Hoban 18.

Earlier in the game, DeJohn had a 65-yard pass interception called back because of a holding penalty.

Wanke had another good night passing the ball as he finished the game with 298 yards on 21 completions in 44 attempts. He was slowed down in the second half after hitting 14 of 23 for 199 yards in the first half but the Bengals were in control of the game.

After three straight weeks on the road, the Bengals finally played another home game. This time Niles McKinley visited the natural grass field at Cleveland Heights Field.

By the time the Red Dragons came to the Cleveland area, Benedictine had moved from fifth place in the Class AAA Associated Press poll to the Number Two ranked team in the state.

                NOTES: Larry Wanke earned some notoriety in his college career. He started at the University of Pittsburgh and after the Panthers moved to a different style of offensive system that led to a quarterback controversy, Wanke left.  His greatest moment at Pitt occurred in a 32-27 loss to Texas in the 1987 Bluebonnet Bowl. Shortly after halftime, when the starter was injured, Wanke stepped in and threw three touchdown passes. After an unhappy experience at Pitt, Wanke transferred to John Carroll, where he set 16 school records. He was selected in the 12^th round by the Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the 1991 NFL draft. Wanke was the 334th player- and last player -chosen. By doing so, he earned the title of “Mr. Irrelevant” and was feted by organizers of “Irrelevant Week” held annually in Newport Beach, California for the last player selected in the NFL draft.  Wanke did make it a good part of the way through training camp with the Giants, but was eventually cut.

                Hall of Famers – Larry Wanke ’86 and wide receiver Bob Clark ’87 are members of the Benedictine Athletic Hall of Fame.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

This Week in Benedictine History

October 7, 1944

Bengals top John Adams 12-6; Win First for Coach Norb Rascher

After starting the season with a pair of 13-0 losses to Holy Name and Mansfield, Benedictine finally got its first victory of the season by defeating neighborhood rival John Adams, 12-6.

It was Benedictine’s East Side Senate opening game.

                Benedictine scored touchdowns by John Furin and Ed Bellovay in the second half as the Bengals rallied to take the victory after John Adams had taken a 6-0 halftime lead.

                It also avenged a 2-0 loss in 1943, when the John Adams scored a safety early in the contest for the only points in the game.

                This win was the first for new coach Norb Rascher who joined the Benedictine staff at the start of the 1944-45 school year.

                Despite his short tenure at Benedictine, Rascher is a legendary coaching figure in the school’s athletic history.

                Rascher came to Benedictine as the football, basketball and baseball coach from Altoona Catholic High School in Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1934 with a degree in economics. He earned letters in football and basketball.              

                An Indiana native, he was one of the last players invited to play at Notre Dame by Knute Rockne before the great Notre Dame coach was killed in a plane crash in 1931.

                Near the end of World War II, while at Benedictine in April 1945, Rascher, age 34, was inducted into the U.S. Army and left for Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He returned to Benedictine after the war in December 1945. Rascher continued to coach at Benedictine through the 1946-47 school year.

                The year after the great 1945-46 Bengals basketball season, when the team was ranked third in the nation, he left Benedictine to coach basketball at John Carroll University, which had wanted to play a big-time schedule.

                Joe Rufus was named to replace Rascher in May 1945 after to take over the reins later that fall until Rascher returned from the armed forces.

                Previously, Rufus had coached at Steubenville Catholic Central for two years. He remained at Benedictine until retiring in 1987 as athletic director.

                NOTES: This was only the second time Benedictine had beaten the John Adams Rebels in eight games. The Rebels had outscored Benedictine 165-57 in the previous seven games.

                Although the schools are separated by just a little over two miles, the teams had never met on the football field until Benedictine joined the Cleveland Senate in 1937.

                Benedictine, Cathedral Latin, Holy Name and St. Ignatius, all members of the Catholic League, accepted invitations to join the Cleveland Senate beginning in the fall of 1937. Benedictine and Cathedral Latin were assigned to the East Side Senate and Holy Name and St. Ignatius were assigned to the West Side Senate.

