Brotherhood: The Legacy & Tradition Of High School Football

The Avon Eagles had a stud Tight End by the name of Vlasi Pappas not that long ago.  He was making one handed highlight reel catches each week.

Had it not been for an injury to Vlasi, the Eagles may have knocked off the Hoban Knights in 2017.  Pappas was a beast, and now I get the pleasure of covering his younger Brother Niko who plays quarterback for the Avon Eagles. Niko is every bit as talented with a heart the size of Texas, and teammates who look up to him!

One city and team that symbolizes brotherhood has been none other than Avon Lake as I have covered many a Shoremen game over the last 5 plus years in the business. Sure, their amazing pulled pork sandwiches may have something to do with it!  But all joking aside it has been fun watching their team atmosphere of football.  The boys in Maroon and Gold , aren’t worried about stats, they play as a team and just want to win.

Years after I watched Jack Mikolich run the show on offense for the Shoremen alongside speed back Konnor Riggs, I now watch as Sam Mikolich plays both ways for the Shoremen.  Brotherhood, Legacy and tradition!

What is truly remarkable about this year’s team is the amount of brother combinations on it.  I’ll start with the Fedders.  It wasn’t too long ago that I was covering Luke Fedders catching touchdown passes.

Now, when I call the name Fedders, it is Mitchell catching the touchdown passes on offense, and breaking up passes on defense.  His brother Sam isn’t far behind as he also suits up on Friday nights for the Shoremen.

The defensive line for the Shoremen remains one of the best in the state.  Senior Kadyn Viancourt has been causing havoc in opposing backfields since last season.  He had a huge strip and return in the playoffs last year against Wadsworth and has not slowed down since.

We saw late Friday Night against North Olmsted that his younger brother Avery has been paying attention to his older brothers moves and is looking like a sack maker in waiting.

I spoke with their mother Jillian about the blessings of watching her sons play at the same time and she had this to share, “I’ve been waiting a long time to see these two on the field together. From flag football to now, they’ve always been one year away from being able to play together.

And now finally during Kadyn’s senior year, I get to watch him cement his high school career as a standout defensive end, while Avery is just beginning his career, and there is nothing I love more than seeing them out there together. They have been each other’s biggest supporters and also biggest competitors.

Every game, I have to hear who got more sacks, who got more tackles, and listen to them rib each other about who is the better defensive end. But I also get to see the wonderful moments that make my heart burst.

When they celebrate each other’s accomplishments, when they share in a victory, or when they support each other after a tough loss. Having each other on that field makes them both better players and better men, and that makes me a very proud momma.” Said the proud mother of two.

Perhaps the most explosive of brothers on the Shoremen currently are the Stuewe brothers of Matthew and his older brother Michael.  They have football in their genes as their father Michael played at Virginia tech.  Older brother Michael has been yanking down passes all season, and this past weekend Matthew showed he has some serious wheels to him as well.  The sophomore scored on a 71-yard bomb late to reach the endzone for the first time in his varsity career.

I spoke with their parents Michael and Suzanne who had these wonderful words to share, “Michael and Matthew are senior and sophomore respectively and they have 2 more brothers Luke 8th grade and Gabe 4th. Raising 4 boys, we are always running from sport to sport and because of their ages they have always been on different teams. This is the first time Michael and Matthew have been on any team together.

After all of the uncertainty leading up to this season it makes it even more special to see them out there together. During the quarantine they really pushed each other to get better and to see that hard work payoff is exciting. Of course, to see Michael get to play his senior year, but to have his brother Matthew out there with him is amazing.”

Freshman Wideout Jared Krukowski and sophomore tailback Jason Krukowski will also be heard from for a longtime to come.  Kruksowski took one to the house against Berea-Midpark earlier in the year already.

But Avon Lake isn’t the only SWC school flashing brilliant brother combinations this season.  Over in Amherst the combination of Ty Weatherspoon at wideout and Torrie at tailback have also been making waves. I’ll go on the record right now and say that Ty may be the best wideout in the SWC this season.  When he gets into open space, he is nearly impossible to cover.

