by It’s interesting to note that when Bay hosts Lakewood Friday in a Cleveland West Conference matchup, the teams will enter the game with identical records of 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
However, the two head coaches look at those records in a completely different light.
“We’re 4-4 and we feel like we lost some games that we had a shot in,” said Bay’s Ron Rutt. “We lost one in double overtime, and last week North Olmsted came from behind and got us. So, there have been a couple frustrating games that we felt could have gone differently. But we have a lot of things still going for us and hopefully we can finish strong.”
In his second year at Lakewood after stints at Padua and Elyria Catholic, Mike Polevacik is viewing things through a different lens.
“I’m pretty happy,” he said. “Lakewood doesn’t usually get to 4-4. If you look back, since about 2000, there are very few seasons above one or two wins. So, it’s been a positive season compared to Lakewood’s standards. I feel like we’ve moved forward a bit this year.”
There are playoff implications in this game for both teams. The Rockets currently sit 10th in Division IV Region 14, and they are hoping to move up to the top eight so they can host a postseason game. Next week Bay hits the road to face rival Rocky River, which is 7-1 and tied atop the league standings with Buckeye.
“We have some DIs and a lot of DIIs on our schedule and we’re Division IV, so we feel if we can make the playoffs, we could do some damage there,” said Rutt. “I feel like in order to get in the top eight, River is going to be the big game because they’re going to offer the most points. If you beat Lakewood and lose to River, I don’t imagine that would equal a home game. But the other way around, I imagine it would.”
While Bay probably just has to win one of its final two games to reach the playoffs for the 11th consecutive year, Lakewood is sitting in the 16th spot in Division II Region 6 and the Rangers host 7-1 Buckeye in the last game of the regular season. That puts added pressure this week on Lakewood, which hopes to earn the seventh playoff berth in school history.
“We have to win one of these last two, Bay or Buckeye,” said Polevacik. “I don’t think we’ll get in with four wins. I said to the boys yesterday, we know who’s waiting for us in week 10. If we can handle our business this week then we wouldn’t have to be in a must-win game against a very, very good Buckeye team. Bay is also very good, but it looks like Buckeye is the class of the conference this year. It’s not a knock on Bay, it’s just that Buckeye is that good.”
The game provides an interesting matchup of Bay’s stingy defense against Lakewood’s explosive offense. The Rockets allow just 14.5 points per game, while Lakewood puts up 26 points per game and has gone over 30 points three times. The Rangers offense is led by quarterback Avery Holt, whose favorite target is sophomore tight end Riley Verderber, who also stands out at defensive end. Holt certainly has caught the eye of Rutt and his staff.
“Their quarterback operates really well,” said Rutt. “I feel like he makes great decisions. He makes quick decisions that typically turn out well. He’s kind of aggressive with it as well. When he decides to run, he goes. When he decides to throw the ball it’s typically on time. He’s also really fast and he can buy time when he needs to. They also have a nice skill group around him. You can see why they’ve put up points this year.”
Bay’s defense is led by inside linebacker Billy Willmitch, and the defensive line rotation of Michael Foreman, Braeden Capretto, Colin Brelo and Johnny Veverka.
When asked about the Rockets, Polevacik didn’t single out any players. Instead, he spoke about the entire team.
“What concerns me about them is that they don’t make mistakes,” he said. “Believe it or not, I’m so old that this is my third school that I’ve coached at against Ron Rutt. They are just so sound and so disciplined. They don’t beat themselves. That’s the challenge for us. You can’t look at them and say they have this weakness or that weakness. They’re very well coached.”
The key to this game for Lakewood will be its ability to stop Bay’s run-heavy attack that is led by Rocco Ereditario and Charlie Rodgers. While the Rangers have managed to put up points on offense, they’ve allowed even more on defense, giving up nearly 29 points per game and allowing 40 or more points four times, including three of the last four games.
“We’re having some defensive struggles against some very good run-heavy teams, which is what worries me about Bay,” said Polevacik. “We have to stop their run game. The games we have stopped the run, we have won. Offensively, we can score points, so if we can make a running team have to pass, then I think that’s our path to victory. We have to stop their run and then if we score points, we should be in a good position. But if we don’t stop their run, it doesn’t matter how many points we score.”
On the other side of that equation, the key for Bay will be to get an offense going that has averaged just 16.4 points per game. Because of their strong defense, the Rockets have been involved in numerous close games. But, according to Rutt, a breakout game for the Bay offense would be just what the doctor ordered.
“Winning the turnover battle will be a big key,” he said. “But I also want to see our offense get going. I want to see us sustain drives and keep our offense on the field if we can’t score quickly. We need to get first downs and stay on the field offensively. We don’t want to give that offense of theirs too many opportunities.”
Magill’s pick: Bay. It would be great to see Lakewood’s resurgence continue by making the playoffs, but this is not a good matchup for the Rangers. Bay’s strength is in its line play, while Lakewood struggles to stop the run. Holt could make things interesting, but the Rockets are likely to prevail.
