The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
A return to normalcy feels so good
A return to normalcy never felt so good.
After a 2020 high school football season that was recapped as “a season unlike any other,” we welcome normalcy — or at least a semblance of normalcy — back to the gridiron.
Thanks to COVID-19, the 2020 season featured delayed starts, a limited number of in-person fans, social distancing among those limited fans, masks and more.
When the season kicks off on Aug. 19, with Lake Catholic traveling to Dover for the 2020 lidlifter, all of that will be in the rearview mirror — forever, we hope, though the Delta variant seems to be rearing its ugly head across the nation.
But for now, it’s normalcy.
And it never felt so good.
So what’s new, besides protocols being lifted and schools trying to figure out how to scrub off the painted circles on their sidelines where players had to socially distance last season? A lot.
For instance:
Conference adjustment
We have a new Catholic conference in our back yard, with the remnants of the old North Coast League creating a new and smaller “Crown Conference.”
The Crown Conference brings Lake Catholic, NDCL, VASJ, Walsh Jesuit and Padua together for a five-team league after spending years and/or decades together in the NCL.
Brush has left the Western Reserve Conference, giving the WRC seven teams as of now, although feelers have been put out to expand to eight or more teams.
A lot of rumors are circulating in that realm.
Kirtland and Harvey have swapped places in the CVC, with the Hornets headed to the bigger-school CVC Chagrin and Harvey going to the smaller-school CVC Valley.
Coaching carousel
Six schools in the NewsHerald area will feature new head coaches this season — Jeff Rotsky at VASJ, Tim Glodowski at Fairport, Rick Lytle at Euclid, Van Monroe at Beachwood, John Scott at Chagrin Falls and Bob Gecewich at Perry Turf wars Wickliffe has installed a brand new artificial turf, and Mayfield had its turf field refurbished this past offseason. Both will be ready to go for opening home games.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said at Chardon, where the new turf installation was botched, delayed and restarted. The new turf is being stretched as we speak and will be ready in a handful of weeks, though Chardon will play one home game at Riverside and two at West Geauga until the project is done.
Expanded playoffs
The OHSAA expanded the postseason so that 16 teams per region qualify. The extra round is why you’re reading this introduction to the season a week earlier than you usually do.
New leaders
The News-Herald area graduated a phenomenal senior class a year ago, including many of the area leaders.
Five of the top passers from last year graduated. The leading QB passingwise back this year is West Geauga’s Danny Stewart who threw for more than 1,300 yards last year as a junior.
The top 11 rushers and top 14 of 15 in The NewsHerald area are all gone. The top returning rusher — Jalen Minter — is not only at a new school (he went from Beachwood to VASJ), but also a new fulltime position (RB-QB to full-time QB).
Two of the top three receivers in The News-Herald area DO return — Kenston’s J.P. Germano and West Geauga’s Torry Stazzone. Each had more than 30 catches last year.
With all the new stuff that’s going on this year, the biggest new addition is the return of fans. Student sections will be back this year, which was a major void year ago.
To be fair, while 2020 was a headache in so many ways and gladly in the rearview mirror, it was a season like no other in one positive regard. Never before in The News-Herald area were two state champions (Division III Chardon and Division V Kirtland), a state runner-up (Lake Catholic) and state final four team (Mentor) all in the same season.
So in that respect, there was a bright silver lining in what was otherwise a season that was memorable for so many wrong reasons.
So as this weekend approaches, take time to be thankful that we got through last year and that this year has at least a semblance of normalcy again. Enjoy.
We all deserve it.