Red Wolves ruin Warren JFK’s postseason run

ORWELL -- With their backs against the wall, the Kennedy Eagles weren't going down without a fight.

Needing a touchdown and a two-point conversion to force overtime, Kennedy put itself on the doorstep of achieving that, but were stopped just short in a 21-19 defeat at the hands of Cuyahoga Heights.

"(We just told them) 'You have to score to win the ball game,'" Eagles coach Damon Buente said about the team's final drive. "In true Kennedy fashion and the way that our seniors have played their entire careers, that's when they flex their heart the most."

Kennedy's Marcus Komora got things started, somehow escaping through a sea of bodies and running almost untouched to the end zone on a punt return.

Cuyahoga Heights nearly responded in kind on the ensuing kickoff, starting the Red Wolves off at the 16-yard line. It didn't take long for their response, matching the Eagles' touchdown just 57 seconds after.

Things bounced Cuyahoga Heights' way again, recovering the following kickoff, setting the Red Wolves up with great field position. But a lateral attempt turned-fumble swung the pendulum back toward Kennedy.

That sparked the Eagles, as the ground game combination of LaMarcus Provitt and Jaylen Murray drove down the field, capping the drive off with a 13-yard Murray score.

Kennedy took advantage of another mistake at a crucial time, with Jacob Moore intercepting a Red Wolves pass just one play after an overturned touchdown by Cuyahoga Heights.

Neither team found the endzone again until the third quarter when a 22-yard rush by Devon Dzik and the ensuing extra point gave the Red Wolves a one-point lead.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, that'd be the last time they held a lead.

Red Wolves quarterback Zach Shafer extended that lead with a 5-yard rush, giving the Eagles four minutes to mount a comeback.

Kennedy utilized its weapons, driving down the field and eating as much clock as possible.

Quarterback Freddy Bolchalk scored with 40 seconds left, setting Kennedy up for a do-or-die two-point attempt.

Murray was stopped just short of the goal line on the two-point conversion, however, leaving an onside kick as the only option for the Eagles.

The Red Wolves recovered that kick, and kneeled out the remaining time.

Kennedy's season ends at 10-3.

The turnaround from the Eagles' 2-7 2023 campaign is a stark one. Going from 2-7 to a game away from the regional finals is never easy, and Buente credits the seniors to that.

"We experienced an eight-win turnaround, and it was due to the buy-in of our senior class," Buente said. "If you have Urban Meyer and Vince Lombardi coaching your kids and your kids don't buy in, you will not have success. We were put in this situation with our turnaround because our seniors bought in. It's that simple. I don't need to listen to any podcast to find that out. It's that simple."

That senior class of 14, including Bolchalk, Komora, Moore, Noah Elser, Ian Odille and Ethan Laslo, have been an essential part of this program.

"It took me 48 hours to apply for the Kennedy job when it came open, because I knew who our senior class was going to be in 2024. It was a very easy decision," Buente said. "There's not a phrase in the English vocabulary that can describe how important they are to the life of our program."

Losing such a crucial senior class is always tough.

Now the younger players have to respond.

For Buente, the next step is simple.

"Do your job and lift weights," he said.

Cuyahoga Heights plays Jeromesville Hillsdale in the regional final.