High school football: Chase Buchner stands out for Brunswick in scrimmage

BRUNSWICK — A rebuilding Brunswick football team has a lot of question marks as it prepares for its Aug. 19 season opener at Cleveland Heights, but senior middle linebacker Chase Buchner is not one of them. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Buchner was one of the standouts Saturday morning during a controlled scrimmage against Garfield Heights that was part of Brunswick Football Community Day. With the band, cheerleaders and a good number of fans on hand at Brunswick Middle School, Buchner was right in the middle of the action during his 10 defensive plays on the field. "I feel like I'm in charge," he said. "People are looking at me for leadership, so I'm trying to lead the best I can. It's a responsibility I have." Coming off a 6-5 season, Buchner and tackle Troy DiFranco are the lone returning full-time defensive starters, with Buchner making the switch from end back to his more natural linebacker position. "It's kind of like riding a bike," he said. "I just had to get a couple reps. I feel good now. "(Playing end) was an opportunity to play last year. A spot needed to be filled and I took it and ran with it, but I was pretty excited to move back to linebacker. Linebacker is my bread and butter, and I'm really excited to be playing it my senior year." Brunswick went on offense first in the scrimmage and was given 10 plays starting at its own 35-yard line. With down and distance not a factor, the Blue Devils marched to the Garfield Heights 11 behind quarterback John Crawford (4-for-5, 49 yards) and receiver Jack Safko (3 catches, 37 yards), but three procedure penalties and a holding call were not marked off. Ethan Roksandich (2-for-6, 26 yards, INT) took over at quarterback for the Blue Devils' second 10-play series and got the team to the Garfield Heights 25 but threw a pick on the eighth play against a Bulldogs team that finished 3-7 in 2021. Defensively, Brunswick's first unit held the Bulldogs to 11 plays on their first 10-play series behind a pair of tackles for loss by Keegan O'Malley. Garfield Heights scored on a 65-yard screen pass on the first play of its second series, but a number of Blue Devils starters were off the field. "We've got a lot of work to do," Brunswick coach Mark Pinzone said. "Our kids are trying hard, but we had a lot of mistakes. We all need work." Caid Som had a 23-yard catch for the Blue Devils, while Anthony Wojtala had one for 12 yards and Will Fink added one for 3. Branyan Nichols had three carries for 10 yards and Hunter Neel had three for 13. "We're a young team," said Buchner, who could also see action at running back and H-back in the regular season. "A lot of it is guys just need to get practices in. Once we get the reps in, we have potential." Buchner flashed his Saturday, and Pinzone expects that to continue. "I want him to be the guy to lead us and get us off the field defensively," Pinzone said. "He's our guy. It starts and ends with him." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.