Hail to Warren JFK Eagles, proud state football champs

Talent, teamwork, tradition and tenacity played critical roles in Warren John F. Kennedy’s bringing the 2016 Division VII state football crown home to the Mahoning Valley.

The proud JFK Eagles won their second state football title Saturday with superlative play, handily defeating Minster 24-6 largely with its crushing “Blue Storm” defense at Ohio Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus.

Their championship season brings honor to themselves, to their school and to their community. We hail the Eagles for proving to the other 108 teams in their division that they are indeed the No. 1 football force to be reckoned with in their league in the Buckeye State.

The team’s play against the Wildcats of Minster, a village in Auglaize County, typified the Eagles’ awesome performance during its spectacular 14-1 season.

A key star in the team’s big plays in Columbus – and throughout the 2016 season – was senior standout Evan Boyd, who rushed a record 166 yards on a whopping 36 carries to score two critical touchdowns.

But this championship is not the product of any one-man wonder.

As Boyd himself pointed out to The Vindicator after the stunning victory, “The guys on the offensive line did a great job and once I got to the corner on the last run, all I had to do was make one person miss, because the line had done all the rest of the work. I knew it would be a special day because of it being championship day in Ohio Stadium, and we just wanted to give it everything we had”

Boyd is absolutely correct. He and his teammates gave it everything that they could. As a result, the Eagles’ standout teamwork easily allowed it to carry the day.

The Eagles also proved themselves to be a tenacious crew. As JFK head coach Jeff Bayuk pointed out, “I really think that they [Minster] punched us in the mouth early, but we were able to bounce back fairly quickly.”

That may be the understatement of the year. After falling behind 6-0 early in the first quarter of the title game, JFK roared back to score 24 unanswered points.

TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE

Also powering the team toward greatness has been its commitment to JFK’s long-standing tradition of excellence.

The Youngstown Diocesan high school is no stranger to post-season play. Saturday marked the team’s fifth appearance in a championship contest and its first statewide title since 1991.

The championship also re-establishes the Mahoning Valley in general, and Warren city, in particular, as bastions of powerhouse high-school football squads.

Throughout the season, Warren G. Harding High School stayed atop the Division II rankings and featured stellar play, led by quarterback Lynn Bowden who most agree ranks among the greatest players the Valley has ever seen.

Harding fell in a heartbreaking regional championship game, but it and other Valley squads that made post-season play – Hubbard, Mooney, Struthers, Lisbon, Springfield, Howland, South Range, LaBrae and Jackson-Milton – came through proudly and honorably for their institutions, their hometowns and the Mahoning Valley.

Nowhere does that honor shine more brightly today than on the home turf of the Eagles. Hail to Warren John F. Kennedy High School, 2016 Ohio Division VII state football champions!