By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

BERLIN CENTER

Andy Hake isn’t just a history teacher, he’s a history buff.

Spend any time at all around Hake, and you quickly realize that he intertwines nearly all aspects of his life into his love of history and social studies. That’s especially true when he’s dealing with another passion in life his, football. Hake continuously makes historical references and comparisons when discussing the sport.

Given Hake’s knowledge on both topics, it seems a bit puzzling that in 2009 Hake accepted the role as the Western Reserve football coach. History suggested that Hake — just 29 years old at the time — would struggle in his first head coaching stint.

After all, in the previous 10 years leading up to Hake’s arrival, the Blue Devils were just 35-68. There were just three playoff appearances in school history, and the seasons of futility far outnumbered the seasons of success.

However, Hake sensed an attitude and a vibe in Berlin Center which played right into his strongest passion of them all.

“I knew that Berlin Center was a value-driven community, and that’s what attracted me to Western Reserve,” Hake said. “The community is all about values and family and hard work. I knew that they wanted the same things out of their football program that I did. I knew that I would have the backing of the parents, and the dedication of the kids.

“As a coach, what more can you ask for?”

Nearly a decade later, Hake and the Blue Devils have rewritten the Western Reserve football history books.

Since Hake’s arrival in 2009, the Blue Devils own an overall record of 93-20. That includes an 84-12 record in the regular season, and a 9-8 post-season mark which spans eight playoff appearances. The Devils won regional championships in 2011 and 2013, along with seven league titles during the stretch.

This year, Western Reserve is off to another dazzling start. The Blue Devils are 6-0, having outscored opponents 268-38. The Devils have given up just seven points in their last four games.

“Friday night football has become a huge event in Berlin Center,” said Western Reserve High principal Dallas Saunders. “Beyond the wins, Andy has done a great job of creating a culture within the program which resonates throughout the community. People can relate to and very much appreciate the dedication, the loyalty and the hard work displayed by these players.

“The success also translates to the classroom and in society. Coach Hake’s goal for these players goes far beyond success on the football field. Football is a by-product for him in terms of developing these kids into good students and upstanding citizens. He is getting results.”

And the student body at Western Reserve wants to be a part of the success. While numerous area football programs have seen a decline in their roster numbers, Western Reserve continues to attract players in record numbers. Of the 139 male students (grades 9 through 12), 59 of them — or 42 percent of the male population — play football.

In grades 9-11 (the grades used by the Ohio High School Athletic Association to determine division classifications), just over 50 percent of the 104 male students participate in football.

“Those numbers speak for themselves, they speak volumes for what Coach Hake means to this school and community,” said Western Reserve assistant coach Brian Shaner. “To a man, these kids know that they are going to be coached hard, that they have to give up a lot to be part of this team.

“But they also all know that Coach Hake is going to give them his unconditional support. He coaches with intensity and with a style like no other, but it’s done with love. They all understand that this is about more than just football.”

Shaner joined the Western Reserve staff this year following a six-year stint as the head coach at Niles. When Shaner coached at Rayen and East, Hake served four years under Shaner as an assistant.

“Andy sometimes takes a bad rap because of his intensity and craziness on the sidelines, but it’s just who he is,” Shaner said. “Every kid who has ever played for Andy will tell you that he is 100-percent sincere.

“Andy is as loyal as they come. He is completely committed to molding his players into decent human beings first and foremost. The football success is just part of the equation.”

A year ago, Western Reserve went 8-3, including a playoff appearance and a share of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference title. However, the Blue Devils entered 2018 with plenty of question marks and plenty of holes to fill. They returned just three starters on offense, and while the current roster is deep, it includes just six seniors.

“There was a lot of inexperience at some of the key positions coming into the season, but we also knew that this was a very special group of individuals, especially those six seniors,” Hake said. “Man, they play football the way it’s meant to be played. They love to hit, they just love being on that field.

“This senior class, they are great leaders and great role models. And the younger players, they play like nut jobs for those seniors.”

Western Reserve opened its season with a hard-fought 27-12 win over Columbiana. In that game, senior running back Adam Gatrell rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns. A week later, the Blue Devils defeated East Palestine 41-19. Gatrell ran for 182 yards against the Bulldogs, while senior quarterback Ryan Slaven scored four rushing touchdowns.

Both games were close at halftime before Western Reserve was able to close things out in the second half. The Blue Devils have since outscored four opponents 200-7.

“Winning those first two games really gave us a lot of confidence and I think it helped us realize our potential,” Gatrell said. “Columbiana and East Palestine are always tough opponents. Our offense started to click, then when we were able to keep East Palestine in check it really boosted our defense because [East Palestine quarterback] Parker Sherry is as good a player as we’ll see.”

Gatrell, who Shaner calls “as good as any running back in the area, and a better leader,” has rushed for 882 yards (11.3 yards per carry) — tops among all running backs in the Mahoning Valley. He has scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

Slaven, described by Shaner as “the heartbeat of the team” has completed 32 of 55 passes for 441 yards while rushing for 152 yards.

“I think a lot of this year’s success has to do with how the overall program is run,” Slaven said. “We’ve been guided by Coach Hake and the rest of the coaching staff for all these years, and now all of that hard work is paying off. We’re just following through on what we’ve been coached to do.”

Slaven also credits his former teammates who have since graduated.

“We learned so much from last year’s senior class, not just about the game but about being leaders and good teammates and role models,” Slaven said. “Our coaches always place so much emphasis on the importance of senior leadership. Us six seniors, that leadership meant so much to us for the last three years. Now it’s our turn and we don’t want to let anyone down.”

Despite the 6-0 record, Western Reserve is 10th in the Division VI, Region 21 computer rankings. Tonight, the Blue Devils play host to Springfield (5-1). On Oct. 19, they will welcome McDonald (6-0).

“[Tonight] is going to be a great football game between two great schools and communities,” Hake said. “Springfield is one of the more complete teams in the area, they have talent at every position on both sides of the ball. This is going to be great small-town football, a great atmosphere.

“We have to play our best game of the year, and who knows — that might not even be enough.”

Slaven said that Springfield “is the complete package,” and added that he and his teammates will have to play mistake-free football “and get a few breaks to go our way” in order to improve to 7-0.

Still, Slaven believes the best is yet to come for the Blue Devils.

“We’re still growing as a team, I know I still have a lot to learn as a quarterback,” Slaven said. “I think that each week we’ve gotten a little better, but I still believe that the sky is the limit.”

Western Reserve travels to Waterloo next week. Following its home game against McDonald, it will close the regular season with another home game against Jackson-Milton.