WARREN JOHN F. KENNEDY FOOTBALL Ambeliotis key piece of Eagles' puzzle

The running back has helped put JFK in the Division V state semifinals.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- Running back Anthony Ambeliotis entered the world in April, 1986.
Although the John F. Kennedy High senior wasn't born a running back, he's currently playing that way.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Ambeliotis ran for three touchdowns against Lisbon and, with the help of strong defense, JFK managed to smother its third straight playoff opponent.
While Ambeliotis galloped for scores of 1, 28 and 2 yards, Shane Golden returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown, quarterback John DiFiore had one 20-yard tally plus a conversion run and Russ Accordino kicked three PATs.
Those names and numbers sum up JFK's latest success in a string of dominating performances in which the Eagles have outscored their opponents, 118-41.
Development
When the son of Nick and Maribeth Ambeliotis reached the fifth grade at St. Mary's Middle School, he was playing for the Warren Little Eagles. As a sixth-grader, he played for the Howland Little Tigers. In junior high, he played for the Trumbull County Saints.
As an eight-grader, Ambeliotis became a running back.
"I played with a lot of guys who are currently at Warren Harding and then with a lot who are at Howland High," the 17-year-old said.
At JFK, Ambelitois -- who is of half-Greek and half-Italian descent -- was on a freshman team that went 5-3, then played as a nickel-back defender as a sophomore.
"We had Josh Cayson that year, so the only offense I played was a little receiver," he said.
The Eagles finished 10-2 that year and 5-5 his junior season.
He broke an ankle in last year's season opener against Newton Falls and didn't return until the sixth game. He resumed running back duties full-time for the final three games.
Through 13 games this year, Ambelitois has gained 1,288 yards on 252 carries behind the line of center A.J. Seifert, right tackle Rocco Bello, left tackle Adam Snyder, left guard Ryan Keller, right guard Steve Telego and tight ends Jim Kokrak and Bryan Markle.
In JFK's spread offense, Ambeliotis is either the lone companion of quarterback John DiFiore or he's one of five receivers.
"Coming together"
Although the Eagles have made winning look easy, the results are rooted in an intangible.
"As the games go on, we're learning to play more and more as a team," said Ambeliotis. "We're coming together at the right time and that's important. We've taken on a different attitude. We're all business -- more serious -- and that includes practice. We have a goal and we're out to get it. We're playing our best ball of the year right now and it couldn't be any better timing."
With Anthony Elzy as his backup, Ambeliotis feels comfortable and said the offense is in a rhythm.
His priority is turnover avoidance and he's done a good job of it, with one fumble against Newton Falls on the third play of the season and two more against Smithville.
"It's important, especially in the playoffs," he said. "If you turn it over now, it'll come back to bite you."
When he isn't running the ball, Ambelitois' duty as a receiver is to block or catch a short pass.
The zone play or the counter are his favorite plays.
On the zone play, Ambeliotis tries to find a soft spot where the line is blocking.
"They block man-on-man. There's no set hole or anything," he said.
On the counter, a guard and tackle pull to lead the blocking and Ambeliotis follows.
He's still used, defensively, as a nickel back near the end of the first half or at the end of the game or when an opponent is pass-oriented.
"I guess Amanda-Clearcreek's defense is very good against the run," he said. "They've only allowed one team to go over 100 yards against them. We need a good week of practice because we have to play our best game of the year to beat the best team we've played so far."
Family ties
Anthony's father played football for Warren Harding and graduated in 1979. His mother is a JFK graduate.
"They knew each other in high school," said Ambeliotis, whose older brother, Michael, played baseball at JFK. A younger brother, Nick, is at St. Mary's and sister Nicole is a freshman cheerleader at Kennedy.
Ambeliotis takes pride in his attitude and in fighting for yardage.
"I don't give up," he said. "If we're down, I try to stay positive; when I get hit, I keep moving and try to go north and south."
He isn't the fastest Eagle, but he is a member of Kennedy's 4x100 relay team that comprises three other football players: Golden, Adam Rossi and Jack Henderson.
If there's such a thing as a born-again running back, Ambeliotis is it.
bassetti@vindy.com