The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Rotsky ‘pleased’ with Euclid’s physicality
Mentor runs past Massillon Jackson, Riverside sharp blanking John Hay
When you graduate as many starters as Euclid has the past two springs, scrimmages are a golden opportunity for newbies to get their feet wet.
The Panthers got their feet wet in more ways than one Aug. 11, first by a deluge of a thunderstorm that delayed the scrimmage for more than an hour, and then in a spirited scrimmage against visiting Cardinal Mooney.
Playing on the new artificial turf at Sparky DiBiasio Stadium for the first time this preseason, Euclid scored a handful of touchdowns against the Cardinals. And even though the Panthers gave up some scores, too, to Mooney — considered a state contender in Division IV — Coach Jeff Rotsky came away generally pleased.
“You’re never totally satisfied, but I was pleased with our physicality today,” Rotsky said. “Mooney is one of the most physical teams. Today was no joke. But our kids brought it.”
Unveiling an entirely new skill set from a year ago, Euclid got solid quarterback play from Cee Jay Hale and Aubrey Shabazz — a transfer from VASJ.
The running back trio of Ronald Lee, Reggie Wilkerson and Brandon Wright chewed up significant yardage behind a largely new offensive line.
“We ran the ball very effectively,” Rotsky said. “Ronald Lee broke two long touchdowns, Brandon broke a long one. We did some good things. Even with the 2s got in, they did some good things.”
Mooney has a trio of players offered by the University of Kentucky, Rotsky said, including standout quarterback Antonio Page. Page hit Nico Marchionda twice on backside drag patterns for touchdowns. Euclid played without a few starters, including University of Cincinnati commit Arquon Bush.
“Every single person on the back end of our defense today had never played a varsity football game before,” Rotsky said. “After the storm passed, we played very, very well on both sides of the ball. That’s a very good team. That was a good scrimmage for us.”
Euclid finishes up its scrimmage schedule at Lorain on Aug. 17.
Mentor runs over Massillon Jackson
In each of the past two seasons, Mentor quarterback Tadas Tatarunas has thrown for more than 2,000 yards.
The way the Cardinals are running the ball this preseason, it appears as though Mentor’s offense in 2017 could feature a strong running game as well.
Chris Edmonds ran for a pair of touchdowns and Nick Saginario ran for another as Mentor went on the road for a 21-0 win at Massillon Jackson in a quarter of gamesimulation scrimmage.
“We ran the ball really well. Really well,” said Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno, repeating his words for an exclamation point. “I was happy.
“When you run the ball like that, you can keep the defense fresh and off the field a little more. We ran 30 plays in a quarter. The defense didn’t have to play as much.”
Saginario capped an 80yard drive on the scrimmage’s first possession. Edmonds’ two touchdown jaunts were of 35 and 20 yards.
“We’ll see how it pans out,” Trivisonno said when asked if his team will run the ball to set up the pass. “We’re still pretty good at throwing the ball. It’s going to be a goodbalance situation.”
Equally as impressive was a defensive effort that kept the Polar Bears out of the end zone.
Linebacker Mike Brey had a strong game, as did cornerbacks Will Laganke — a returning starter — and Billy Gorka, a first-year starter.
After a scrimmage earlier this week with Kenston, Berea-Midpark and Sandusky Perkins, Trivisonno said he wanted more aggressiveness on defense.
“I liked how we played,” he said of the second scrimmage. “We ran to the ball and did some good things.”
Mentor’s final scrimmage will be against Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.) on Aug. 17.
Riverside locks down John Hay
It took a while to get going, but Riverside dominated in a scrimmage against visiting John Hay at LaMuth Junior High.
The scrimmage was delayed for nearly two hours because of thunder and lightning.
Once it started, the Beavers got a pair of touchdown passes from Nate Sleek to Rolo Claudio — coupled with a strong defensive performance — in a 2-0 shutout of John Hay.
John Hay is coached by Rodney Decipeda, who was a Chardon Class of 1992 graduate along with Riverside coach Dave Bors.
“We got 50 plays in on each side of the ball,” Bors said. “It was pretty much close to dark when we finished, but it was a good night for us.”
The leadership of returning starter Sleek is a plus for the Beavers this year. Claudio saw varsity time last year as a defensive back, but Bors said his two-touchdown night in the John Hay scrimmage was “more like his coming-out party.” Bors praised Sleek. “Anytime you have someone coming back, especially at quarterback, it’s to your benefit,” he said. “Nate had a really good offseason. We’re glad he’s back there. He’s definitely earned what he’s getting.”
Defensively, Bors was happy with the shutdown effort.
“We saw a lot of guys doing their own job and covering for each other,” he said. “That makes the entire defensive unit do well.”
Riverside caps its scrimmage schedule Aug 18 at Brecksville-Broadview Heights.
“It’s a good test for us, a playoff team in our region,” Bors said.