Brookfield, Newton Falls feeling good going into Week 2
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Last Friday, the Brookfield Warriors opened their season in grand fashion, defeating backyard rival Hubbard 14-7. It marked the first Brookfield win over Hubbard in 28 years, and it snapped a 14-game losing streak against the Eagles.
It was also the first win over Hubbard for Brookfield coach Randy Clark, a Brookfield alum who has coached the Warriors for 22 years.
Afterward, Brookfield's "fashion" took center stage for many in the Brookfield community.
Generally, Brookfield wears blue jerseys at home with "Brookfield" on the front of the jerseys. On the road, the team wears white jerseys with the inscription "Warriors."
In their home opener last Friday, the Warriors took the field with jerseys that read, "Masury."
The change created as much buzz as the victory itself on Brookfield-based social media pages.
"I couldn't believe how many calls I received over the weekend regarding the jerseys," Clark said. "Some good, some bad, but it seemed as though everyone had a strong opinion. There was a ton of discussion about the jerseys on Facebook."
Masury is an unincorporated community located in Brookfield Township. Brookfield Center, more commonly referred to as simply Brookfield, is also an unincorporated community located in Brookfield Township. Each community has its own zip code. Both communities are served by the Brookfield School District.
Masury actually has a larger population than Brookfield. At one time, three of the four Brookfield elementary schools were located in Masury, as was the historic high school football stadium located on Addison Road.
Clark explained that the "Masury" idea surfaced earlier this year among the coaching staff and school administrators.
"We just thought it would be a nice way to recognize some of the all-time great names that came out of Masury who were part of this program," Clark said. "We have current coaches who are from Masury. A lot of our current players are from Masury. It was just a way to recognize Masury's significance to our district.
"We wanted to surprise the players with a different look and a different idea before (last Friday's) game."
The jerseys worn last week are actually reversible. The reverse side of the jersey is gold in color with the inscription "The Field." Those tops are expected to be worn at a future game.
In the early days of the Brookfield-Hubbard rivalry, Brookfield's official nickname was the Hilltoppers. During the late 1970s and early '80s, players and coaches referred to the team as "The Capital," a reference to Brookfield's dominance, including a 1978 state championship.
"Who knows, we may see Hilltoppers or The Capital jerseys down the road," Clark said.
Clark stressed that last Friday's style was "a specialty jersey," and there was never any plan to make the "Masury" look a permanent fixture, noting, "We're proud to be Brookfield."
Still, every coach possesses some bit of superstitious nature.
"No one wanted to take those jerseys off after the game," Clark said. "It's going to be very hard to change up after such a big win."
VICTORY AT LAST
Perhaps no area team had more reason to celebrate an opening week win than Newton Falls. The Tigers went on the road and defeated Wellsville 56-13, snapping a 20-game losing streak.
For the vast majority of the team, including many of the seniors, it was the first varsity victory of their careers.
"This all started the entire week prior to the game, the whole community and everyone in the school was anxious to break the streak," said Tigers coach Josh Goss. "All week long, players were reminding themselves that it's been 1,036 days since they won a game. Senior Connor Dunlap spoke to the entire student body at a pep rally on Friday, and his message seemed to set the tone for the night.
"We let our seniors and juniors play all four quarters. They deserved it. They deserved to be on that field at the end of the game."
Goss noted that afterward, the locker room "was filled with tears of joy." He joked that the long bus ride home from Wellsville was almost awkward, "because the players didn't know how to act, or how to respond."
When the coaches met Saturday morning, Goss says he sensed a feeling of relief and satisfaction that hard work and dedication paid off. When the team met on Monday, there was a different vibe in the locker room.
"Our Monday meetings are usually more laid back; we go over special teams film and such," Goss said. "On Monday, kids were flying around like crazy. Last year we'd have maybe fifteen, sixteen players on a Monday. This past week, every single player was there. The energy has been off the charts every day this week."
"The excitement, the energy and especially the desire and determination to carry this forward can be felt throughout this program."
Tonight, Newton Falls plays at Jackson-Milton. The Tigers play their home opener a week from tonight against Mathews.
Newton Falls has a tradition of ringing a victory bell after home wins. The Tigers last won a home game on Aug. 18, 2023 - 1,105 days ago.
"We're going to have our hands full (tonight)," Goss said. "Brian Shaner-coached teams are always tough to beat. That's our only focus right now.
"But yeah, we're looking forward to the opportunity to ring that bell."
HORNETS NEST
One week after suffering a season-opening loss to Salem, Poland is faced with the unenviable task of now hosting the most successful high school football program in the country over the past 16 years.
Tonight, the Bulldogs will welcome the Kirtland Hornets in what will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Kirtland, the reigning Division VI state champion, brings an unprecedented resume to Dave Pavlansky Field.
Since 2011, Kirtland has been the winningest high school football team in the nation. Over the 16-year stretch, the Hornets own the most wins (213), the best winning percentage (.995) and the fewest losses (10).
Kirtland's win total since 2011 is two games ahead of Aledo (Texas).
Since 2011, Kirtland has lost just three regular season games, the last occurring on Sept. 1, 2023. During the stretch, the Hornets own eight state championships and six state runner-up finishes.
While the Bulldogs and Hornets have never met in the regular season or playoffs, the two programs aren't completely unfamiliar with one another. The two schools have scrimmaged each of the last five years.