The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Football, holiday seasons overlap
Grubich coaches state finalist, owns Christmas tree farm
Jeff Grubich is a busy guy these days.
Grubich and his wife are the owners of Howling Pines Tree Farm, located at 10480 E. Washington St. in Chagrin Falls.
With the Christmas season upon us, it’s a busy time at the tree farm, with customers buying their Christmas trees.
Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue. This isn’t a normal year.
Grubich isn’t just a tree farmer. He’s the head coach of the Kenston football team, which will play Kettering Alter in the Division III state championship game at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
“I’m like Kevin Costner — this is my Field of Dreams,” Grubich said of Howling Pines. “How are we gonna do it this week? I don’t know. I have an allpoints bulletin out to find help right now.”
The farm opened the day after Thanksgiving, but Grubich couldn’t be there because he and the Bombers were in New Philadelphia for the state semifinal game against Columbus Eastmoor Academy.
Instead of selling trees on Nov. 25, Grubich and his staff were at the school breaking down film of Kettering Alter.
The team has practice all week after school, where Grubich is a teacher. Then the state final is on a Friday, another big treeselling day.
Former Kenston player Tommy Murtaugh has been helping out at the farm, with Jeff’s father Steve Grubich and brother-in-law Micah Sanders also doing yeoman’s work helping out the family while football season is going on.
“It’s busy,” Grubich said of juggling football and Christmas, “but it’s a good problem to have. People are coming left and right to cut their own trees. It’s a fun time of year.”
Not just at the Christmas tree farm, but also on the football field.
Kenston is in the state championship game for the first time since 1996.
“It’s amazing. Simply amazing,” Grubich said. “I told the guys in the postgame huddle — all of the parents and community members had swarmed the field and surrounded us — that this is what high school football is all about. It’s a group of guys that have been together their entire lives and they’re living out a dream.”
The Kenston community made sure the moment didn’t pass without proper recognition. Police chief John Bokovitz organized a police escort when the team arrived back into town, meeting the buses near Route 422 and leading them back to the school where they received a hero’s welcome.
Grubich told Bokovitz to save the escort for the day the Bombers bring home a state title, but the chief and the town made sure this moment didn’t go unnoticed.
“When we crossed over from Solon in Bainbridge on 422, they brought us home,” Grubich said of the escort. “I kinda thought they might have had something up their sleeve.”
Now Kenston will be going for that elusive state title that evaded the Bombers in their first two tries — both in 1986 and 1995. Former Kenston star linebacker Judah Herman addressed the team last week and prompted them to “finish what we didn’t” at the previous state runs.
In the way is Kettering Alter, a 13-1 team that hasn’t lost since the season-opener.
“Man, they are a good football team,” said Grubich after viewing Alter’s game film for the first time. “They’re big, physical, athletic ... they are the best team we’ve seen since scrimmaging Mentor. But it’s the state finals, so what do you expect?”