by The Bees of Brecksville buzz all the way back from a 17 point deficit and spoil the Aurora Greenmen’s home opener. Aurora led the game 17-0 heading into halftime, but it did not phase the Bees. They came out of the break firing on all cylinders and scored 21 unanswered points to win the game 21-17. Before the game I asked coach Bob Mihalik of the Greenman what the gameplan was to get off to a good start, he responded “you never know what can happen in week 1” and boy was he right.
The Greenman started fast with a 37 yard run on the first play of the game from senior Xavier Board. However the Bees defense held strong and forced a punt quickly after.
Brecksville Broadview Heights put together a long first drive with a good mix of run and pass. Although they were moving well, penalties got in their way and they were forced to punt at midfield. Junior Luke McGovern of the Greenmen waited near the goal line. He fielded the ball at the 16 yard line and with a quick burst it wasn’t long before everyone knew he was gone. He followed his blockers for a beautiful 84 yard touchdown return and put the Greenmen up 7-0 with 4:06 left in the first quarter.
Aurora kept their foot on the gas as they forced a turnover on downs and then went on a 5 play touchdown drive to go up 14-0 with 10:45 left in the second quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 37 yard catch and run from Luke McGovern and then was capped off with a 3 yard touchdown run from Xavier Board.
Needing to make something happen the Bees put together a nice drive. During the drive, senior receiver Max Ritter made a great diving catch coming back to the ball for a pick up of 36. Looking for their first redzone appearance, Bees quarterback Nate Henegar threw an interception to Luke McGovern of the Greenmen.
Both offenses then went back and forth with self inflicted wounds. The Bees offense struggled with penalties but their defense kept holding strong. With 2 minutes left Bees sophomore cornerback came up with a massive interception. Unfortunately for them Auroras Luke McGovern came up with his 2nd pick on the next play.
After the back to back turnovers the Greenmen jumped into the 2 minute drill. They drove the ball down to the 11 yard line and ended up settling for a field goal. Junior kicker Eric Waid buried the 28 yarder to put them up 17-0 heading into halftime.
The Bees started the second half with the ball at their own 35. They sliced and diced down the field on the ground and through the air. They found themselves with a 3rd and 9 on the 19 yard line and elected to pass. Aurora sent a blitz and the Bees picked it up beautifully, giving Henegar enough time to find senior receiver Carson Zabkar for a contested touchdown catch. After the extra point the Bees narrowed the deficit to 17-7 with 5:50 left in the third quarter.
Keeping up the momentum the Bees defense came out and forced a 3 and out from the Greenmen offense. After a bad punt the Bees were set up with prime field position. Just when it looked like the Bees were going to make it a one possession game, Luke McGovern jumped an out route and came up with his third interception of the game.
Defense continued to shine as Peyton Williams picked up his second interception on the next drive for the Bees. The Bees offense then broke through the Greenmen defense and put together a nice drive. It started with Heneger finding a wide open receiver for a 33 yard gain and was capped off with a 13 yard touchdown run from senior Jacob Eterovich making the score 17-14 with 8:26 left in the game.
It didn’t take long for the Bees to get back to work as they forced another 3 and out from Aurora. They started their drive right where they left off with Eterovich breaking free for a 37 yard pick up setting them up in the redzone. While on the eight yard line, the Bees ran a play action roll out pass. Henegar shook off a defender in the backfield and sent the ball to the endzone. Receiver Max Ritter made an acrobatic touchdown grab, flipping over the defender as he caught the ball. This gave the Bees 21 unanswered points putting them up 21-17 with 3 minutes left.
The Greenmen got to work in the 2 minute drill as they attempted to save the game. They started quick as they picked up two first downs but got stuffed on the next set. As they faced a 4th and 12, Quarterback Ryan Ziegler threw a dot down the middle of the field for a 30 yard game to keep them alive… or so they thought. Back near the line of scrimmage, a flag was thrown for holding and left the hole too deep for them to dig out of. The game ended shortly after with Brecksville Broadview Heights completing the amazing 2nd half comeback and winning 21-17.
The Greenmen look to bounce back from this tough loss in week 2 where they travel to take on Lutheran West, while the Bees look to stay hot after this comeback, as they stay on the road to take on Tallmadge.
Players of the game
Greenman Junior WR/DB Luke McGovern – 84 yard punt return TD, 5 catches for 50 yards and 3 interceptions.
Bees Senior RB Jacob Eterovich – 28 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown
Bees Sophomore DB Peyton Williams – 2 interceptions
