It was the best kind of two-way street. The Medina boys basketball team’s great postseason run gave the community a reason to pull together, while the community’s incredible support was equally inspirational to the team.

The Bees’ Cinderella story ended Saturday night when they fell 51-39 to Toledo Whitmer in the University of Akron Division I Regional final, but it’s something the kids on the floor and the people in the stands will talk about for years.

Anthony Stacey

After going just 5-15 in the regular season, the Bees matched their win total with five tournament wins while becoming just the second Medina boys team and third squad in Medina County history to reach a regional championship.

While it’s true the Bees didn’t have to beat any legitimate state title contenders in their first five tournament games, that isn’t their fault and doesn’t lessen their accomplishment. Until Saturday, they beat everyone put in front of them — and they did so in a manner that made everyone proud.

“What they’ve done for this community is unbelievable,” rookie head coach Anthony Stacey said. “They brought a complete community together and showed them what it means to be a team.”

While the 1980-81 Wadsworth team that reached the Class AAA state finals and 1982-83 Medina team that advanced to the state semis both had their share of miraculous victories along the tournament trail, what made the 2011-12 Bees’ run so memorable was that it was so unexpected.

“You don’t dream something like this coming off 5-15,” Stacey said. “It’s not your first dream. They’re usually nightmares.”

With each postseason win — first over county foes Wadsworth and Brunswick, then Nordonia, Firestone and Elyria — the dream got bigger and better.

Short of a state championship, it was going to end somewhere, but the Bees as a team and Medina as a community went out in style.

As the clock ticked down, the classy Stacey made sure to get all 15 players in uniform into the game, giving each of his core players huge hugs as they exited for the final time.

There was dejection from 6-foot-5, 230-pound University at Buffalo football recruit Mason Schreck when he fouled out after battling a pair of Whitmer centers — 6-7, 275-pound Chris Wormley and 6-8, 300-pound Storm Norton — who made the muscular senior look small by comparison.

There were uncontrollable tears from gutsy, never-quit junior guard Billy Geschke, who scored all eight of his team’s first-quarter points and battled valiantly to keep Medina in the game.

There was stoicism and maturity from talented Michigan State recruit Kenny Kaminski after he shot an uncharacteristic 1-for-10 and scored just three points against the best defense the Bees saw all season.

All three players, however, made it a point to thank the community in a postgame press conference in front of about 10 media members. They did it again afterward when patiently and politely talking to reporters one-on-one.

“It’s a special thing,” the 6-9, 250-pound Kaminski said. “We were able to pull a community together. That’s really what it is.”

That community included the Medina students, who turned out in huge numbers after several regular-season games where fewer than 75 were on hand. Not only did they turn out, they were at times clever and at others heartfelt, but always energetic, entertaining and loud.

Upon spotting a talented Elyria player in the stands opposite them — no small feat, considering 2,223 people were on hand — who nearly led his team to a victory over the Bees in the regional semis, Medina students started the sing-song, four-syllable chant “Ko-dy Ben-der” until he smiled, stood up and took a bow.

Later, using the same melody, they played their nightly version of “Where is Waldo?” A student dressed as Waldo quietly goes and sits somewhere in the opponent’s stands, leading the Medina student body to begin its rhythmic chant of “Where’s Waldo?” until he stands up and reveals himself to huge applause.

Finally, when it became clear their team was not going to pull out a victory on this night, Medina students broke out the sing-song chant “Awesome season” in the closing moments.

“That’s definitely an adrenaline kick for all of us,” Schreck said. “My face lights up every time I look up and see them chanting.”

In all, Medina sold 1,051 $6 tickets at the school, with many more people showing up at the door and forking over $8. At least two-thirds of the crowd was Medina-based and the vast majority of fans were dressed in the school’s primary color of green, making the night look like a giant St. Patrick’s parade.

What it really was, of course, was a community falling in love with its team — and that team loving its community for that support.

“It’s been,” Schreck said, “the best time in my life.”

Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.

AKRON — One thunderous blow from a jackhammer broke the ice.

The right arm of Nigel Hayes was the strike Toledo Whitmer needed Saturday to pull away from Medina 51-39 in the University of Akron Division I Regional championship.

Whitmeer Guard Ricardo Smith, left, and Medina's Logan Winkler fight for a loose ball. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY JUDD SMERGLIA)

In ending the improbable tournament run of the Bees (10-16), who were just the third team in Medina County history to reach the round of eight, the Panthers (23-2) advance to face St. Edward on Friday in the state semifinals at Ohio State University’s Value City Arena.

“Plays like those are what Coach (Bruce Smith) calls his pick-sixes,” Hayes said. “That was more like a batted interception, a pick-six and a touchdown celebration dance.”

With the teams trading physical blows, brick after brick and Whitmer holding a 29-26 lead late in the third quarter, Medina’s Lucas Supan dribbled into traffic near the top of the 3-point arc to set up the play of the night.

The ball was stripped and eventually poked high into the air near midcourt. Panthers point guard LeRoy Alexander (11 points, 6 rebounds) used his impressive vertical to tip the ball to Hayes (17 points,
8 rebounds), who was leaking out in anticipation of a turnover.

Hayes then corralled the rock, took a few dribbles, extended his right arm to the right and threw down a game-changing dunk. Supan fouled Hayes on the play, and the 6-foot-7 forward canned the free throw in front of the vastly outnumbered Whitmer student section.

“That really got our team going, and really got our crowd into it, which gave us momentum,” Hayes said. “That pushed us forward the rest of the quarter and the rest of the game.”

The highlight-reel sequence kicked off a 17-3 Whitmer run, which also featured a buzzer-beating putback at the end of the third quarter by Alexander, who later added a pair of two-handed slams.

With the way 6-1 Ricardo Smith was locking down 6-8 Michigan State recruit Kenny Kaminski (3 points, 1-of-10 shooting), there was little hope of a Medina comeback.

“They’re a really good basketball team,” Bees coach Anthony Stacey said. “They’ve only lost two games for a reason.”

Kaminski wasn’t the only player who struggled to score. Whitmer’s defense was that good.

Medina’s rock during its postseason run, Mason Schreck, finished with four points on 2-of-7 shooting while battling against 6-7, 270-pound Michigan football recruit Chris Wormley and 6-8, 300-pound Storm Norton and attempting to keep up with Hayes at the other end.

Meanwhile, Alexander’s ‘D’ on Logan Winkler (3 points, 3 assists) was so strong Billy Geschke (14 points) took over the point in the second half, and take out 1-for-1 performances from backups Ian Law, Lucas Supan, Nick Fryer and Mike Ellenbest and the Bees’ were 5-of-19 (.263) from the floor in the second half.

“They’re definitely the best defensive team we’ve played and their probably the most physical,” Stacey said. “They have a bunch of football guys that guard you and buy in.”

How Medina hung around for nearly three quarters was relatively simple: The first half was brutally ugly, the Panthers proved they couldn’t shoot (1-of-11 3-pointers) and no one could guard Geschke.

Whitmer began the game on a 7-0 run using a NBA-style isolation offense that baffled many because of the Panthers’ clear advantage in athleticism and team speed, as Hayes, Alexander and Smith settled for jumpers.

Meanwhile, Geschke asserted himself quickly after breaking Medina’s 4:32 scoreless drought to being the game. The 6-1 junior scored all eight of Medina’s first-quarter points on 3-of-4 shooting, but the problem was no one complemented him, as the Bees finished the half 6-of-20 from the floor.

Luckily for Medina, Whitmer wasn’t much better with a 7-of-25 effort, and the Bees actually held a 15-14 lead at recess.

“It felt pretty good coming after my performance during the last game,” said Geschke, referring to a 1-of-6 effort against Elyria 48 hours earlier. “As a player, you always don’t remember what happened in the past. You always look to the next game because that’s what matters most.”