Their mother Dana had this to say about the incredible tandem, “Watching my two sons play together on the field has been so special. I love the way they work together towards a goal and I know it has created a bond that they will also have them supporting each other into the future.  I was a twin and my sister and I played volleyball, basketball and softball at Sandusky High where we were inducted into the Athletic HOF. We went on to play volleyball at Lake Erie. So, I know firsthand, the bond will be close into their adult lives. It’s extremely a heartwarming feeling!”

Over in the GLC, the Bebie Brothers of Rocky River have been making Swash Buckling plays for years.  Tommy and John remain on the roster this year after Owen graduated last year.  They are lightening fast and make plays all over the field on both sides of the ball.  Great kids from a great family.  Nothing but class!

Speaking of the GLC, have you heard about the Buttari brothers over at Bay Village? With Tony at quarterback and Nick running through holes and also creating them, this brother combination may be the best brother duo in GLC history.  Also, did we mention their step brother is Aidan Grabowski of Avon Lake?  Can you imagine that grocery bill?

Their mother Shelly had this to share with us, “Watching Nick and Tony play together has been both fulfilling and surreal. Every start of the game, I am choked up with emotion, and flashbacks of them playing football in the backyard and worrying if Nick was being too hard on Tony, thinking about the day that they would get a chance to play high school football together.

Now I know Tony can hold his own and Nick is a big part of that. They both are still playing the positions they have always played, so I knew there would come a day that I would hear, “Tony Buttari hands off to his brother, Nick Buttari,” and thankfully at Elyria Catholic, the announcer used those exact words.

Win or lose this year has been everything. I love watching them play the sport they love. It’s always been a family affair, and hopefully continues for years to come. I couldn’t think of a better gift for Nick in his senior year”.

AND YES, I JUST MENTIONED BAY VILLAGE RIGHT AFTER ROCKY RIVER.  PLEASE EVERYONE TAKE A BREATH AND KEEP READING.

In Fairview, Freshman Quarterback Sean McNamara is just the latest in a long line of studs that have come through that program from the McNamara household.  Some sources say, that Sean has the potential to set the GLC on fire as soon as next season.

Proud Poppa Kevin McNamara had this to share, “Small community football is what it’s all about in Ohio and my boys have enjoyed the experience playing for our community in Fairview.  All three have had different experiences but the fact the choose to wear the same colors and numbers for the school they love, means everything to our family.

Colin played on a team ranked 7^th in the state while Tom and Sean haven’t had the same luck in the win column but the parents and players have been the best part of the journey.”

Don’t forget about Columbia High School where Dominic Governale is sacking QB’s left and right while his brother Joe continues to be the workhorse of the Raider offense smashing through would be tacklers.

While that pair is impressive, just wait until you see special teams and linebacker brother Tony who is getting better each week… An impressive set of brothers for sure!

Their mother Holly had this to share

“Sometimes being a football mom can be hard… knowing the work, the passion, and the heart my boys have put in…and not always seeing the results…but the moment you see them accomplish a goal, score a TD, make a great tackle…the smile on their faces takes away any doubt…and it makes me so proud to be a football mom.”

I recall one of my favorite things about covering Berea-Midpark a few years back was watching the Bycznski brothers play.  Jared the massive LT would go on to play at Purdue, while Trevor the tall quarterback would go to Buffalo.

There is nothing better than watching brothers play and perform together under the lights.  I currently cover their younger sister Jenna in Basketball, it is just a cool feeling I cannot fully describe.

Also great to see that year were the Siggers Brothers of Cameron and Omar.  Cameron was the beefy but powerful lineman while Omar was the dangerous speed demon just waiting to break one!

Now Berea-Midpark is doing it once again with the Devins brothers of Luke and Hudson.  Big things still to come from both those young men.  Luke has already shown flashes of how good he can and will be.