                Norb Rascher was one of a handful of people who were present when Notre Dame Stadium was opened in 1930 and when it was rededicated in 1997.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian  

# # #

Lions defeat Bengals

Recap

September 29, 2012

NDCL 44, Benedictine 7

The final score will be remembered in the history books as NDCL 44, Benedictine 7. But for the Bengals, it was a game to forget.

                In this North Coast League opener at Bedford Stadium, NDCL jumped to a quick 13-0 lead in the first quarter and then took the win.

                Benedictine is now 3-3 in all games and 0-1 in North Coast League competition.

                The Bengals finally put some points on the board on a 13-yard run by Jerome Baker with 9:28 left in the third quarter. Baker’s touchdown finished off a five-play, 31-yard drive that was set up when a short Lions punt went out of bounds at the NDCL 31.

Nick Judy kicked the extra point.

                But NDCL answered with a touchdown 39 seconds later after a long runback of the kickoff took the ball deep into Bengals territory. They scored two plays later.

                The Lions added nine points in the third and six in the fourth.

                The NDCL win narrows the Benedictine lead to 4-2 in the all-time series that began in 2007.

                There were some good performances in the game for the Bengals.

                Quarterback Brian Schoeffler completed 10 of 22 passes for 128 yards. Marshall Howell caught five passes for 74 yards.

                Defensively, Dan Piascik and Antonio Robinson each had interceptions. Piascik now has a team-leading four pass interceptions for 40 yards.

                In addition to his four solo tackles and 10 assists, Robinson added a three-yard interception return.

                Benedictine meets Lake Catholic on Saturday night at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium in Mentor in another key North Coast League game.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

This Week in Benedictine History: Week 6

September 26, 1952

Benedictine Topples Top Ten-Ranked Warren Harding 7-0

A tough test with Warren Harding was awaiting the Bengals in the third week. Harding had defeated Collinwood 14-0 in the season opener and defeated Canton McKinley 29-19 in the second week.

                Leading the Bengals into this game was Jerry Bush, the district’s leading scorer. He scored both touchdowns in the opening 12-8 win over Holy Name and added five touchdowns in the next week’s 60-0 win over East Tech.

Warren Harding entered the game as the state’s seventh-ranked team by the Associated Press poll with 77 points. They received one first place vote.  Benedictine was ranked 25^th with 12 points. Lakewood was ninth with 46 points.

                A 10-yard scoring run by end Steve Chernicky was the game’s only touchdown to give Benedictine a 7-0 upset win over Harding. Bob Konkoly kicked the extra point in the second period to give the Bengals their third straight win and give the Red and White their first loss of the season.

                The game's winning score was set up by Vince Delsanter, who recovered a Harding fumble on the 13-yard line.  Konkoly ripped off nine yards and Jerry Bush took it to the two. But Benedictine was penalized 15 yards for holding. Bob Huttman gained seven yards to the 10, from where Chernicky scored on the next play.

                The game ended with Benedictine on the Harding eight. Benedictine also had another scoring chance in the third period when it recovered a fumble on the Harding 20, but could advance it only to the 13 from where the Red and White took over.

                Harding never seriously threatened. The Bengals smothered their running game and intercepted four passes.

                It was another big win in recent years over a respected downstate opponent for the Bengals.

                Benedictine finished third in the state rankings by First and Ten Magazine. In the International News Service state ratings, Benedictine finished fourth. In the Associated Press poll, the Bengals were seventh.

                NOTES: Cleveland Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries O.S.B. ’54 recently recalled that victory over Warren Harding.

                “I remember that game well.  There was a series of downs where their back was continuing to gain five yards after five yards.  We varied the defense a little, and I was lucky to tackle him and put him on his back.  While on his back I told him, “You didn’t gain anything that time, did you?”  He picked up a handful of dirt with some of the lime from the yard-lines, and threw it into my face.  It burned like “hell” and I had to sit out a couple plays while they rinsed out my eyes,” smiled Gries.

                Bishop Gries chuckled as he remembered the game-winning play. Although Gries was a tackle, he had to play “quarterback” on a rarely-used end-around.

