It's nice to know we still matter, even it's just this one little thing, this piece of Americana to which we've given so much, this slice of life that is high school football.
View full sizeFor Bradley Munday (33), Chagrin Falls teammate Alex Forbes and the coaches and players at St. Edward, Maple Heights and Buchtel, their hard work gives local high school football fans something to cherish for years to come.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's nice to know we still matter, even it's just this one little thing, this piece of Americana to which we've given so much, this slice of life that is high school football.
Outsiders would have us believe we no longer matter because one narcissistic basketball player left town. He returns this week to a place where still we have so much to celebrate.
Greater Cleveland and Akron will send four teams to the state high school football finals in Canton and Massillon on Friday and Saturday -- St. Edward, Maple Heights, Buchtel and Chagrin Falls. That won't matter a lick to the national media pouring into town Thursday for the Heat-Cavaliers game at The Q. But it matters to us.
High school football is woven into the fabric of our communities, more so than the ups and downs of a pro franchise. The kids and coaches come and go, but the loyalties remain to our schools because we were once them, and soon they will be us, and another generation will earn our admiration.
The four local teams represent four unique perspectives on Ohio football.
St. Edward is a private school whose fan base is as fanatical as any, and yearns for a state title more than most. This team, blessed with a deep reservoir of talent gathered far and wide, has built a strong brotherhood that seems to grow with each victory. They are thriving amid astronomical expectations and are embracing the challenge of winning the school's first football championship.
While being a private school will raise hackles among those who want a separation of private and public, let's put that aside for one week and enjoy watching a terrific team with the best offensive line this area has seen in a long time.
For too long, Maple Heights was dismissed because of an unfair urban stereotype -- black kids with speed. The secret to coach Todd Filtz's team is that this group shatters another stereotype, that urban football is chaos and the cure is raw talent.
Maple plays smart, disciplined football. There are few penalties, few mistakes, and they make terrific adjustments week to week and during games. The Mustangs prove that good football is fundamental football, no matter where it's played. And isn't it refreshing to hear their star player, quarterback Shaq Washington, speak of winning one for the city of Maple Heights? I swear that kid has a future in politics.
Down in my hometown, Buchtel getting to the finals demonstrates what happens when those who believe are those who can, and those who can are those who do. Coach Ricky Powers has his team believing and doing what no one else saw coming -- steamrollering its way to the state final. What they did to No. 1-ranked Marlington in a 52-8 semifinal win was stunning.
This is a wonderful story -- the 39-year-old Powers restoring Buchtel. He played on the Griffins' 1987 and 1988 state championship teams, which were the first metropolitan school district teams in Ohio to win state titles. As coach, he wants his kids to win at life and respect the game, and let winning on the field follow. He's a perfect fit, and one I hope stays in place a long time.
Finally, there's Chagrin Falls. If Norman Rockwell had set up shop there instead of Stockbridge, Mass., he would have had more to work with. Talk about a quaint town, and quaint in this case does not mean soft. This is a football town now. Back-to-back state finals make it so.
For whatever reason, football talent has always flowed like the Chagrin River does through town. Coach Mark Iammarino has built a proverbial gridiron dam to power his program. They lost 22 seniors last year -- normally a devastating blow in Division IV -- and still made it back to the state finals. There's a lot of young talent on this team, as well. Talk about painting a bright future.
So, after the circus leaves town Thursday night and everything settles back to our normal Friday, we'll still be here, rooting for our true hometown heroes. Our kids. The ones who really matter.