The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Madison honors longtime supporter
Mike Martin’s body and mind were at Dick Hamblin Field on Aug. 30, but his heart was somewhere else.
Martin, the longtime offensive coordinator for the Madison Blue Streaks, lost his father, Barry, on Aug. 15 to a stroke caused by a blood clot.
Barry Martin was a supporter of Madison football for more than three decades, and was also a founding member of the program’s Gridiron Club.
To honor one of the most influential men in programs history, Madison coach Tim Willis ordered “BM” stickers for all of the players to wear on their helmets. A moment of silence was held prior to the game for Barry, who died at age 68.
Both acts of kindness were done without Mike Martin knowing.
“It’ll never been the same again,” said Martin of not having his father with him. “He is so much part of who I am as a person, a man and as a coach. It won’t be the same for me again. It doesn’t mean it can’t be better, beneficial or helpful, but it won’t be the same.
“I didn’t know about the stickers or the moment of silence. That really touched me.”
When Tim Willis joined the Madison program 30 years ago, Barry Martin stepped to the forefront to breathe life into the Madison Gridiron Club. He and his wife, Denise, were president-vice president for a number of years.
“Pop kind of took the reins,” Mike Martin said. “It was the first time the program had a situation of ‘what do you need? you got it.’” Willis agreed.
“His dad was such a big part of starting our Gridirong Club, ever since I got there,” he said. “Every program has a couple of guys like that, just special to the program, and he’s one of them.
“It’s hard on us — especially Mike. (Barry) meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Mike Martin said his father had a massive stroke in 2009, and that the family was “blessed to have him” for another decade. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in July and underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove it.
While Barry Martin did return home in August, he had a stroke.
“I got a call before practice (Aug. 15) and said the family had to come now,” Martin said. “We lost him that evening.”
Madison’s game against visiting Geneva in the season-opener on Aug. 30 was the first time in years Martin didn’t have his father with him at the game.
“Aside from the losing part, Friday was one of the most excruciating days of my life,” Martin said. “Going out, getting ready for the game, going through warmups and looking over and Pop wasn’t at the fence, no handshake as I go up to the pressbox ... it was so hard.
“All the support the last two weeks has been overwhelming and appreciated. Friday night, with the stickers and tribute, was a culmination of that. It was extremely difficult, but it was fitting. That man deserved
it.”
Hilltoppers’ Trivisonno shines
Convincing Joey Trivisonno that the football field is a good place for him to be on Friday nights has never been the easiest thing for Chardon coach Mitch Hewitt to do.
But he sure is glad Trivisonno agreed.
Trivisonno is an established baseball player who has plans to play at the college level in that sport.
“We drag him out every year,” Hewitt said with a laugh. “We’ve fought to keep him out. We told him playing Friday night football will sharpen his competitive spirit and add a lot. Thankfully, he made the decision.”
With regular starting quarterback Max Vujaklija out with a knee injury, Trivisonno got his first varsity start at quarterback on Aug. 30. He ran for three touchdowns and threw for another in Chardon’s 41-3 win over West Geauga.
Piloting Chardon’s vaunted run-oriented offense, Trivisonno ran 11 times for 53 yards with touchdown runs of 6, 23 and 3 yards. He also completed 5 of 7 passes for 125 yards, including a 26-yard scoring strike to Nathaniel Sulka.
“I don’t know where it ranks on performances,” Hewitt said. “But it was a unique situation. I don’t even know what string to call him coming in. He wasn’t even on the depth chart (at quarterback). He also plays safety for us, and he’ll go back when Max is cleared. But he’ll still carry the ball for us.”
Vujaklija is expected to return for this week’s game at Perry.
‘Goode’ start
Benedictine coach Jarritt Goode had a victorious debut while defeating Youngstown Ursuline, 5226.
The 52 points scored in his opener is second only to legendary coach Augie Bossu, for whom Goode
played in the early 1990s. Bossu’s first game as Bengals coach was a 53-6 win over Holy Name in 1955.
Goode’s debut came at Stambaugh Stadium, where he reached collegiate glory as a starting defensive end for the 1997 Youngstown State Division I-AA national championship team coached by Jim Tressel.
School record
As reported after Perry’s 63-54 win over visiting Riverside, the nine touchdown passes in a game ties a state record for the most touchdown passes in a game.
It is also — understandably — a school record. The nine touchdown tosses by Schiano bests the previous Perry record of six in a game set in 2016 by Kolston Brewster in a 42-41 overtime win against Peninsula Woodridge.
Brewster is a freshman quarterback at Lake Erie College now.
Breakthrough
One of the biggest stories of the 2018 football season was the performance of Riverside senior quarterback Andrew Keller.
Keller led Riverside to a co-championship in the Western Reserve Conference and to the program’s first postseason win.
Replacing him was going to be a chore for the Beavers this season.
If the season-opening game against Perry, a 6354 loss, is any indication, first-year starter Dom Lulow is up to the challenge.
Lulow completed 24 of 42 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
Lulow spread the ball around to seven receivers. Topping the list were Matthew Spofford (seven catches, 83 yards, one touchdown) and Matt Watson (five catches, 35 yards, one touchdown)) and Cayman Locher (four catches, 63 yards).
“He did a great job,” Coach Dave Bors said. “Sometimes, to his credit, he tried to do too much.