                “We always liked to get the jump on the defense because we knew the count. So when our end Steve Chernicky asked me what the snap count was at the line of scrimmage, I knew he was nervous about being the ball carrier. I told him and the defensive linemen just smiled.  I was ready, and hoped that the defensive end would not follow Chernicky around and catch him.  It worked out well as we scored on the play and went on to go undefeated and beat St. Ignatius in the Charity Game,” added Gries.

               

The Bengals finished the season with a 10-0 record, the second undefeated team in school history.  Joe Rufus was the coach of the Bengals. The season was capped off with a solid 26-18 win over St. Ignatius at the Charity Game at Cleveland Stadium with a crowd of 33,689 watching the Bengals take their second outright Cleveland City Championship.

                This 1952 team was the highest scoring team in school history with 340 points in 10 games until 1965 when the Bengals scored 380 in 10 games. Even that mark has been eclipsed. Athletic Director Tony Russ ’66 was an All-Ohio lineman for the Bengals on that ’65 team. Junior running back Larry Zelina ’67 led the state in scoring that season with 210 points.

                The seven points in the win over Warren Harding were the fewest points scored by the Bengals thatl season.

                Steve Chernicky was Benedictine’s first All-Ohio football player. He later played at Purdue and was inducted into the Benedictine Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Running back and kicker Bob Konkoly was inducted into the Benedictine Hall of Fame in 1996.  Jerry Bush was inducted in 2009 and was the first Mr. Benedictine award winner in the spring of 1953.  Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries O.S.B. ’54 was inducted into the Benedictine Hall of Honors in 1993, and was the second Mr. Benedictine award winner in 1954.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

# # #

Safety first… then Bengals rough up Ironmen, 52-18

Recap

September 22, 2012

Benedictine 52, Cleveland Central Catholic 18

            It may have been the most unusual start to a Benedictine football game. But the final score was more typical. A 52-18 victory over North Coast League member Cleveland Central Catholic increased the Bengals all-time series record over the Ironmen to 14-4-0.

                Nowhere in Bengals history could you find a start to a game like this one.

                At the end of the first quarter (not inning), Benedictine led 4-0 as the Bengals blocked two CCC punts out of the end zone. A pair of “Matt”’s Matt Merimee and Matt McCarthy each blocked Ironmen punts to give the Bengals the lead.

                It was a 26-point second quarter that catapulted Benedictine on its way to this easy win.

Senior wide receiver Marshall Howell scored three times before halftime on a 33-yard pass from quarterback Brian Schoeffler and a 20-yard scoring pass from the freshman. He also scored on a one-yard run in the second.

                Sophomore back Jerome Baker added a one-yard scoring run in the second.

                Howell also added a two-point conversion run in the second.

                The Bengals led at halftime 30-6.

                In the third, Howell added his fourth touchdown of the game, this time on a 62-yard pass from Schoeffler. It was the third time they connected for scoring passes in the game.

                Baker then scored his second touchdown on a 14-yard run and with Antonio Robinson’s two-point run gave the Bengals a 44-6 lead near the end of the third.

                Robinson scored the last Bengals touchdown on a two yard run followed by Terrell Clark’s two-point run in the final quarter.

                All three CCC touchdowns were scored on pass plays.

                The game was called with 2:54 left in the contest as the weather conditions, with strong winds and heavy rain, forced the teams to their respective locker rooms.

                The teams never returned to the field as the game was officially called.

                The win gives Benedictine a 3-2 season record with the Bengals to begin North Coast League Blue Division play this week. CCC falls to 2-3 and also begins play in the White Division of the North Coast League.

                Benedictine dominated the stats.

Overall, Benedictine gained 462 yards while CCC had 273 in total offense. The Bengals had 24 first downs while holding the Ironmen to just 10.

It was a heavily penalized game with Central being flagged 14 times for 62 yards and the Bengals 10 times for 82 yards.

NOTES – Two other times the Bengals scored at least 50 points against CCC. In 1995, the Bengals won 54-0 and in 1997, the score was 56-7.

The 314 passing yards by Brian Schoeffler is fourth-best on the all-time school single-game list.

The all-time record is held by Larry Wanke ’86, when he threw for 344 yards in a state playoff victory over Holy Name in 1985.

