By Brian Dzenis

bdzenis@vindy.com

Warren JFK vs. Norwalk St. Paul

Gallery

Photos by David Dermer

STRONGSVILLE

As snow left both offenses in the Division VII Region 25 championship in a rut, Warren JFK produced valuable points from an unlikely source.

The Eagles’ defense and special teams outscored the offense in Saturday’s 48-13 win against Norwalk St. Paul.

The Eagles won their first regional title since 2006. Warren JFK, the Mahoning Valley’s last active team, will face Harvest Prep (10-3) in the state semifinal on Saturday at 7 p.m. The site will be announced this afternoon.

Three defensive touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown outdid the Eagles’ two rushing scores and a fumble recovery by an offensive lineman in the end zone.

JFK coach Jeff Bayuk seemed to like the result, but not the snow. He admonished his players for making snow angels after receiving the championship trophy, telling them not to hurt themselves.

Bayuk was glad running back Evan Boyd took the ball 40 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns on a night where a lot of the playbook was useless.

“He really carried the load for us, he was really resilient in this weather and he did a really good job of carrying the ball,” Bayuk said, “We didn’t have a lot of plays that we could chose from. We thought about throwing the ball and these conditions are just terrible.

“It’s a shame that a regional final has to be played in weather like this, but there’s nothing you can do about it, Bayuk said.

The Eagles (12-1) were better prepared for the weather than the Flyers, who were limited to 58 yards of offense.

“We were expecting the snow, just not this bad,” Boyd said. “The passing game wasn’t going too well to work with tonight. We had success running the ball, so we just kept going and going.”

After Boyd got the Eagles’ first points with a rushing touchdown on their first drive, back-to-back defensive touchdowns quickly gave them a three-score lead.

A botched St. Paul snap was snatched out of the air by JFK’s Ross Nocera and taken 10 yards unopposed to the end zone.

Boyd found the end zone on a defensive side of the ball on the ensuing drive. He picked off Flyers quarterback Nick Lukasko and a thundering block from Nocera let him go 45 yards for the TD.

“I was set on a blitz and I see the quarterback back-stepping a lot and then I thought ‘it must be a screen,’” Boyd said. “I turn around and there’s a guy running across the field. [Issac Hadley] made a nice tip for me and I scooped it up.”

St. Paul (12-1) went undefeated through the regular season thanks to running backs Colton Service and Derek Gross, who rushed for 1,662 and 1,410 yards, respectively, on the season. They combined for 14 carries for nine yards.

“I think the field conditions had a lot to do with that. Our kids have been playing hard all year and when they saw two guys with a combined 3,000 rushing yards, they took it as a challenge,” Bayuk said. “I think that’s the best way to take these things when you’re in this position. We’re just going to keep working hard and hope we can still hold up defensively.”

Boyd picked up his third overall touchdown on a short run early in the second quarter before back-to-back fumbles led to both of the Flyers’ touchdowns.

Nocera got his second defensive touchdown a minute before halftime, going 60 yards on an interception return that ended any idea of a St. Paul comeback.

JFK had a 9:10 drive to open the second half. It was almost for naught when Nocera fumbled at the goal line, but offensive lineman Dominic Morello fell on the ball in the end zone.

The Eagles’ Jacob Coates returned a punt 45 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to turn on the running clock with four minutes remaining.