MIDPARK UP NEXT FOR BEES
By Dom DiPasqua/Staff Writer
Monday, October 17, 2011
BRECKSVILLE – Head Coach Dave Stupka leads Midpark into Community Stadium Friday night for a Southwestern Conference game with Brecksville-Broadview Heights. Kick off at the Bee Hive is slated for 7:00 pm.
The Meteors enter the fray with a 2-6 overall record including a 1-4 mark in SWC games. They were defeated at home last Friday by Westlake, 21-14, in overtime at Finnie Stadium. The Demons scored on a one-yard run in the extra session to escape with the victory.
The Bees will look to bounce back after a heartbreaking 17-14 loss at Avon Lake, a place where they have had their fair share of miseries since joining the conference. BBHHS is 4-4 in all games and 3-2 in the loop.
Despite the topsy-turvy year it's been for Brecksville they'll have a chance to raise their record above the 500 plateau against Midpark. The Meteors have dropped five of their last six games after splitting their first two this season.
Midpark has scored 151 points in eight games for an 18.8 ppg average. They have surrendered 220 points, a standard of 27.5 per outing.
Brecksville throttled the Meteors, 41-19, on September 17, 2010 at Finnie. Midpark went 2-8 overall a year ago and 1-6 in the league.
The Bees and Midpark have a long history and the two schools have become rivals in many sports. Both BBHHS and Midpark were charter members of the old Pioneer Conference that was formed in the summer of 1977.
When the PC enlarged to form two divisions (big school/small school) the Meteors and Bees were paired up in the Heritage Division. The Pioneer Conference finally met its unfortunate demise at the end of the 2004-05 school year and both schools, along with Berea, joined the Southwestern Conference.
This will be the Meteors first game away from the confines of Finnie Stadium since September 23. In a quirk of Southwestern Conference scheduling Midpark played four straight home games preceded by three consecutive on the road.
They will face arch rival and sister school Berea to conclude the regular season next Friday at George Finnie's ball yard in their annual battle for the coveted Grindstone Trophy.
SCOUTING MIDPARK:
District: Northeast.
County: Cuyahoga.
Superintendent: Mike Sheppard.
Principal: Paul Kish.
Athletic Director: Bob Johnson.
Head Coach: Dave Stupka.
Head Trainer: N/A.
Nickname: Meteors.
School Colors: Orange and Brown.
Conference: Southwestern Conference.
Male Enrollment: 506.
Division: I.
Region: 1.
Notable: The Meteors, like fellow Southwestern Conference members North Olmsted and Brecksville-Broadview Heights, are in D-1, Region 1.
METEOR NOTES:
Midpark High School is part of the Berea City School District. Midpark and Berea will merge to become one high school in the near future. Midpark draws its students from Middleburg Heights, Brook Park and a small portion of Berea.
The school took to its colors when it was a brand new facility. The uniforms for their football team weren't ready for its inaugural game. So a school official went to the Cleveland Browns facility in Berea where they were given hand me down uniforms from the NFL team. They liked them so much that they decided to adopt orange and brown as the schools colors.
Notable Midpark alums are former MLB pitcher Ken Kravec and ESPN Radio personality Tony Rizzo. Rizzo played center for the Meteors football team in the late 1970's.
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OHIO (44130):
Population: 15,946 (2010 Census).
Mayor: Gary Starr, the longest standing mayor in Cuyahoga County.
Land Area: 8.1 square miles.
Median Annual Household Income: $60,015.
Elevation: 850 feet above sea level.
Originally: Middleburg Heights was settled by folks from Connecticut and was predominantly farmland until Interstate 71 cut a swath through the city.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011:
Day Time High: 46.
Night Time Low: 40.
Chance of Rain: 10%.
Winds: From the West at 10 mph.
Humidity: 73%.
Sunset: 6:37 pm.
Moon: Waning Crescent.
Game Time Conditions: 43 and cool.
See You At The Bee Hive!
To contact: Ddipa67834@aol.com.
Follow the Lady Bees volleyball team on the web at: www.beesvolleyball.com.
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