Editor's note: Strongsville tight end Ray Hamilton is taking readers inside his team's huddle by writing a blog for cleveland.com throughout the 2010 football season. We took care of business Friday night at Mayfield.
Ray Hamilton and his Mustangs teammate go for win No. 6
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(Lonnie Timmons III/The Plain Dealer)
Editor's note: Strongsville tight end Ray Hamilton is taking readers inside his team's huddle by writing a blog for cleveland.com throughout the 2010 football season.
We took care of business Friday night at Mayfield.
Our defense came out, set the tone and the offense came around to seal the deal in a 28-0 win and we embraced a tough task by answering the challenge.
But it got even better a few days later when my best friend since grade school, Aaron White, committed to Iowa for basketball.
"Whitey" and I have been teammates in basketball since third grade through high school when we attended St. Joseph and John's (in Strongsville) School.
I congratulate him on his commitment because it shows his hard work is paying off.
I've been asked a number of questions since Whitey's decision.
A lot of people want to know if we're planning on being roommates since I'll going to Iowa on a football scholarship. My immediate reply is no because it's better for me to choose a football player to room with and better for him to choose a basketball player since both our schedules will be different.
It could be a different story when we're sophomores because there's a possibility we could get a house to live in if we both maintain a certain GPA.
The other most popular question I've been asked is did I help recruit Aaron and that reply is yes and no.
Aaron and I talked about it when we both started being recruited as high school freshmen but can to the conclusion we both needed to do what is best for ourselves. We did talk about how cool it would be if we ended up at the same place, but at the same time, I didn't even think there was a chance.
I was over Aaron's house this summer when he got the text from his AAU coach saying that Iowa had a scholarship offer for him, just a few weeks after I made my commitment.
I was excited and encouraged him to take a visit, but at the same time I told him to do what is best for him and his family. The rest is history.
This is Brunswick Week and if you're from Strongsville, you know there's always a little extra buzz in school leading up to this game and everyone will be bumped.
We have a short week of school but will go about our preparation as a normally as possible. We'll have the opportunity to use the extra time we have off to watch game film and take advantage of every little thing we can to get ready.
This rivalry is one of the best in Northeastern Ohio. It's about a 10-minute drive between the two schools and both have very good athletic programs which have been battling since the days of the old Pioneer Conference.
Coach (Russ) Jacques said it best after Friday's game: "If you can't get ready for Brunswick, then there is something wrong with you."
We need to keep the ball rolling, but need to keep in mind that Brunswick is a very dangerous and good football team. We must turn the swag up even more, be more physical and continue to focus more and more as game day approaches.