                Marshall Howell tied a school record held by four other players with 10 receptions (for 190 yards) in a game. The last player to catch 10 passes was Tim Kendig against Columbus DeSales in 2009.

While the two safeties in one game may be unusual, it is not a school record. That happened in 1994 in the 33-0 win over Cleveland John F. Kennedy when the Bengals scored three safeties in the game.

The 52 points, the highest in the Ben Malbasa era, was the most scored by Benedictine since 2000 when the Bengals defeated Rhodes, 52-0.

On the 50^th anniversary (to the day) of the debut of the “Flying B” helmet logo - for two minutes and seven seconds on the game clock in the third quarter, it was almost like 1962 all over again. With 2:14 left in the third quarter, Benedictine put up points to make the score 44-6, matching the final score of that 1962 victory over Valley Forge when the “Flying B” helmet logo debuted. But Cleveland Central Catholic spoiled the nostalgia party. On its next possession, the Ironmen traveled 68 yards in seven plays for a touchdown to make the score 44-12 with just seven seconds left in the third. The final was 52-18.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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“Flying B” helmet logos unveiled in 44-6 win over Valley Forge

This Week in Benedictine History

Week 5

September 22, 1962

 There was a new look for the Bengals when they returned home to John Adams Field on September 22  to face Valley Forge, a new high school in Parma.

After starting the season with an easy 42-0 win over Rhodes, Benedictine traveled to face Toledo Central Catholic the following week. The Bengals lost 16-8 and would try to get back on the winning track.

                This game was important for another reason. It was the first game that the Benedictine new helmet logo, the “Flying B” design was unveiled. It was designed by Athletic Director Joe Rufus, assistant coach Fr. Roger W. Gries O.S.B. ’54 and assistant coach Ed Kubancik ’47. It was patterned after the Green Bay Packers new logo, the oval G. The Packers had appeared in the National Football League championships in 1960 and 1961, winning the title in 1961.

Leading by only 6-0 at half-time, Benedictine exploded for five touchdowns in the second half to rout the inspired Valley Forge team. They easily defeated Valley Forge 44-6. Speedy Sal Collura, a 165-pound halfback, got the Bengals started with a 69-yard scoring run in the first quarter.

                In the second half, Bengals 170-pound fullback Joe Ditchman had two 11-yard touchdown runs to close out long drives of 77 yards and 80 yards in the third. Collura also added a third quarter score rambling 15 yards. The Bengals scored 24 points in the third to put the game out of reach.

                They added scores by Ron Ganim of 37 yards and John Sanders of 15 yards. The conversion points were scored by end John Upthegrove on two passes from Jeff Chorba, and runs by Chorba and Sanders.

                The impressive victory gave the Bengals a third place ranking in the Cleveland Press First 50 poll following the game.

NOTES:

50^th Anniversary of the “Flying B” helmet logo – The 50^th anniversary of the Flying B helmet logo is on Saturday, September 22, 2012 in the afternoon game against Cleveland Central Catholic. It was first used on September 22, 1962, a 44-6 win over Valley Forge and since then has remained unchanged. It is one of the most recognizable helmet logos in Ohio high school football. In October 2003, it was voted in a Cleveland.com poll, as the coolest-looking helmet logo in Northeast Ohio. The on-line poll had the Benedictine logo receiving 35.8 percent of all votes followed by second-place Massillon with 18.8 percent, in third was Strongsville with 10.7 percent while Shaker had 10.3 percent of the votes. The “Flying B” was patterned after the Green Bay Packers oval G logo and actually designed by athletic director Joe Rufus, assistant coach Ed Kubancik ’47 and by then-coach and present Cleveland Auxiliary Bishop Roger Gries O.S.B.  ’54. Rufus and Kubancik (both deceased) are Benedictine Hall of Famers while Bishop Gries is a member of the school’s Hall of Honors. Since the “Flying B” has adorned the helmets, the Bengals have compiled a 343-180-12 record.

The first year that the Bengals used white helmets was in 1955 in Augie Bossu’s first year as head coach. Previously the helmets were blue.