The teams went back and forth for much of the third quarter, when the Panthers began attacking the basket with more frequency. Medina’s key scorers continued to struggle, but role players Dillon Wiesler, Supan and Law made huge shots to keep the Bees afloat.

That is until Hayes slammed home the game-changer.

“That’s the name of the game at this point — you’ve got to make shots,” Stacey said. “Unfortunately tonight we just couldn’t get the ball to go in the hole.”

Notes

With 2:34 remaining, a driving Hayes was fouled by Ian Law. Hayes and Kaminski, who was protecting the rim, continued through the whistle, and Kaminski ended up knocking Hayes to the ground after hard contact.

No call was made despite vehement pleas from Whitmer fans, but Hayes, who plays for the same AAU program as Kaminski, took no offense to the play.

“That was accidental,” he said. “That’s that All-Ohio Red love he has for me.”

• Chase Johanson, Jordan Bybee and Mike Kaminski made their varsity debuts when the benches cleared.

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

AKRON — Billy Geschke provided the points, while Kenny Kaminski made the biggest impact for Medina’s boys basketball team in the tournament.

Senior center Mason Schreck, however, was the heart and soul of the Bees throughout the 2011-12 season.

Mason Schreck

Schreck again left everything he had on the floor Saturday in the University of Akron Division I Regional championship, grabbing a game-high-tying eight rebounds with four points in Medina’s 51-39 loss to Toledo Whitmer.

“This has been one of the best times of my life because of everything we accomplished as a team,” the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder said. “From the start of the year, we had a lot of doubters in the community and around the area, but we never bought into it.

“We played one of the toughest schedules in Ohio, so once we hit the tournament, we were ready to go. It was an incredible experience.”

Schreck led by example during the Bees’ magical six-game postseason run, averaging 11.2 points and a team-best 11.2 rebounds. He also paced the squad with 36 free throw attempts, including three against the state-bound Panthers.

Two evenings earlier, Schreck forced overtime against Elyria by burying a pair of foul shots with 39 seconds left in regulation. He finished that regional semifinal contest 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, scored 12 points, and collected a game-high 14 boards as Medina rallied for a 46-41 triumph.

“Everybody knows Medina has the three-headed monster with Kaminski and Geschke, but I was really, really impressed with Schreck,” Whitmer coach Bruce Smith said. “All he did on Thursday was win the game for them by doing all the dirty work and turning them into big plays.

“Believe me, we made sure we knew where he was at all times tonight. You have to keep a body on him or he’s going find a way to hurt you.”

The body that Smith primarily used was 6-7, 270-pound senior Chris Wormley, who is headed to the University of Michigan to play defensive end.

When he needed a rest, the Panthers called upon senior Storm Norton, a 6-8, 300-pound senior who will be part of the University of Toledo’s offensive line, and 6-7 junior power forward Nigel Hayes.

“They were the biggest guys we faced all year, so I had to man-up and be as physical as possible with (Wormley),” said Schreck, who went 2-for-7 from the field and 0-for-3 from the line. “I did get some fouls, but they kind of come with the territory when you’re playing that style.”

Though Schreck fouled out with 3:23 left in regulation, he provided the Bees’ last gasp one quarter earlier.

With 3:01 remaining in the third, the double-double machine grabbed Hayes’ missed 3-pointer and went coast to coast for a driving layup that cut Whitmer’s lead to 25-24. Making the play even more impressive, Schreck was fouled by Hayes and scored over him, sending the James A. Rhodes Arena crowd of 2,223 into a tizzy.

Unfortunately for Medina, the Panthers immediately answered with a backbreaking 16-2 run that ended the third-deepest postseason run in Medina County hoops history.

“I was going against Kenny on offense, but I was guarding Mason on defense — you talk about a tough night, going against two D-I athletes,” Wormley said. “Because Mason is so strong and physical, I knew I had to pick up my game against him. We knew how he played (against Elyria), and we couldn’t allow him to do it again.”

