Munch Musings – Friday Night Lights

Photo by Mark Bishop

Friday Night Lights…

Fridays (and some Thursdays, Saturdays plus Friday and Saturday afternoons sprinkled in) mean HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, especially in NE Ohio. From well populated suburbs in the inner ring to outlying cities plus the rural communities so many together as one to root for that home team. Families, neighbors, and those who desire to support their schools and more rally and cheer for their team!

I happened to be a part of the broadcast crew on the Lorain County Sports Network in conjunction with WOBL WDLW Sports who headed out to Lodi to Gene Clark Stadium to call the contest between the visiting Keystone Local School District Wildcats and the host Cloverleaf Athletics Colts. Keystone represents LaGrange while Cloverleaf is made up of 5 (leaves) towns: Lodi, Seville, Westfield, Chatham, and Lafayette! As I drove through bucolic Lorain and Medina Counties I felt that I was truly experiencing American at its best on a Friday night. Farms and small towns dominated the landscape and when I arrived at the home of the Colts I was blown away not only by the Stadium but also by the modern school buildings making up the campus.

Gene Clark Stadium was magnificent with the COLTS statue and the stately brick and wrought iron plus touching emotionally as the flags in the Memorial Plaza (the home of Old Glory plus the Ohio and POW/MIA flags) were at half-mast in sadness over the murders and wounding of the students in Minneapolis and indeed we need to find a cure for this arms pandemic.

The evening was special as I parked and made my way into the Stadium with warm welcomes from all the parents who volunteered to “man and woman” the gates! Now, the 40 rows to the Press Box made for a nice workout as I joined broadcast comrade Dave Rivera and the team. We had a spectacular view and when we went down to chat with the great head coaches the crowds on both sides were filing in.

Now talk about a “Tale of Two Cities”, Keystone was coming off a 39-0 win and Cloverleaf got spanked 41-0 both in week one! I was able to get out to a Wildcats practice during the week and was impressed offensively with the variety of plays: jet sweeps left and right, trips left with one wide right plus the defense showed active LB’s but tackling so aggressive that the coaches had to remind the players the guys were all on the same team.

Both coaches are excellent and good guts plus the hospitality to access on the field before the game was special. Coach Gris (Don Griswold) from Keystone and Justin Vorhies from Cloverleaf rep their schools the right way! I did have to ask Coach Vorhies “what do you say to your young man after a 41-0 loss”, and he replied with a smile “we had a heart to heart, and it was well received.” Another treat for me pregame was looking over at the Colts getting ready and seeing assistant coach Sean Juszczyk, yup the older brother of the San Francisco 49ers Kyle Juszczyk. YUP ROOTS are important. As we left the field the Colts drill and marching band were making their entrance, and it hit me “IT’S TRULY ON.” No doubt too the Tee Shirt of the night read “DON’T FEAR…THE FARMERS ARE HERE”!

I was also really impressed on the coin flip as Keystone won and elected to receive! YES! ATTACK…always attack unless the weather conditions are deplorable and even then I have to think twice about it!

It was fruitful for the Wildcats as returner Wyatt McKee took the kick 85 yards to the house. The PAT was blocked but after telling you about the Week 1 results we figured the rout was on…and how wrong were we plus to sell the young men on the Colts team short was flat out wrong. Now get this to make it even tougher for Cloverleaf…their starting center was sick all week so 225lb RB Austin Spankle played center and two other players (TE Elliot Jordan and RB Adam Gray moved to LT and LG respectively and the two and four holes (between Center and Guard plus Guard and Tackle) on that side of the line were MONEY!!

Now you are really thinking that Keystone breezed through this game? ABSOLUTLEY NOT, and they are one heck of a football team, but Cloverleaf got poked one too many times and came away with a 22-6 victory! Toss in QB Isaac Smith’s one yard run, Jimmy Tolley recovering a botched snap on a punt for a TD plus 3 Austin Suserstic FG’s (30, 41 and 20 yards) and it was all COLTS. Btw Suserstic was our POG (Player of the Game)!

Something else to point out it that both these squads are young; Cloverleaf has 5 seniors and Keystone 6! Don’t forget that old adage “that if a dog is gonna bite he will bite as a pup!” One more interesting fact that truly exemplifies HEART AND SOUL…the Colts have 8 starters that go both ways!

This week the diligent “Diamond Dave Rivera and yours truly will call the Avon Football hosting Glenville Tarblooders game! Check it out on YOU TUBE Lorain County’s “Friday Night Lights” part of the WOBL WDLW Sports coverage!

Friend read more of my musings and other thoughts in words on NEO Sports Insiders. Munch Bishop is powered by the Ken Ganley Automotive Group and Ken Ganley Chevy Of Aurora!

Please take care of each other and remember, it’s YOUR world. PAY ATTENTION. Enjoy every sandwich and for now ADIOS AMIGO, long may you run!