Four area high school football teams are knocking on the state title door.
View full sizeIn a scene played out in one form or another at four Northeast Ohio high schools during this state championship week, Chagrin Falls football players Marc Geraci (3) and Dan Driscoll (55), prior to Friday's Div. IV title game against Columbus Bishop Hartley.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Northeast Ohio has four high school teams playing for state football titles this weekend in St. Edward, Maple Heights, Buchtel and Chagrin Falls.
Four teams with men who have never coached their teams to a state title.
Four teams with men who have never been a head coach anywhere else.
Four schools of which only one -- Buchtel -- has won a state title before.
Four teams where probably one school -- Maple Heights -- could have been favored to still be on the field as the calendar turned to December.
"Our goal for the season was ... finish," said Maple Heights coach Todd Filtz.
That's right, just one word: Finish.
The Mustangs were a bit of a surprise last season when they reached the Division II finals in Filtz's second season. They lost, 42-12, to Cincinnati Winton Woods, ending the year at 12-3.
But with star quarterback Shaq Washington and several other key players returning, it's no longer a shock to see Maple Heights back again, playing for the school's first state title Friday against Trotwood-Madison at 7 p.m. in Massillon.
But how about St. Edward in the Division I finals? Did anyone see that coming for the Lakewood school? Yes, the Eagles always have talent, but they were 4-6 in 2009 under rookie head coach Rick Finotti.
Yes, Finotti showed a picture of Canton's Fawcett Stadium -- the site of the finals -- each week when he spoke to his players about leadership, setting goals and character.
View full sizeOur players just don't want to come up short again," said Maple Heights head coach Todd Filtz.But after the uncertainty that came with Finotti being the third head coach in a four-year span -- he lost some players who didn't buy into his demanding style -- who'd imagine the Eagles would be in position to win the school's first state football title when they face Huber Heights Wayne at 7 p.m. Saturday?
Or that Chagrin Falls would return to the Division IV finals to battle Columbus Bishop Hartley Friday at 11 a.m. in Massillon, despite losing 18 seniors from last year's team that fell, 37-7, to Kettering Archbishop Alter in the title game?
"I didn't see this coming," admitted coach Mark Iammarino. "That makes it even more special."
Finally, there's Buchtel in the Division III finals against Columbus Bishop Watterson at 3 p.m. Saturday in Massillon.
Coach Ricky Powers is in his fourth season at the Akron school, his first in the playoffs. He thought the team had the talent. He watched the culture of discipline grow in the past four years, along with the team grade-point average -- which he said rose from barely 2.0 when he took over to 3.1 this season.
"It comes down to the kids," said Powers. "They make it happen. We can preach it, but they have to buy in. For us, coming from an inner-city school, to get this far -- it's a credit to them. And right now, they don't think anyone can beat them."
Reaching the football summit
Six titles on the line, four area schools still alive. That's four out of the 35 area schools that made the playoffs in early November.
View full size"We have a great blend of public and private schools in this area," said Chagrin Falls' Mark Iammarino. "To dig through all that is tough. To do it two years in a row is even harder. It's really a testimony to the players.""We have a great blend of public and private schools in this area," said Chagrin Falls' Iammarino. "Some great coaches and programs with years and years of success. To dig through all that is tough. To do it two years in a row is even harder. It's really a testimony to the players."
None of this guarantees a state title for Northeast Ohio. Just check last year, when Glenville, Maple Heights and Chagrin Falls all reached the finals, and lost.
"Our players just don't want to come up short again," said Maple Heights' Filtz. "This is a different team in that we are undefeated. We went 4-0 when Shaq was hurt, and that really showed me that they were motivated [to get back to the finals]."
The 28-year-old Steubenville native was an assistant for three years at Maple before being promoted to head coach in 2008.
Iammarino has been Chagrin Falls' head coach since 1995. With all the Tigers' recent success, it's difficult to recall he took over a team that was on an 18-game losing streak.
"Then we lost our first eight games, making it 26," he said. "That was in 1995. In 1996, we were 2-8. Since then, we've had winning seasons."
But never a state title.
Then there's Buchtel, where Powers knows exactly what it's like to win the state's biggest game. He did it twice as a star running back for coach Tim Flossie's teams in 1987 and 1988.
View full size"It comes down to the kids," said Powers. "They make it happen. We can preach it, but they have to buy in."Under Powers, Buchtel rose from 2-8 to 5-5 to 7-3 to 11-3. This is his first head coaching job. Given that he took over after former coach Claude Brown lost his job after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual battery for having sex with a student, Powers deserves enormous credit for putting Buchtel back on the right track.
Tough-minded teams
The last area state football title winners were in 2008, St. Ignatius in Division I and Aurora in Division III. Before that, it was Benedictine in 2004 as the Division III winner.
So this looms as a big year for area schools, especially St. Edward. The school has won 40 state titles in sports such as wrestling, hockey, basketball and baseball. But never in football. This is the Eagles' fourth title game, the last being a 31-7 loss to Cincinnati Elder in 2003.
Finotti came to St. Edward in 2009 after being a respected defensive coordinator at Mayfield. He also was an assistant coach on Benedictine's 2004 state title team.
The Eagles knocked off Mentor, Glenville and Solon in the playoffs. They beat traditional powers St. Ignatius and Cincinnati Moeller in the regular season. En route to their 14-0 record, they won six games over teams that were in the 2009 playoffs.
"Many of our players are legacy kids," said Finotti. "They had fathers or older brothers who played football here. They want to not only win this for everyone at the school now, they want to bring it home for those who came before them."
There have been two turning points for the Eagles, Finotti said. The first was a loss to Moeller near the end of the 2009 season.
"We didn't just get beat, we were manhandled," he said. "They physically overpowered us. It showed us that we needed to work harder, to get into the weight room and become more disciplined."
View full size"It's been five weeks of playing under pressure, five weeks of knowing that the next game can be your last," St. Edward's Rick Finotti said about his Eagles, although it applies to Buchtel, Maple Heights and Chagrin Falls as well. "And they have really come through."After that 4-6 season, Finotti announced that no positions were guaranteed. Nor were any jersey numbers.
"Those who had the best attendance in the weight room got to pick their numbers first," he said. "We wanted to reward dedication, not just raw talent."
The next was a 20-3 victory at Cincinnati Elder in Game 5 of this season.
"We went down to Cincinnati the night before and stayed in a hotel," he said. "Then we got up, and had to be out of the hotel by noon. Our game wasn't until 7 p.m. We had a walk through practice in the parking lot. We had to kill time until the game, but stay focused. When we played so well, I knew these players had what was needed mentally to succeed."
On Saturday the Eagles will have 115 players in uniform, including 35 seniors and 35 juniors.
"I am so proud of what these players have done," he said. "It's been five weeks of playing under pressure, five weeks of knowing that the next game can be your last. And they have really come through."
The same can be said of the other three area teams, all with one more game, one more chance to make school history.