While Kaminski will soon be sinking shots for Michigan State University, the final buzzer Saturday marked the end of Schreck’s basketball career.

One of the top football recruits in Northeast Ohio, Schreck accepted a scholarship from the University of Buffalo and will be playing tight end at the Mid-American Conference school in the fall.

But don’t be surprised if No. 32 is seen in the stands next winter, cheering on the Bees as they attempt to become the county’s first back-to-back regional qualifier.

“This loss is going to hurt for a while, but it was an honor to be part of this team with this group of seniors; Kenny, Luke (Supan) and Ian (Law),” Schreck said. “We did our best to instill motivation and desire, and always tried to be the best we could be.

“I really do wish the younger guys the best of luck and hope they can get back here again next season.”

Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.

AKRON — Records were being broken left and right Saturday night at the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches State Indoor Meet, and Medina County athletes were right in the middle of the excitement.

Liverpool Township resident Anthony Young broke a pair of records en route to winning three events and helping St. Edward win the boys title, while Medina’s girls 4×800-meter team won in record time to pace the Bees to a runner-up finish.

Anthony Young

“I’m really sore,” Young said. “It was really all mental though. I just had to stay focused and be on top of my game.”

The junior broke meet marks in the 60- and 200-meter dashes, along with winning the title in the triple jump and pacing the Eagles’ 4×4 unit to third.

He opened his day by clocking 6.82 to win the 60 by 0.07 seconds over Khoury Crenshaw, and then ran over to the triple jump, where he cleared 45 feet, 1 inch on his first attempt. Young passed on his other five attempts and held on for the crown.

The race of the day for Young came in the 200, as he needed every second of his record 21.34 to edge Cleveland Heights’ Shelton Gibson by a tenth of a second.

It was the second straight year Young defeated Gibson.

“I got off to a bad start and he was ahead by 10-15 meters, so I had to catch him and I did,” he said. “I looked to my right and I knew I got him because my lean never fails me.”

Young’s 60 time is currently the fifth-fastest in the country, while his 200 mark is third.

St. Edward broke the state meet record for points with 75.

“It felt good to break two records,” he said. “Our team works so hard and has trained so hard this offseason, and we were able to put all the pieces together.”

Like Young’s thrilling 200 finish, Medina’s 4×8 unit came from behind to win the indoor gold for the second straight season.

Trailing after the first two legs by Sarah Pack and Maria Scavuzzo, senior Taylor Wickey, who typically runs the lead, brought the foursome back to set up a thrilling finish, as Anna Boyert slammed the door shut in a record-time 9:25.34.

“It was really awesome,” Boyert said. “I got the baton in the lead, but you never want to be too confident. You just have to run your race.

“It was really cool to get the record because it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. This group is great and we all worked so hard this winter.”

Boyert found a little gas left in the tank to clock 5:05.01 and finish second in the 1,600 run — a little under 3 seconds off the pace set by Solon’s Therese Haiss. Paige Szabat of Wadsworth was sixth in 5:14.67.

“(Haiss) was coming in fresh, so I wanted to come out and take the lead, but she ran a good race and you can’t take anything away from her,” Boyert said. “It’s a good starting point for the outdoor season.”

The Bees’ Jenna D’Errico also recorded second-place finish, as she cleared 10-6 in the pole vault. Combine that with Wickey in the 800 (3rd, 2:19.42) and Ali Kovarik in the long jump (4th, 16-10¼) and Medina recorded 38 points to finish second as a team.

Two other county individuals walked away with silver medals.

Cloverleaf senior Kelani Nuckols’ leap of 34-2½ was runner-up in the triple jump, while Medina resident Steele Wasik jumped a personal-best 6-7 for St. Edward to take second in the high jump.

Reigning 60 dash champ Brianna Neitzel of Brunswick finished third overall in a heated final. The senior’s time of 7.76 was 0.03 seconds off winner Artia Gunn of Euclid. The top four placers ran 7.79 or better.

