1991 FOOTBALL Warren Kennedy makes the most of opportunity

The Eagles thought they didn't make the playoffs, then won the state title.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- Hope had been drained from John F. Kennedy's 1991 football team.
A 6-0 start had been ruined by lackluster play and capped by defeat in the regular-season finale against Poland.
There was nowhere left to turn but the cold, lifeless off-season and a 7-3 record. Postseason possibilities looked bleak.
"Our equipment man was a priest, and he said we should turn our equipment in," coach Tony Napolet remembered.
Hanging on to hope
The Eagles must have believed in miracles. Or maybe they just believed, because the next morning JFK learned it had qualified for the playoffs.
"Everything that could happen for us, did happen," Napolet said. "Everything went right. Nothing went wrong. That's how we just eked in."
That opportunity to continue their season was all the Eagles needed. One month later, they reigned over Division IV after defeating Springfield Catholic Central for the state championship.
"I remember Coach Napolet saying we were going to refuse the playoff bid if we weren't going to get it together," recalled Tim McNeil, a wide receiver and safety on the team.
"He was going to call the state and tell them we weren't coming."
Call it a timely motivational ploy from Napolet, a first-year coach who took over the Eagles late in the summer after coach Denny Zolciak moved to Twinsburg.
Napolet, whose focus centered on a car wash he had just bought, quickly gathered his staff and went to work.
"We were going into the season without a coach. Alumni came back and ran conditioning," McNeil said. "That's when Coach Napolet said he would take the team."
Change of philosophy
Throughout the regular season, JFK had developed a reputation for throwing the ball by using the arm of quarterback Guy Esposito.
After the Eagles qualified for the playoffs, Napolet and his coaches made a brave, bold decision that worked to perfection.
Instead of utilizing its usual passing attack, Napolet turned his team into a running threat by putting Anthony Antolini behind center and inserting an option offense.
"That's a compliment to the coaches because it was their suggestion," Napolet admitted. "I was kind of skeptical. You win seven games with one [style] and now you're going to switch? Thank God, I listened."
McNeil, who became a decoy at wide receiver, added, "I don't think teams knew how to prepare for us. We went from being Florida State to old Oklahoma."
Familiar opponent
JFK opened the postseason against rival Campbell, which had won 32-12 in the regular season.
"We took Campbell by surprise," McNeil said of the rematch. "I remember the bus ride over to Boardman. You could have heard a pin drop, it was so intense."
The Eagles maintained their focus and beat Campbell 34-6.
"Once we did that, geez oh man, we can beat anybody," McNeil remembered thinking.
That carried them through the playoffs -- wins against Gates Mills Hawken and Steubenville Catholic Central -- and into the state championship game.
"It's a tribute to the kids," Napolet said of the championship. "Everybody knows the Xs and Os, but you've got to have the players. If they are determined to get it done, it makes things easier."
richesson@vindy.com