In 1957, the Bengals were the first team to wear numbers on their helmets to make it easier to identify players for fans, newspaper photographers and for coaches watching the game films. Most college teams and many NFL teams had been using this style with the numbers on helmets.

At the end of the 1962 season, Toledo Central Catholic (the Bengals second opponent) was voted as the state’s top team by the Associated Press wire service poll.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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Benedictine 27, Holy Name 23

Recap

September 15, 2012

                In this win over long-time rival Holy Name, Benedictine fell behind early and never led until 11:09 was left in the game.

That’s when Jerome Baker scored on a 40-yard pass play from Brian Schoeffler that completed a 51-yard scoring drive.

Nick Judy kicked his third extra point of the game that gave the Bengals a 27-23 decision.

The winning touchdown was set up by Matt Merimee’s 24-yard interception return. It was Holy Name’s only turnover in the game.

The Green Wave had built a 9-0 lead midway through the second quarter on three Donald Stepic field goals of 22, 36 and 35 yards.

The second quarter was a show of offensive football as each team scored 13 points. The teams scored three touchdowns in a period of just under four minutes at the end of the first half.

After the last Holy Name field goal of 35 yards, Benedictine answered with a Marshall Howell one-yard run with 3:51 left in the second. Howell was instrumental in moving the ball downfield as he caught two passes from Schoeffler that covered 52 and 14 yards. That score cut the Green Wave margin to 9-7.

But Holy Name came right back scoring on a Tre Smith two-yard run to make the score 16-7.

Then Howell added his second touchdown of the night on a two-yard run to bring the Bengals to 16-13. Jerome Baker had the big play of the drive with a 60-yard run that took the ball to the Holy Name 10.

Holy Name led at halftime 16-13 and increased their lead to 23-13 in the third when quarterback Mike Messina hit John Ehrbar on a 38-yard scoring pass and Stepic’s conversion kick. It was the biggest lead in the game.

Taking over at their own 40 after a Holy Name punt, the Bengals needed only three plays to score. It came on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Schoeffler to Howell, his third score of the game. That brought the Bengals closer at 23-20.

It remained that way until Merimee’s interception that led to the Bengals go-ahead touchdown in the fourth.

Jerome Baker had 144 rushing yards in 14 carries. Marshall Howell added six catches for 141 yards. Quarterback Brian Schoeffler was nine of 21 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Dan Piascik had three completions in four attempts for 72 yards.

Overall, the Bengals gained a season-high 424 yards in offense.

The win over Holy Name brings the Bengals record to 2-2.

NOTES – Holy Name is one of the school’s oldest rivals dating back to the first year of football at Benedictine in 1929. That year Holy Name defeated Benedictine 24-0.

Benedictine leads the all-time series record 22-17-3.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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Bengals Beat Bedford 14-12

Recap

Benedictine vs. Bedford

September 7, 2012

                The Benedictine defense did an outstanding job in stating its case as they held the high-scoring Bedford Bearcats to a season-low 12 points. Bedford won its first two games outscoring its first two opponents 108-14.

                The defensive unit allowed the Bengals to grind out a 14-12 victory over their landlord. Benedictine uses Bedford Stadium for its home games.

                Both teams scored a pair of touchdowns in this game.

                The value of special teams was borne out as this tight contest that was decided by the right leg of kicker Nick Judy. His two extra point kicks provided the margin of victory for the Bengals.

                Bedford got on the scoreboard on the game’s first drive.

                A four-play 66-yard drive culminated in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Deon Carter to Deandre Norris. The extra point kick failed for the Bearcats but led 6-0.

                It took a while for the Bengals to reach the end zone, but they twice struck quickly.

                With 2:47 left before halftime, Marshall Howell caught a six-yard pass from Brian Schoeffler to complete a five-play drive. Nick Judy’s kick gave the Bengals a 7-6 lead.

                The touchdown was set up by a Bengals fumble recovery at the Bedford 32.

                On their next drive, the Bearcats turned over the ball again on a pass interception at the Bengals 29.

                On the first play from scrimmage, the Bengals Jerome Baker ran 70 yards to the Bedford one. From there, Antonio Robinson scored on the short run that gave the Bengals their second touchdown of the game.