Medina’s boys received placings by Walter Bailey in the long jump (6th) and Mike Hierholzer in the shot (7th), while Brunswick’s Andrew Bunting (6th, weight throw) and Keith Yohman (7th, 200) joined them.

On the girls side, Brunswick’s 4×4 relay was sixth, and individuals Loren McDaniel and Megan Kidd took seventh in the 3,200 and pole vault, respectively.

Contact Dan Brown at sports@medina-gazette.com.

AKRON — He wears the responsibility like a badge of honor. He’ll gladly trade in a 1-of-8 performance from the field — like he had Saturday night against Medina’s boys basketball team — for a win.

He’s Ricardo Smith and he’s a big reason why Toledo Whitmer will play St. Edward in a state semifinal on Friday.

Kenny Kaminski

Burdened with the role of guarding the best player on the other team, Smith drew Bees forward Kenny Kaminski in the Panthers’ 51-39 University of Akron Division I final and found success.

“On all the good teams we’ve had, we’ve had a kid that sacrificed his offense for his defense,” Whitmer coach Bruce Smith said. “Ricardo has accepted that role. He’s not only accepted it, he’s excelled at it.
They ran a lot of pick-and-pop with (Kaminski). Ricardo is as a big a reason as any we have for moving on.”

The proof is in the numbers, as Smith wore Kaminski like an apron for most of the evening.

Whitmer (23-2) gives up just 44.7 points per game and the 6-foot-1 junior guard is the adhesive on a team that prides itself on what it does when it doesn’t have the ball.

Smith almost pulled off the near-impossible against Kaminski, holding the 6-8 Michigan State recruit to only a 3-point field goal with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter on an assist from Logan Winkler.

Not bad considering Kaminski came into things averaging 18.5 points per game in the last four contests.

“He was physical,” Kaminski said. “He was hard to shake. I’ve played against strong defenders, but he was relentless. He really did his job, and that says a lot about him.”

What Smith did was extraordinary, as the junior gave up at least seven inches.

He did it by keeping Kaminski in front of him as much as possible. With help from 6-7 center Chris Wormley any time Kaminski drove the lane, Smith frustrated Kaminski into a 1-of-10 performance from the field.

While Kaminski helped the team in other ways — he shared the rebounding lead with Mason Schreck, who had eight boards — he couldn’t find room to operate offensively.

“I had to sacrifice a lot for the team,” Smith said of his five-point performance against Medina. “But you do what you have to do.

“It was a big task because Kaminski is such a good player, but I take pride in my defense.

“It’s what I have to do to help us win. I could see him getting frustrated, but honestly I was doing the best I could to keep him from impacting the game.”

Smith will likely draw Eagles guard Myles Hamilton, who is averaging 16.6 points per game, in Friday’s state semifinal and will need to do much of the same for his team to win.

“I’ll have to contest every shot,” Smith said. “I’ll have to make sure I’m there every time he has the ball and make him earn anything he gets.”

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.

CLEVELAND — Ramon Sessions was missed. So were Consistent Energy and Sustained Effort.

The Cavaliers played Sunday for the first time since trading their backup point guard and never really gave themselves a chance against the more talented Atlanta Hawks, falling 103-87 in front of 15,645 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and Hawks veteran Kirk Hinrich battle for a loose ball. (AP PHOTO)

Atlanta (26-19) was without starters Al Horford and Marvin Williams, as well as three other injured players, but still led the Cavs (16-26) by 12 after one, by 17 in the second period and by 19 in the third.

“They came out and kind of punched us in the mouth,” Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. “I don’t think we ever really responded after that.”

In dropping their third straight, the Cavs fell 3½ games back of New York and three behind Milwaukee in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland also dropped to 0-1 since trading Sessions, as veterans Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson could not get the team into much offense when starting point guard Kyrie Irving (19 points, 10 assists) went to the bench for a rest.

