43
Warren JFK’s 1991 title team remembered
Eagles shocked even
themselves in making
playoffs, then won it all
By Steve Ruman
The Warren John F. Kennedy High football team will face a major challenge Saturday when it squares off against Minster in the Division VII state title game. The Wildcats hail from the Midwest Athletic Conference, a league which has three of its members playing this weekend in title games.
Minster’s own rich history includes a 2014 state championship.
However, if the current JFK team is looking for a morale boost, it need only to turn to its own history books and go back 25 years for inspiration. There, it will find the story of the 1991 JFK team which bucked all odds en route to a Division IV state championship.
This season marks the 25th anniversary of Kennedy’s lone state football title.
This week, many of the players and coaches from that team spent time reminiscing, and offering words of encouragement and advice to the current JFK squad.
“My most vivid memories of 1991 revolve around the players themselves more than the games,” said Mike Naples. “That group was incredibly coachable, they were respectful, they never questioned anything they were asked to do. The players and parents, they were a special group.”
Naples was an assistant coach in ‘91, and was part of a last-minute coaching change which challenged the Eagles right from the start.
In the summer of ‘91, longtime Kennedy coach Denny Zolciak left the program for Twinsburg. For several weeks, practices were being conducted by former JFK players until Tony Napolet, who was coaching the junior high program, agreed to move up to the varsity level.
Under Napolet, Kennedy raced off to a 6-0 start and was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. However, the Eagles lost three of their final four games, including a 14-7 setback to Poland in the regular season finale.
Shawn Terlecky was a junior flanker / safety on the team. Today, he is a defensive quality control coach for the Indianapolis Colts. What he remembers most about Kennedy’s title season is the way the Eagles would seize “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“I remember getting on the bus after the Poland game, and Nappy thanking us for a great season,” Terlecky said. “We got back to the school and were given times to turn in our pads over the weekend. We all thought our season was over. There wasn’t even any mention of the postseason.
“What a lesson we learned at such a young age about second chances, and making the most of them.”
Indeed, an unlikely series of outcomes in games throughout the state put Kennedy in the fourth and final playoff position in its region. JFK opened the playoffs against rival Campbell, which defeated the Eagles 32-12 in the regular season.
In Week 11, it was a completely different outcome. After the Eagles qualified for the playoffs, Napolet made a change at quarterback, placing Anthony Antolini behind center and inserting an option offense. Kennedy rolled to a 34-6 win.
“Having backed into the playoffs, I think we went in not feeling any pressure, no one gave us a shot,” Terlecky said. “Then when we beat Campbell the way we did, our confidence just soared.”
Wins over Gates Mills Hawken (27-0) and Steubenville Catholic Central (48-0) followed, then JFK downed Springfield Catholic Central 20-7 in the title game.
“I don’t remember specific moments from that game as much as I remember the atmosphere,” Antolini said. “The community support, the support from Warren, it was amazing.”
“As far as our playoff run. I think we just peaked at the right time. We caught Campbell totally by surprise. And once we won that game, we had sort of a mindset that said, ‘okay, who’s next.’”
Matt Richardson, a sophomore linebacker for JFK in ’91, is now the offensive coordinator at Solon. Today, he still marvels at how well-prepared the Eagles were during their playoff run.
“I remember vividly in the championship, coaches making adjustments the entire game,” Richardson said. “There was a third down late in the game. The coaches tell the linebackers to be ready for a screen pass, that Springfield was going to run this play on third down. Sure enough, they run it, and we are there to break up the pass. We got the ball back and ran out the clock.”
Chris Urchek was a junior linebacker and tight end for the Eagles. He believes there are a lot of similarities between the ’91 team and the 2016 squad. He should know. His son, Chris, is a junior lineman on the current team.
“In both teams, everything revolved around a stellar defense and a great running back,” Urchek said. “This is also a very tight, very unselfish unit. And it’s very well-coached. In a lot of ways, the two teams are mirror images.
“And if it means anything, my son pointed out that 91 upside down is 16,” Urchek said with a laugh.
As for advice to the current JFK players, Naples says it is best to “Ignore the headlines and the hype leading up to the game, and just do what you’ve done all year.”
Terlecky encourages the players to “remember why they are there,” but to also enjoy the moment.
“Soak it in, take pictures, enjoy the day,” Terlecky said. “For 99 percent of those guys, it will be the biggest game of their lives.”
“Once the game starts, don’t do anything more than what got you there. From a football standpoint it’s just another game, so do what you’ve been coached to do.”
Richardson also stressed the importance of appreciating what he says “might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Richardson has been coaching since 2000. In addition to playing in a title game, he served as an assistant at Warren G. Harding in 2002 when the Raiders lost to Cincinnati Elder in the DI championship game.
“Sometimes when you’re a player, you don’t realize what an honor and a rarity it is to be a part of a state title game,” Richardson said. “If you stay involved in the game, the more the years go by, the more you realize how special the moment is. This is something that these guys will be talking about in 25 years.”
Kennedy and Minster play at Ohio Stadium at 10 a.m.