Poland's roster is small (for D-III), but mighty


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Poland senior linebacker Adam Wollet brings down Columbus Watterson running back Michael Auddino behind the line during the first half of a Sept. 19 game at Dave Pavlansky Field in Poland. The Bulldogs will play at Louisville on Friday in the first round of the Division III playoffs.

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

POLAND

Poland High has the area’s longest playoff streak and boasts a Division I-level stadium, but the Bulldogs’ numbers are better suited for Division VI.

“We’ve dressed in the mid-30s all year practice-wise, although about 40 kids somehow find their way into a uniform on Friday night,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Brungard, whose team plays at Louisville on Friday night. “So, we’ve got a small group. But they’re tough.”

And, as senior linebacker Adam Wollet likes to point out, you can only play 11 at a time.

“We’ve got our best 11 healthy,” he said. “That’s the only thing that matters right now.”

Outside of losing junior RB/LB Geno Centofanti (concussion) in Week 4, the Bulldogs are as healthy as they’ve been all season, which is a good sign for a team stuck in one of the state’s scariest regions.

Division III, Region 7 features the two-time defending champions (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary), the state’s top-ranked team (Hubbard) and five other teams that have played in a state championship game in the last 20 years: Aurora (first in Division III in 2008), Poland (first in Division III in 1999), Chardon (first in Division II in 1994, runner-up in 1998), Louisville (runner-up in Division II in 2007), Chagrin Falls Kenston (runner-up in Division III in 1995). The lone outlier is Tallmadge, which has “only” made the playoffs nine times since 2004.

“If you look at the history of football in the last 20 years, it’s a ‘Who’s Who,’” Brungard said of the region. “And the best team [Hubbard] hasn’t won one, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”

Louisville (9-1, 7-0 Northeastern Buckeye Conference) is making its 12th playoff appearance since 1999, while Poland has made it every year since 2007. The Leopards run a spread offense — they always use at least four wideouts — and have a run/pass threat at QB in 5-foot-11, 172-pound senior Connor Zwick.

Zwick, who is not related to the former YSU or Ohio State QBs, has thrown for 1600 yards and 24 TDs and run for 675 yards and eight TDs. Senior RB Walter Schrock, a 5-6, 156-pound “jitterbug” (in Brungard’s words), has run for 920 yards and 15 TDs for a Louisville offense that is averaging 42.5 points per game, while giving up just 13 per game.

“They don’t look like much on paper,” Wollet said, “but you put them on tape and you see how much they love the game.”

Louisville is also much deeper than Poland, with a roster of about 65.

“Nobody plays both ways, so that’s a factor,” Brungard said. “I equate them to a version of Dover, although not quite the extent of a Steubenville, in that they’re just a community that embraces football above all. They all come to the games, so it’s gonna be a hostile crowd.”

Poland’s lone loss was against Hubbard in Week 5 and has outscored opponents 256-140, including a 93-15 margin in the last three weeks.

But Brungard prefers to see his team as underdogs.

“We’ve come back from some games we’ve had no business coming back from,” he said. “The last three minutes of the Howland game we were down eight. Against Bishop Watterson, we were down 16. And we’ve won two games on the last kick, which is like football’s version of a walk-off home run where we’re all sprinting on the field trying to tackle each other like little kids.

“It’s been a fun year. Hopefully we can keep it going.”