Team

Western Reserve

Record	Div.	Conf.
8/3	Div. VII	Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference

By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

BERLIN CENTER

They say that first impressions are lasting impressions, which might explain why Western Reserve superintendent Jeffrey Zatchok vividly recalls his first meeting with Blue Devils coach Andy Hake.

At the time, Zatchok was the district’s high school principal. He was also a member of the search committee assembled to interview and hire the Blue Devils’ next football coach.

Hake was a 29-year-old assistant coach looking to take over the Devils’ program.

“So the committee has a long list of questions that we’re going to ask Andy,” Zatchok recalls. “We ask him the first question, and we didn’t say another word for the next 45 minutes. Andy took over the interview with his enthusiasm, and just never stopped.

“It was the most unusual interview I have ever been a part of, but in a good way. When Andy left, we just all looked at each other and we were like, ‘Wow! If he can get a group of adults this enthused, what can he do to a group of teenagers?’”

Five years later, the answer is clear.

Hake can get a group of teenagers to play football with the best of them.

On Saturday, Western Reserve will begin its playoff trek when it hosts Garfield Heights Trinity (4-6) in a Division VII regional quarterfinal game. The Blue Devils earned the right to host the first-round game after finishing atop the Region 23 ratings with a 10-0 record.

In Hake’s five years at the school, Western Reserve owns a 46-4 regular-season record, and an overall mark of 50-8, which includes five trips to the playoffs. Under Hake, the Blue Devils advanced to the state semifinals (2011), put together a pair of undefeated seasons (2011, 2013) and just won their third straight Inter-Tri County League Tier Two title.

Western Reserve has won 18 consecutive regular-season games, and 22 straight against ITCL foes.

“Though the run has been quite remarkable, I’m not really surprised,” Zatchok said. “Our school district is filled with dedicated, hard-working students. We knew that Andy had the ability to bring out the best in them.”

From 1991 to 2005, Western Reserve went 15 straight years without a winning season. During that span, the program posted an overall record of 29-120.

Today, 10-0 seasons and league championships are the norm, but they aren’t enough for the Blue Devils.

“We fully expect to play for a state title,” said senior running back and linebacker Dan Zilke. “We know those are high expectations, but we also believe in ourselves and our coaching staff. We know we have what it takes to get there. We just have to put in the work and execute.”

In fact, Western Reserve’s 2013 schedule was designed with the playoffs in mind. Before getting into league play, the Blue Devils opened with three perennial winning programs — Cuyahoga Heights, Malvern and Harrison Central.

Against Cuyahoga Heights in the season opener, Western Reserve fell behind early and trailed 20-6 at the end of the first quarter before rallying for a 41-32 win.

Cuyahoga Heights (6-4) and Malvern (8-2) are two of five teams on Western Reserve’s schedule which advanced to the playoffs.

“We wanted to toughen up our schedule — we wanted to know right away where we stood,” Hake said. “Our kids, they want to win a state championship. If they are going to do that, they needed to be tested from start to finish.

“Honestly, if we would have come out of those games 1-2 or 2-1, I would have been happy. Coming from behind and beating Cuyahoga Heights the way we did, I really believe that set the tone for the rest of the season.”

Western Reserve went on the road to defeat Malvern, 20-12, and Harrison Central, 17-8. The Blue Devils proceeded to defeat seven ITCL foes by an average margin of 26 points.

The Blue Devils’ high-powered offense, which is averaging 34.8 points, can strike from both the air and the ground. Senior quarterback Nick Allison has completed 106 of 180 passes (20 touchdowns) for 1,827 yards. Favorite receivers include Joe Falasca (38 receptions, 918 yards, 15 TDs) and Dan Rosati (33 receptions, 502 yards, 3 TDs).

The rushing game is paced by Zilke (119 carries, 836 yards, 12 TDs) and junior Evan Nesbitt (106 carries, 755 yards, 6 TDs).

Hake noted that Allison is “a very humble guy playing glory position,” and noted that his quarterback has matured into a team leader.

“Nick handles things very well, he is very poised at running the offense,” Hake said. “In addition to having physical skills, you have to have the right makeup, which he does possess.”

Allison, who threw for more than 1,400 yards a year ago, believes his success is a product of the Blue Devils’ diverse offense.

“We click because of all the weapons,” Allison said. “Our opponents don’t know what’s coming. The fact that we have such a strong running game really helps what I can do as a thrower.”

Like his coach, Allison is confident in his abilities and not afraid to be put in the spotlight.

“I love having the ball in my hands, I love being in control of the offense,” Allison said. “The coaches put their trust in me, and I have trust in my coaches and teammates, so I don’t really feel any pressure.

“Our practices are very hard and very demanding. The coaches prepare us for every situation imaginable, so come Friday night we just have to go out and follow the game plan.”

Defensively, the Blue Devils are led by a deep and experienced corps of linebackers which includes five seniors. Zilke, along with senior Jon Timko, both started as sophomores in 2011, when Western Reserve advanced to the state semifinals.

The 11 seniors on Western Reserve’s roster who were part of the program as freshmen already have the experience of seven playoff games.

“Having been a part of the playoffs really helped us all year and it should help us now,” Zilke said. “When we were down early against Cuyahoga Heights, we didn’t panic or get down. The coaches just kept telling us to play our game, and we’d be OK.

“The coaches work us very hard in practice. But that’s what we want. We fully expect to win league titles and play for state, and the only way you do that is through hard work.”

Timko echoed the comments made by Zilke, saying the players “feed off the energy displayed by Coach Hake and all of our coaches.” When asked to recall a moment which defines Hake’s contagious enthusiasm, Timko recalled a practice last November in which several underclassmen were less than enthusiastic about working out in cold, wet conditions.

“Coach just starting stripping off his clothes down to his shorts, and he keeps coaching and he’s screaming, ‘Cold? It’s not cold out here,’” Timko says with a laugh. “And he never stops coaching. He just keeps going. And just his enthusiasm, and him doing that, it convinced everyone that it wasn’t cold at all.

“We ended up having one of our better practices that day.”

The Blue Devils hope to experience a few more cold-weather workouts this year, right up to the state title game held on the first weekend of December. The playoff trek begins against a Trinity team which snuck into the playoffs as an eighth seed thanks to a demanding schedule. The Trojans’ six losses included close games against South Range (10-0), Cleveland Central Catholic (8-2) and Villa Angela-St. Joseph (9-1).

“We’re going to have our hands full, we know that,” Hake said. “But this is what we’ve put in all the time and effort for. Playing for a state title isn’t just a goal for this group, it’s an expectation. They fully expect to be playing five weeks from now.

“That’s not a cocky attitude. That’s a group of young men who believe in themselves and their abilities.”

Western Reserve and Trinity kick off Saturday at 7 p.m.