Correspondent photo / Michael J. Sekol Struthers’ Alec Gryzb runs up the sideline earlier this season against St. Thomas Aquinas.

“Trust the Climb” has been Struthers’ motto all year, but the Wildcats have shown tremendous progress throughout their 2022 trek.

On the high of a three-game win streak, coach John Bayuk finds the improvement from summer camp to week nine evident.

“This was their season that they really wanted to take advantage of and prove just the type of kids they are, the type of workers they are and they have really taken the leadership role we needed,” said Bayuk, in his third season at the helm. “They really have climbed through the adversity and they’re finally seeing some views from the top.

“These last three weeks, they have really shown their resiliency.”

Earning their first trip of victories in a row since 2019, Struthers finds themselves within the hunt for the postseason with two games to go.

An emotional and hard-fought 21-14 overtime loss at Hubbard preceded double-digit wins over Lakeview, Jefferson, and Niles.

“Honestly, after the (Hubbard) game, our goal, we said every week, is a playoff game. So, we found oursvles in a position, and we didnt want to be in that position in week five, but we found ourselves in a position at 1-4, that now every game counts,” Bayuk said. “The kids break practice every day with week eleven, and that’s on their mind, that’s our goal, and we know we have to be 1-0 each week to get there.

“Not only the tough loss to Hubbard, but the two tough losses before that to Streetsboro and South Range. We knew we were getting better, we were just coming up short.”

A strong running game that starts with senior Tyler Sanchez, helps lead a senior class that’s had to overcome a slew of challenges over their high school career.

Fellow senior Alec Grzyb has manned the quarterback role, while junior Na’Jier Howard has seen action at times for certain packages.

“There’s just kids that are taking a role in different spots, and we’re lucky that we have people like (senior) Chaz Ekoniak at receiver or Nico Farina on the defensive side.” Bayuk said. “We’re very fortunate that we have older guys who’ve been through a rough the last couple of years, and they made a decision not to quit on their team or the city of Struthers and it’s paying off for them right now.”

The biggest challenges most teams face, especially with smaller numbers, is growth on the offensive and defensive lines. A pair of sophomores have helped anchor the trenches, in Vince Boila and Michael Meuter, along with the linemen group as a whole for their progress.

“They just got better every week, it’s all business when they’ve walked on the field,” Bayuk said. “I’m excited for them not just this year, but I’m excited to see them grow as an offensive line. But to be able to run the ball efficiently like we’re doing with the youth we have up front, we’re very fortunate to be able to do that.”

According to Joe Eitel’s computer rankings, Struthers sits at 16th in the Division IV, Region 13 standings and controls their own destiny going forward.

What lies ahead are difficult matchups at home against Girard and Poland, but Bayuk feels that the growing pains earlier in the fall slate have helped his roster put themselves in a position to play for postseason football.

“This is a great Girard team, they have skill all over the place. Our goal is 1-0 because in the end we’re trying to shoot for week 11,” Bayuk said. “We’re really just trying to focus on us. We’re not trying to get caught up in the hype that Girard is second in our region or that Poland is up there in the top eight.

“We’re trying to stay out of that focus and just focus on ourselves. In our eyes, we’re the only team that can beat us, so I think the skies the limit for this team, we just have to make sure we take care of business and be 1-0 each week.”