                Nick Judy split the uprights that gave the Bengals a 14-6 lead with just 32 seconds left before halftime.

                The only score in the second half came on a 37-yard pass play from Deon Carter to Javaun Washington with 7:35 left in the game.

                Possibly, the biggest play of the game came on the two-point play.      

                Quarterback Deon Carter attempted to roll out to his right but the Bengals defense stopped him short of the goal line to preserve the 14-12 lead.

                On the kickoff, the Bengals took over at their own 28 and drove it to the Bedford 25 before the game clock ran out to end the game.

                The Benedictine offense kept the ball in its possession for 15 plays in the last 7:35 of the game. Bedford never got the ball back.

                On offense, the Bengals ran a total of 67 plays from scrimmage to Bedford’s 31.

                Jerome Baker led the Bengals with 128 yards on 22 carries.

                Defensively, the Bengal standouts were linebacker Antonio Robinson with six solo tackles and four assists and Jovon Dawson, who also had a pass interception, with six solos and two assists.

                Dan Piascik picked off two Bedford passes for a total of 20 yards. Matt Merimee had an interception return of 15 yards and a fumble recovery. Lamar Davis also had a fumble recovery.

               

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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This Week in Benedictine History

Week 4

September 13, 1963

Benedictine hands Padua its first football loss, 56-0

Scheduling to play Benedictine on Friday the 13^th was not a good omen for Padua Franciscan.

While most of the area teams opened play on the weekend of September 6-7, Benedictine opened its season on September 13 against the new all-boys parochial high school in Parma, Padua Franciscan.

Padua opened its doors in 1961 and would be fielding its first varsity football team in 1963.

                After winning the first varsity football game in school history over St. John Cantius 12-8 at Cloverleaf Speedway Stadium, Padua then lost its first football game in school history to Benedictine a week later.

                 Benedictine would be short-handed for a few weeks as fullback and co-captain Bob Zelina suffered a broken hand in a scrimmage against Shaw and would be out of action for about one month.

                It didn’t matter, as the Bengals pounded Padua, 56-0, at John Adams Field. The Bruins never had a chance.

                Scoring once in the first period, the Bengals added two in the second to take a 22-0 halftime lead. They added that many points in the third and scored 12 in the final quarter to win easily, 56-0.

                While adding up 412 rushing yards, Benedictine was led by Greg Betts and Joe Palagyi, who each scored twice.

Betts scored on runs of seven and 40 yards, while Palagyi hit paydirt on a pair of one-yard runs.

                Other Bengal scores were by John Sanders on a 3-yard pass from Palagyi, Greg Marn on a 14-yard dash, Glenn Novak on a six-yard jaunt, and Chuck Braschwitz on an 11-yard run.

                The Bengals got two-point conversions from Frank Fink on a run, Betts on a run and Len Rychlik on a pass from Palagyi.  The team also scored on a safety when the Padua center snapped the ball out of the end zone.

               

NOTES:

                Long-time Bengals fans may remember John Adams Field as the home of Benedictine and the other East Senate schools. It was at the start of the 1963 season that the new stands were built on the visitors side of the field with a seating capacity for that section of 3,000.  Earl Ocker, manager of John Adams Field, also announced to the Plain Dealer before the season began that a new ticket booth at the northeastern corner of the field will be open for the Benedictine-Padua football game.

                The 1963 Bengals team finished with a 7-2-1 record securing a spot in the Charity Game for the Cleveland City Championship.

                It was there that Benedictine earned one of its most cherished victories in school history on Thanksgiving morning November 28, when the Bengals defeated St. Ignatius 30-16 to stop the Wildcats from successfully defending their crown and ending their 19-game winning streak.

                Benedictine Hall of Fame class of 2006 inductee, Jim Yacknow (Class of 1964), earned the game’s Most Valuable Player award for his performance. Sadly, Yacknow died in January 2012.

                Because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Friday, November 22, 1963, the National Football League did not play any of its games on the weekend of November 23-24^th.  But the Charity Game went on as scheduled a few days later on Thanksgiving morning.

