BEES RAKE IN THE AWARDS

TIMMY TUPA EARNS TOP DISTRICT HONOR

By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer

Monday night, December 2, 2013

BRECKSVILLE – The rewards for a season well-played continued to roll in last week as the Associated Press announced its 2013 postseason all-district teams.

The Bees Timmy Tupa, a 6-2, senior quarterback, was named as the Offensive Player of The Year and a first-team honoree on the Northeastern Lakes All-District Football Team, Division II.

Also garnering first-team Northeastern Lakes All-District honors were senior defensive end Troy Lang and senior linebacker Jay Rose.

Three Brecksville-Broadview Heights players were selected to the Northeastern Lakes All-District Second-Team. They were; sophomore receiver Tyler Tupa, senior running back Carlo Milano and senior linebacker Colton Czack.

Bees head coach Jason Black was named the districts Coach of The Year.

The selections were chosen by a media panel from the district.

Tupa, who threw for 1,952 yards and 20 touchdowns by completing 157 of 218 passes (72%), led Brecksville to an outright Southwestern Conference championship and a second-round playoff berth in Division II. Tupa, who was only intercepted five times, also ran for 1,014 yards on 183 carries and 19 more touchdowns.

“It’s awesome how so many of my teammates received the recognition. That’s pretty special,” Timmy Tupa said. “It’s a nice way to cap off a good year.”

Coach Black, who mentored the Bees to a 10-2 overall record in his fifth season at the helm, spoke with pride on what his top players accomplished this season.

“I am very happy for Tim. This is an honor that is well-deserved. Without a doubt he was a top player in the state. In my opinion he was the best player in the state of Ohio,” Black said. “This shows you the value of hard work.”

Lang, a human landslide at defensive end, was a three-year starter for Brecksville at that position. Lang used his speed and athleticism to make 83 total tackles. He had 14 solo hits and 69 assists and led the Bees with nine quarterback sacks. Lang also recovered two fumbles, made one interception and scored two touchdowns for the big-play Beeville defense.

“Troy Lang’s first-team all-district selection was a great honor for him. He worked super hard at everything he did. Troy did a great job of making plays from the defensive end spot,” said Black. “Not only was he great at getting to the quarterback, but he is a career leader in tackles for a loss.”

Jay Rose was as brilliant on the field as he is in the classroom. The senior linebacker is an Ivy League and Patriot League recruit and is the definitive student-athlete. Rose was second on the team with 126 total tackles and recorded four sacks. He was the Bees leader this season in tackles for a loss with 12 and passes broken-up with six.

On offense Rose only carried the ball 17 times, but his 8.8 yards per carry average was tops on the team. As a punishing runner he scored three touchdowns.

“Jay Rose’s honor was the perfect ending for a great season. He made big play after big play during the season. He did that not only from his linebacker position but from his running back position,” Black said. “An Ivy League or Patriot League school is going to get a great football player.”

Colton Czack is one of those throw-back football players. He wears his hair long and he plays with a mean streak. Opposing running backs and quarterbacks went to bed on Friday nights seeing number 45 bearing down on them. Off the field Czack, the son of a coach, is a perfect gentleman.

Czack was the Bees leading tackler in 2013 with 130 total hits. He assisted on 115 and made 15 more on his own. In other words Czack was always around the ball. He registered 4.5 sacks and made five tackles for a loss. Czack forced four fumbles and blocked three kicks. His name will be posted high on the teams wall of records.

“Colton Czack’s hard work paid off for him too. He has helped re-write the record book for tackles over the past two years. It is not often where we get one exceptional linebacker let alone two like we had this year,” said Black. “Colton was the heartbeat of this defense and a wonderful player.”

Tyler Tupa made his mark on both sides of the line of scrimmage, but dazzled with his ability to run precise routes, make incredible catches and display superior athleticism in the yards-after-catch department. Tupa was Brecksville’s leading receiver with 56 grabs for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns. On defense he made 25 tackles, including nine solo stops. Tyler had one interception, broke-up a pair of passes, both in the end zone, and caused a fumble – all in his first varsity season.

Milano solidified the Bees ground game and balanced its offense by running for 984 yards on a team-high 188 carries. Milano tallied 13 touchdowns in a dozen games. When Brecksville needed a crucial first down they turned to the hard-churning legs of number 26.

Jason Black coaches the way he played the game – as a member of a team. He is the first to tell you that he is just part of a much bigger picture. Any success that he has is because of his players and assistant coaches.

“People keep telling me congrats on the coach of the year honor and by all means it is a great honor to have. I am blessed to coach such excellent players,” Black said. “But in all seriousness this honor is a whole coaching staff award. There is no way we can accomplish what we did this year without the great support of my staff. John Shirilla, Mike Czack, Jason Simonetti, Mike Glaser and Tom Tupa all deserve this award.”

 

Please stay tuned to the Bees football website for more program updates and news items as they roll in.

 

See You At The Bee Hive!

To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.

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