The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
With school facing likely end, Newbury strives for big finale
As football players waited for picture day Aug. 12 at Newbury, the hallways were filled with bustle, much like they have since right after the datestone was placed at the top of the school in 1928. Generations of families in a community deeply proud of its small-town roots have walked through the doors at the corner of Route 87 and Auburn Road and left their imprint. Their legacy and pride are felt in the present day. There are the pictures of the great athletes of yesteryear. The trophies earned through dedication and sacrifice. The mural of a Black Knight, and the knight’s armor on the stage in the cafeteria. “I’m aware of (the history) quite a bit, because I spend a lot of time with my wrestling coach, and he’s from around here,” Newbury standout senior tight end and defensive tackle Mitch Sanders said. “So it seems like every time I go somewhere, I meet someone, ‘Oh, he was on the (1986) state championship wrestling team, or he went undefeated in whatever year in football as a quarterback.’ “You sit back and you look at it, and it’s like, ‘Wow, they actually had a lot of accomplishments in the years we’ve been around.’ “For 91 years, Newbury has fought valiantly, at many junctures with its size as an underdog, to forge its identity and accumulate those accomplishments. And in 2019, never has that quest meant more. Because the end is near. In January, Newbury’s school board — amid a clear pattern of declining enrollment and financial constraints in the district — announced it was taking the necessary steps to seek consolidation with West Geauga. There are 49 boys and 44 girls in grades 10-12 according to the last OHSAA enrollment figures. The goal would be for the consolidation to take effect for the 2020-21 school year. In turn, should that come to fruition as proposed, this is the final year for Newbury — including on the gridiron. For Coach Ryan Williams and the 19 players he has out for football this fall, it’s a responsibility not taken lightly. “Nobody really looks at Newbury as a football powerhouse, as kind of a small school,” Williams said.
“But every game, we come out and compete with everybody. We win some. We lose some. But teams know that they’ll be in for a battle for it. “This year is obviously a little bit different. This is probably going to be the last season. So we’ve used that as a little bit of a rallying cry.” Going back to six-man football in the old Geauga County League, the Black Knights have had their moments to savor.
They logged unbeaten campaigns in 1951, 1955 and 1963. They had a stretch during which they went 24-3 from 1967-69 under George Cervenka. More recently, there’s been workhorse running back Justin Yates’ 2,266yard, 24-touchdown season in 1998, third in News-Herald coverage area history. And there were the late charges for the playoffs in 2016 and 2017, led by the prolific Johnny Chambers. “It’s really fun, because football is just Friday night lights — everyone loves it,” junior center and defensive end John Tropf said. “It brings everyone in. Even if you have a kid in the school or not, everyone wants to be there. You talk to people, and they say, ‘I checked the newspaper every morning.’ Everyone wants to see how Newbury football does. “We’re small, so you might not expect much. But we just go out and show them how good we really are.” Part of the mettle that has captured the hearts of their community and their neighbors has been earned under challenging circumstances as well. In 2015, the Black Knights had to cancel their final three games when, as a result of injuries, they were down to 12 healthy players. In 2008, Newbury hovered between 11 and 15 players, at times perilously close to not being able to put a full squad on the field, but finished the season anyway, heads held high. Among the honors in the trophy case is a plaque honoring that team and their “dedication to the game of football.” For this 2019 edition, the Black Knights return six two-way starters and boast experience on the lines and at linebacker. As they waited for their picture day, a conversation was overheard with one player asking another about a memory from their freshman year. Memories, in this unique circumstance, carry more resonance. “I definitely find myself reminiscing about my past years more than I would have,” senior left guard and linebacker Jacob Orms said, “because I don’t get the fact of coming back.” That’s what makes this upcoming finale so tough. Many of the families in Newbury have multiple children who go through the school district, each with their own story of watching their hometown team and then contributing to that cause themselves. Williams, who knows the small-school bond well as a Tuscarawas Central Catholic graduate, joked about how he’s surprised he hasn’t had a Munn yet, one of the more well-known families in Newbury lore. Sanders smiled and laughed as he recalled being a youth player on a side yard adjacent to the high school game and the football from their game going onto the high school field and hearing vociferously about it. “I think it’s just kind of weird that after this year, we’re not going to have games to come back to, whenever we’re home from college or whatever,” Sanders said. “I remember, before I was playing football when I was in junior high and elementary, coming and watching the games and seeing a lot of my older brother’s friends back from college. I think it’s just going to be weird not having that anymore.” Which is exactly why these Black Knights want to finish with a flourish. Coming off a 2-8 campaign, it’s not going to be easy. Truthfully, for large stretches, it hasn’t been in this corner of Geauga County. But one final time, they’re ready to fight for it. With North qualifying for the playoffs in 2017, Newbury is the last NewsHerald coverage area school that has never made the playoffs. Typically, in Division VII, Region 25, getting around .500 will at least yield a chance in the stretch run at Week 11. Nothing would please the team and its community more than to have that chance, especially now. The bustle will depart, and the end may be near. But the legacy, hopefully, isn’t going anywhere, with one last memorable chapter to go.
“I hope they remember, even with the small numbers, they’re not going to forget how hard we worked,” Tropf said. “We went out there, and you see guys flying across the field and just everyone going as hard as they can. We’re going to be remembered as small, but mighty.” Added senior running back and linebacker Julian Cicchella: “I think one of the big things I like about Newbury, it’s not really a school as much as it is a family. Everybody here is pretty tight. Stuff we do here, it’s almost like a brotherhood. Hopefully, that lives on.”