Poland football doesn’t rebuild, it reloads

October 30, 2015 at 12:10a.m.

POLAND

By all accounts, 2015 was going to be a season of transition for the Poland High football team.

After all, the Bulldogs lost 17 seniors to graduation, including the bulk of their skill-position players. They were entering the season with a running back who hadn’t played the position in the past, and oh yeah, in an era where high-octane offenses rule the game, the ‘Dogs’ were banking on a freshman signal-caller.

Faced with such a scenario, most programs indeed would experience a lengthy transitional period, if not a full-blown rebuilding process

Of course, Poland isn’t your typical program. The thought of spending half the season trying to find itself never entered the mind of players and coaches.

“We’re an old-school program that kind of sticks with the basics and with the things we do best,” said senior running back Dylan Garver. “As a team we just put trust in our coaches because they’ve been in this situation before and they always get it right.

“We never felt as though we had to change who we are in order to win this year.”

To this point, Poland’s simplistic game plan has worked to perfection.

For just the second time in school history, Poland is 9-0. The Bulldogs last had such a start in 1999 — the school’s only team to go through a regular season undefeated. That team eventually finished 15-0 en route to a state championship.

The ’15 Bulldogs will look to make their mark in the history books when they host Canfield (7-2) tonight at Dave Pavlansky Field.

Canfield needs a win to qualify for the playoffs. Poland has already secured what will be its ninth straight postseason berth.

Tonight’s winner will also capture the All-American Conference Red Tier championship. The Bulldogs have already won a league title in the AAC White Tier.

“It’s pretty neat to have this game mean so much to both programs,” said Poland coach Mark Brungard. “Both communities really gear up for this rivalry. It’s always special regardless of the circumstances, so this only adds to the excitement.”

Brungard is in his 11th year as Poland’s coach. In his initial season in 2005 the Bulldogs finished 4-6. Brungard’s teams have finished 7-3 or better every year since. His record at Poland is 88-35

The current nine-year playoff appearance streak and a current 14-game regular-season winning streak are both tops in the Mahoning Valley.

“I didn’t create what we have going on here, I just inherited it,” Brungard said. “I’m very fortunate to be at a place that is dedicated to its athletic programs and that is very dedicated to its students.

“The school district and the community in general very much back the students in all their endeavors. The students truly appreciate the backing and they work very hard to show their gratitude.”

Poland began its season with a 31-20 win over Marlington. In that game, 14-year-old freshman quarterback Cole Kosco directed an offense that amassed 320 yards. Kosco threw just nine times, but completed five passes, including two for touchdowns.

“We knew Cole had the skills to play at this level, but when someone that young is actually put under the lights and asked to perform at the varsity level, there is always a question mark,” Brungard said. “He has done everything we’ve asked and then some.”

Garver finished the season opener with 157 yards on 14 carries. It was the first varsity start at the running back position for the senior, who last year was a wide receiver.

Kosco (38 of 71, 655 yards, 9 TDs) and Garver (164 carries, 1,211 yards, 20 TDs) have since paced an offense is averaging 33.5 points.

Defensively, Poland is surrendering just 10.7 points per game. It has registered a shutout while holding four other schools to only one touchdown.

“We have always centered our teams around being able to run the football and being able to stop the run,” Brungard said. “Sometimes people tend to complicate football and get too fancy, but if you can control those two aspects of the game, you generally come out on top.

“Heading into the season we felt good about our front line on both sides of the ball, so we felt good about our chances.”

Following Poland’s win over Marlington, the Bulldogs enjoyed lopsided victories over Niles and Jefferson, then went on the road to defeat Howland 24-17. Poland led 17-0 in the contest in which Garver finished with 220 rushing yards on 28 carries.

“I really thought that beating Howland made us realize just how good we could be this year,” said senior guard and nose tackle Trey Ellis. “Howland is a very strong team with a good running game. I felt like we physically dominated the game, and after that I knew we had what it takes to make this a memorable year.”

Last week, Poland beat Hubbard 35-7. The Bulldogs entered the game having won 30 of their last 32 regular-season games. The two losses were to the Eagles.

“I won’t lie, that was a fun win,” Ellis said. “Hubbard has been the team everyone in our conference has been gunning for. They’ve been the kings for the past few years, so this was pretty special for the seniors who were freshmen the last time we beat Hubbard.”

As for Poland’s perennial success, senior wide receiver and safety Tyler Smith insists that the old adage “winning breeds winning” holds true in his community.

“We’ve all grown up watching the past Poland teams always win and always compete for the playoffs,” Smith said. “You can’t wait to get your turn, and when you do you kind of feel an obligation to keep things going.

“We’re lucky because we’ve seen what it takes to succeed. The older players who were here before us taught us what kind of commitment it takes to maintain the Poland tradition. We’re just following through.”

Poland’s consistency on the field is also the result of a program which is steeped in stability. Brungard took over for Paul Hulea, who coached the Bulldogs to a 68-32 record in nine years. Brungard was a coach in the Poland system for nine years before assuming the top role. Hulea actually returned to Brungard’s staff as an assistant for a period of time.

“We’ve kept our staff together, I’ve had the same defensive coordinator [Ryan Williams] for 11 years,” Brungard said. “Of our seven coaches, six are educators and five teach in our system. That’s huge, because we’re teaching and coaching our players throughout the day, and not just about football.

“We have an extremely supportive school district, community and booster club.”

Brungard said he is especially proud of the nine consecutive playoff appearances, noting that “such consistency is a bigger achievement than having one team make a deep playoff run.”

For now, Poland has its sights set on Canfield and a possible 10-0 finish which will put the Bulldogs in the school record books. The last time the Bulldogs went undefeated, Garver was on his dad’s shoulders as a community came out to celebrate its heroes.

“I don’t know if I really remember that, or if it’s just because my family always talked about it, but I do feel like I have a connection to that team,” Garver said. “Even today, that team is still very special to the people in Poland. It would be really neat for us to make our own history.”

Poland is currently second in Division III, Region 7, while Canfield is ninth. The Bulldogs can guarantee themselves a first-round home game with a win.

This will be the 72nd meeting between the Bulldogs and Cardinals in a series that has run continuously since 1944. Poland leads the series 40-28-3.