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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This Week in Benedictine Football

September 6, 1968

Benedictine 12, St. Edward 12

Fit to be tied … again

Nobody went home happy after this game in the season opener at St. Edward field. The Bengals had to rally in the fourth quarter to tie the Eagles 12-12.

It was the second straight tie game between these teams. Last year, they played to a 0-0 draw.

                St. Edward got on the board in the second quarter on the first of two Dave Mooney-to-Bruce Pudlock touchdown passes. This first score covered 15 yards. The conversion kick failed and the Eagles led 6-0 at halftime.

                In the third, the Mooney-to-Pudlock passing combination struck again on a 48-yard scoring pass play. Once again the conversion kick failed with the Eagles leading 12-0.

                The Bengals waited until the fourth quarter to make it a game. They had hurt themselves with three pass interceptions, a fumble and a number of penalties at inopportune times.

                On their first scoring drive, Bengals senior back Denny Kaczmarek went around left end for 40 yards to the St. Ed 15. After a fourth-and-ten pass play was called for interference, the Bengals got new life on the one-yard line and a first down. Junior fullback Woody Vogel plunged from there to make it 12-6 with 9:36 left to play.  A conversion run for two points failed.

                Less than two minutes later, Benedictine blocked a punt and smothered the ball on the Eagles 25. Keeping the ball on the ground, the Bengals rumbled through to pay dirt in nine plays. Kaczmarek went the final two yards. The extra point kick was wide.

                With 1:25 to play in the game, Benedictine intercepted a pass and took over on the Eagles 26.

                With big 6-3, 190 end Gary Barnes getting behind the St. Edward secondary, quarterback Frank Petruziello lofted a perfect pass to him as he trotted into the end zone.

                The wild celebration turned to disappointment after one of the officials dropped a flag against the Bengals and the apparent winning touchdown was called back with just 37 seconds left.

                Benedictine coach Augie Bossu said, “I was proud of the way our kids bounced back but I thought for a minute that we’d won it all.”

                St. Edward coach Joe Paul said, “Two mistakes less and we win by a shutout. We had enough good plays to win it but we gave it away.”

                For the most part, the statistical battle was also very even.

                Benedictine had 12 first downs to St. Edward’s 11. The Eagles led in total offense 221-211. St. Ed gained 117 yards passing and 107 rushing, while the Bengals had 144 rushing and 66 passing.  Probably the biggest disparity was in the penalty yards. St. Edward had 14 yards in penalties, while Benedictine was flagged for 70 yards.

                But the penalty that hurt the Bengals the most was the last one, which took away an incredible come-from-behind victory.

                NOTES – As a football player for the Bengals in this game, Mike Easler did not enjoy nearly as much success as he achieved in baseball. He was an outstanding baseball player, who, as a junior and senior, led the Bengals to baseball City Championships.

                He had planned to attend Ohio University, but was selected by the Houston Astros in the major league baseball draft. Easler was an outfielder who enjoyed a 14 year major league career from 1973 to 1987 with the Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. He was selected as a Major League All-Star in 1981, when the game was played in Cleveland. He was also a member of the 1979 Pirates World Series championship team.

                In a Cleveland Plain Dealer article about him on September 7, 1975, Easler reflected on his days at Benedictine High School and his old coach Augie Bossu.

                “Mr. Bossu’s image keeps shooting back and forth in my mind. Every morning at Benedictine I’d see him go to chapel to pray. He is a successful man. A hard-working man. I remember he always told us, ‘Prayer and hard work equal success.’”

                Gary Barnes was selected as both a Plain Dealer and Cleveland Press All-Scholastic. He later played at the University of Louisville, where he had an outstanding career. In 1972, Barnes earned All-Missouri Valley Conference and Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention honors at end.

                Dave Belin was a senior offensive guard on that Bengals team that tied St. Edward. He said that after Gary Barnes caught what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown catch, he ran downfield to congratulate Barnes.  Then he saw the flag and was disappointed that the touchdown was called back. “I was angry that the call went against us, but at the same time, it made me determined that if we could score against them one time in this drive, then we could do it again,” Belin said recently. “We didn’t score again, but our team had such great confidence in our coaching staff and fellow teammates that we could do it.”

by Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian

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