Kenston ready to soar after abbreviated 2020

The heart of Kenston football coach Jeff Grubich pounded harder and faster than it had in quite a while as he walked across the allweather track and onto the football field.

“I’m nervous,” Grubich said, confiding in senior tight end Ryan Miller as the two walked. “I haven’t been this nervous in a few years.”

Miller, an Indiana recruit, nodded in agreement.

“Me too,” he told his coach.

This wasn’t a conversation held between coach and player as they took to the field for the 2018 Division III state championship game.

Nor was it a conversation from 2019 when Kenston was the top-ranked Division III team in Ohio heading into the playoffs.

This conversation took place barely a few weeks ago.

It took place as the Bombers were preparing for their 2021 scrimmage debut against visiting Mentor and Warren Harding.

“I think the potential is there,” he said. “Now we’ve got to tap into it.”

Hence the source of Grubich’s nerves.

Like every other football program across the area, state and nation, the Kenston Bombers battled

through a COVID-ridden 2020 season. It was a season filled with protocols, on-the-fly adjustments, last-minute cancellations and turmoil courtesy of the novel coronavirus. For Kenston — and again, many others across the nation — the COVID-shortened season disrupted what was expected to be a season of growth.

After Grubich & Co. won the Division III state championship

game in convincing fashion over Kettering Alter, 42-6, on Nov. 30, 2018, and a decorated 2019 season with a loaded senior class, the Bombers expected some growing pains in 2020.

What they didn’t expect was for a national pandemic to hit and potentially stunt the team’s growth.

Armed with pretty much the same team he had at his disposal in the COVIDravaged

2020 season, Grubich is guardedly optimistic heading into this season The only “problem” is that COVID limited his team to only seven games last year. So the Bombers didn’t get a full season worth of rebuilding — or reloading, depending on your point of view.

But the goals are there in black and white, written on the team’s T-shirts and on the wall at the Gurd field house.

“Ten in a row and Week 11 at home,” Miller said. “That’s what we’re shooting for.”

The 2020 season was a clinic in starting and stopping. After a late start to workouts, Kenston had its season-opener with Mayfield nixed because of COVID. A Week 5 game with Orrville was wiped out for the same reason.

That means the Bombers were only 2-2, with wins over Madison and South, heading into a playoff season in which every team in Ohio was permitted to play postseason games.

More importantly, the Bombers didn’t have time to digest the new offense it had put in after the 2019 season.

While last year didn’t end like anyone at Kenston wanted — with a 3-4 record — it did give the thenyouthful Bombers a jump start on this season.

Once things returned to normal this past spring, workouts in the weight room ramped up and the Bombers set their sights on what they hope and believe will be a banner 2021 season, armed with a loaded offense and hungry defense.

Back are quarterback Nikko Georgiou and a stellar group of receivers such as Miller (who can play tight end or receiver), fleetfooted J.P. Germano and electric Carson Gerbeau.

Ben DeMarco and Sean Patrick are big-hitter playmakers and running back. The Doyle brothers — Cale and Sean — return to anchor the offensive line again.

On the defensive side, eight starters return.

“We’ve been looking forward to this,” Georgiou said of a 2021 reclamation project. “We put in a new offense last year. We’ve got it down a lot more than we did last year.”

In their free time, players got together and ran routes. They lifted. They studied.

All to get back what they might have lost by an abbreviated 2020 season.

“We only got in about 24 quarters last year,” Grubich said. “It was tough, especially you have a plan on developing a young team. You wonder how you’re going to make up for the time you lost, but they’ve put in the work.”

If the scrimmage with Mentor and Warren Harding is any indication, the Bombers are going to be just fine.

Georgiou, a year older and a year bigger physically, scanned defensive looks and made the throws.

The receiving group is as advertised — athletic and sure-handed. Patrick is a game-changer at running back.

TIM PHILLIS — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Kenston celebrates during its Aug. 6scrimmage with Mentor and Warren Harding.