Laurie Bycznski, the mother of Trevor, Jared and Jenna, had this to say on her reflections of watching her sons play, “Football, the game of brotherhood. The game where all eleven players on the field depend on one another to do their part and support one another for the perfect play.  And if you’re one of the lucky moms, you get to witness the brotherhood of football between two of your own sons playing on the same team.

For 3 years I was able to sit in the stands and cheer on both Jared and Trevor as they competed together for the Titans. I can tell you that my heart was bursting with pride every single Friday night, win or lose.

As an added bonus, their dad was on the sidelines as one of their assistant coaches. My husband and two sons, my heart, playing the game that they love, together. It doesn’t get any better than that! To be honest though, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses!

If things didn’t go well at practice, or at a game, it would come home with them. When our oldest son, Zach, was being coached by dad, I drew a line in the sand and said that they couldn’t “bring football home with them”. Well, my husband found a way around that. They would arrive home from football, and then sit in the car in our driveway to discuss football.

Jim would say “Well, we didn’t bring it into the house!”  I folded, and football came back into the house.  The X’s and O’s were discussed at the dinner table with the ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper all representing all of the different positions in a play. I joke about it, but I have to admit that I loved every minute of it.

Watching games could be a little difficult at times because Jared and Trevor both played on the offensive side of the ball. Even with the best intentions, it was hard to watch 2 players at the same time. Sometimes I would lose track of one and miss some big part of a play that they made.

As the mom, you want to be able to say “Hey, that was a great play”, but I can’t do that if I missed “their part” of the play watching the other brother. I always wished for instant replay on the stadium jumbo-trons. I would really help a mother out. But that’s not happening at any high school stadiums that I’ve been to.

Thank goodness for film study at the Bycznski household because I could watch and rewatch every single down while the boys were breaking down their film with dad. I would act like I saw it all along! Another challenge came from the boys playing two very different positions.

Both boys excelled at their positions, so-much-so that they each went on to play football at the college level. One thing that was really difficult to watch unfold was the quarterback getting all of the accolades while the lineman quietly kicked-ass without getting much attention at all. It’s just the nature of each position. The boys knew it, and I knew it, but it didn’t make it any easier.

While the quarterback got stat lines, his name announced over the PA system, and mentioned in article after article, the lineman got high percentage grade-outs from his position coach and the knowledge that his quarterback brother wouldn’t be able to do his job well without him doing his job well. “Being humble” and “taking pride in knowing that you did your job” were lessons preached weekly in our household. Each boy was a cog within a machine. Each played a role. Each would be nothing without the other.

The fact that they’re brothers, was just icing on the cake! I cherish the memories of them playing together and am beyond grateful to Biz Sleibi for capturing so many amazing moments of my boys playing as Titans.

Like any brothers, Jared and Trevor annoy each other, don’t like each other sometimes, roughhouse enough to knock holes in our walls, but they also love, support, and respect each other. On and off the field, that have each other’s backs.

Brotherhood times two! They were lucky enough to live it, I was lucky enough to witness it. There’s nothing quite like a household full of competitive athletes to bring out some serious sibling rivalry! Everything is a full-go competition. No sympathy. No mercy. Take no prisoners.

But, put those competitive siblings on the same side of the field, and you’ve got something truly special. Maybe even something a little dangerous! My dream is that they’ll someday meet on the field again, but this time as opponents. I’m not sure what I would wear, who I’d root for, or where I would sit, but a Purdue vs. Buffalo bowl game would be totally awesome!”

I hope everyone has enjoyed this article and I could go on and on with one example after another, but I think after 3500 words, you get my drift.  Football is more than a sport, it is much more.

It gives these kids a reason to work hard, stay off drugs, focus in school and know they can have a better life one day. I’ve said it for years, it’s more than a game, for some families, it is their first and only chance to smile during hectic and stressful weeks.

LEGACY, TRADITION AND BROTHERHOOD!

Vince McKee is a 9x Published book author

He can be reached at coachvin14@yahoo.com or on twitter at sports_kee

We are currently looking for a small business to become our Cleveland Browns sponsor this season.