Case in point: The Cavs somehow clawed back from the 19-point hole and were within six late in the third period, but Irving needed a blow at the start of the fourth with his team down eight. By the time he came back in with 7:43 to play, Cleveland was down 16 again, all its hard work gone for naught.

With Gibson and Parker in the backcourt, the Cavs scored just four points in that span, three coming on a prayer by Gibson from beyond the arc.

Scott, however, said he never considered sticking with Irving because the 19-year-old was tired.

“We’ve got to still find a way when he comes out of the game to get the ball up and down the floor and run our offense a little smoother,” the coach said.

Other than a career-high-tying 20 points from Alonzo Gee, who also had nine rebounds, the Cavs weren’t able to make shots on the occasions when they did execute their offense.

Antawn Jamison got his points like he always does — in this case, 17 of them — but it took 6-for-22 shooting to do it. Parker was 3-for-10 from the field, while Gibson, who had a season-high eight rebounds, was 1-for-6.

Rookie Tristan Thompson, making his first career start, had seven points and six boards in 35 minutes and got outplayed by Zaza Pachulia (12 points, 9 rebounds).

Without Sessions to run the offense and score, Cleveland’s bench produced just 18 points, four of those coming courtesy of Manny Harris in total garbage time.

Cleveland’s defense wasn’t any better, as Atlanta shot .506 from the field (43-for-85) and got 28 points from small forward Joe Johnson, who was 11-for-16 from the field and probably could have scored 40 if he had desired.

“He was making a lot of tough shots,” Gee said. “He had a couple open looks, but he played a really good game. It’s hard to speed him up. He plays at the same pace.”

Scott tried to change things up, starting Gibson in place of Parker to begin the third period because Atlanta starts two smaller guards in Jeff Teague (18 points) and Kirk Hinrich (14), but that didn’t work.

The only time the Cavs actually stopped the Hawks was when power forward Josh Smith (7 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) decided to stand on the perimeter and launch rainbow set shots for most of the third period.

Smith was 3-for-15 from the field, while the rest of the Hawks were 40-for-70. His miserable third quarter coincided with Cleveland’s brief rally late in the period, but Scott wasn’t fooled.

“It was more a case of Josh Smith shooting threes and missing them,” he said. “We were able to rebound and get out and run. Then they went back to normal.”

Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com.

BRECKSVILLE — Pete Skirpstas might just want to hold off on his plans to move to Florida.

At least that was the thought Sunday after the 2006 Medina graduate won the 19th annual Greater Cleveland Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course.

Medina’s Pete Skirpstas captured the Cleveland Open on Sunday. (GAZETTE PHOTO BY BRAD BOURNIVAL)

Winning in a one-hole playoff, the 23-year-old now has a Cleveland Am title to go with a qualifier win for the same tournament and fourth-place finish at the U.S. Amateur qualifier this summer.

Not a bad couple of weeks for someone who plans on joining a mini-circuit next summer in the Sunshine State.

“I’m thinking about turning pro,” Skirpstas said. “I want to get a feel for the lifestyle. I’ll stay up here until it gets cold and then I’m going down. That’s four months of getting better rather than packing it in and waiting for the weather.”

Actually, the weather is what turned a three-round tournament into a 36-hole event with a playoff on Sunday.

With the lead group playing 10 holes in the final round, thunderstorms washed out the last day of the tournament to force a playoff between Skirpstas and Cleveland State sophomore Andrew Bailey.

Skirpstas actually made the turn with the lead, so it wasn’t like going back to Saturday’s scores made a huge difference.

“I would have liked to have finished the round so I could say I fought my way through it,” Skirpstas said. “But you have to play the golf course. Whoever plays the best wins the tournament. When the golf course changes, you adjust.”

The golf course certainly changed for Skirpstas and Bailey, as 1¼ inches of rain during the two-hour delay slowed putts down almost two feet, according to the players.

With officials feverishly pushing water off the 386-yard, par-4 18th green, the stage was set for a dramatic finish.

