Bristol, JFK overcame obstacles
Both play in Firestone regional tonight
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Two of Trumbull County's small-school powerhouses are back at the regional stage, as Bristol and John F. Kennedy have overcome everything the 2020-21 season has thrown at them to bring home district titles.
For Kennedy, which enters the regional at 12-4, the key to this season has been resiliency and the team's flexibility.
"The kids have been really great," Eagles coach Mark Komlanc said. "Obviously, we have a lot of kids that returned from last year, but at the same time, we have kids that are freshmen this year that are contributing. We're blessed that we have those guys who have returned from last year's team, because they kind of set the tone and let them know that regardless of the bumps in the roads, the shutdowns, all those things that we had to go through, the expectations were still there."
Cam Hollobaugh leads the team in points (24.1), rebounds (9.9), assists (4.1) and steals (3.5) per game and his experience and leadership have been invaluable for the Eagles during this tumultuous season.
With how the season has gone for teams around the area, Kennedy was lucky with the experience they have to help them weather the storm. The Trumbull County shutdown gave the team's multi-sport athletes an extra chance to recover.
"Honestly, it could have been a blessing for us," Komlanc said about the shutdown. "It did fit our personality and our team pretty well considering we have a diverse range from seniors to freshmen. The freshmen have been a part of our program, even last year going into the season as eighth graders, they would come to work out and see the upperclassmen, and they wanted it.
"If anyone was going to be able to handle it, it was definitely this group."
To reach the regional stage, Kennedy took down McDonald, 77-55, in the district final. Both Kennedy and McDonald reached regionals last year, but with rearranged districts for this season, the teams met up in the district championship.
This season, the Eagles take on Lucas, who reached the regional final last season after beating McDonald.
"They're very physical," Komlanc said. "The one thing that's a concern is that their style of play is much much different than ours. … They play at a very methodical pace, but everything they do is fast, they're just very precise.
"I think the kids have bought into that they understand that they have to be flexible, roll with the punches, make adjustments and suck it up. If anybody can do it, it's these kids. I know they don't want their season to end, and I know that they would love to be the first time to have an opportunity to win a regional championship, and that's what they're shooting for."
Bristol, the lone team in the Region 13 bracket that wasn't there last season, came into this year with something to prove after graduating a strong senior class that included Matt Church and Matt Stephens.
Matt's brother, Nick, a junior, as well as seniors Jake Erjavec and Jeremy Miller along with breakout freshman Mikey Burbach have all played a role in Bristol not missing a beat this season.
"I think this is really exciting for us in the sense that we've had so much uncertainty and it seems like every single time that we needed to step up and play, these guys really stepped up to the challenge," Bristol coach Craig Giesy said. "Whether it was playing four games in five days, being laid off for two weeks and then practicing the morning of our first game back and then coming in and playing. They're just gutting wins out and finding ways to be successful in circumstances we haven't been in."
Gutting wins out will be necessary for Bristol as it faces its toughest challenge yet in Richmond Heights, arguably the favorites in the region.
The Spartans started the season 0-3 after losses to St. Edward, St. Ignatius and St. Vincent-St. Mary before winning 15 of the following 16 games to win their third straight district title in as many years.
"We know we have a tall task," Giesy said. "We're playing very confident. We have senior guards that are confident in what we do, what they do and we'll go into that game, play our game and then see where we're at in the end."
One difficulty the Panthers will face is size.
Bristol hasn't faced a team that has the size Richmond Heights has this season.
"They put a bunch of different types of pressure on you, full-court zones, half-court pressure and with their length, you just can't practice against that," Giesy said, "and to be honest, at the Division IV level, you just don't normally see it."
With the tough matchup, Giesy is relying heavily on his senior guards, who both stepped into much larger roles this season.
"They both played roles last year on the team and they showed promise, but they weren't asked to do a whole lot on that team last year," he said. "They were excited to come in their senior year and prove what kind of players they are. When asked to do more, they really took the bull by the horns and took the leadership role and just played so solid."
Both teams play today at Akron Firestone High School. The Eagles face Lucas at 5:30 and the Panthers face Richmond Heights at 8. The winners will face each other at 7 p.m. Friday at Firestone.