Bailey striped his drive to 106 yards in the middle of the fairway. Skirpstas sent his tee shot left to 112 yards out.

That’s when Skirpstas ultimately won the tournament. With a tree blocking his approach shot, the Medina resident shaped a shot around the obstacle to 18 feet.

“I wasn’t that worried,” he said. “I had a glop of mud on the ball, but that’s the one shot I know I can hit.

“I almost made three or four shots from that distance this week. You just act like you’ve done it a million times.”

Bailey still looked like he had things in control when he sent his second shot to 12 feet above the hole.

But Mother Nature had other ideas on the soggy green.

Skirpstas sent his left-to-right birdie attempt to 18 inches. Hitting what Bailey termed “a lake,” the Rocky River resident’s third shot went just six feet.

He just missed his par putt to give Skirpstas the championship.

“It’s hard to explain, but playing in a playoff doesn’t bother me,” Skirpstas said. “I would have liked to have won with a birdie putt. I’m not a ruthless person, but it happens. That’s golf.”

It’s a game Skirpstas loves to play as he looks to continue a torrid summer with a couple more tournaments before turning his attention to Florida.

That’s still a few months away and Skirpstas has no plans on slowing down.

“It feels awesome,” Skirpstas said. “I just wanted to win. I know how to do it. It was great to do it in front of my family and friends.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Editor’s note: This is the fifth of seven pieces that will focus on the schedules of each Medina County school as it prepares for the 2011 football season.

WADSWORTH — Being decimated by injuries is never fun.

But when the aches and pains of a 2010 high school football season lost translate into a successful 2011, the bumps and bruises are easily forgotten.

Wadsworth suffered its first losing season since going 3-7 in 1995, coach Greg Dennison’s first year on the job, but is looking forward to taking the next step toward success.

“That’s the motivation for us,” Dennison said. “Part of our problem last year was our injuries.

“But one of the positives is we have a lot of kids with experience back this year. There’s no substitute for game-time experience. The growing pains you usually go through at the start of the season, we won’t go through. Having all those starters back is important.”

That’s especially true considering the way the season will start for Wadsworth, as two out of its first three games involve playoff teams.

While Ashland (12-2) lost a ton, it has been to the postseason four of the last five seasons, making the Arrows an important game out of the chute. After that, it’s a home game with Wooster (7-3) before a trip to playoff qualifier Medina (9-3).

“Our non-league games usually are pretty good, but this is as tough a non-conference schedule as we have had,” Dennison said. “When we come to Suburban League play, we’ll know where we are and that’s a good thing.

“When you play those good non-league teams, it prepares you for the league and for the playoffs. If you play a non-conference schedule that’s not as tough, you kind of get a false sense of where you are.”

With Cloverleaf (4-6, 2-5), Revere (3-7, 2-5) and Green (5-5, 5-2) to follow, the chance to slip into a comfort zone might be easy. But Dennison isn’t looking for the Grizzlies to hit the snooze button before games against Copley (9-2, 6-1) and Tallmadge (11-1, 7-0) in Weeks 7 and 8.

In fact, the three-game stretch with the Colts, Minutemen and Bulldogs might just show the seasoned coach all he needs to know about his Grizzlies.

“I think our kids are well aware that you can’t look ahead,” he said. “There’s not a team you can look past. Cloverleaf always gives us their best game of the year. We need to keep it one week at a time. When you face good teams, you want to be playing at your best. You have to be at the top of your game, so getting off to a good start is going to be huge.”

Wadsworth closes out the season against Highland (4-6, 3-4) and conference newcomer Nordonia (2-8). Dennison was quick to point out the Hornets were hit by the injury bug as well last season and that the Knights played in the always-tough Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division in 2010.

“In our league, there’s no easy one anywhere, top to bottom,” he said. “If we are fortunate to make the playoffs coming off Highland and Nordonia, we’ll be ready. It will be good preparation for us.”

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.