High school football: Highland's Matt Ciryak is triple threat

One of the few question marks surrounding a veteran Highland football team heading into the season was replacing All-Gazette wide receiver/cornerback/safety/returner Kevin Heichel, a clutch three-year starter who played bigger than 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. The logical replacement was Matt Ciryak, a long-and-lean junior varsity standout with obvious skills who spent most of his youth career at center before a growth spurt turned him into a 6-foot-2, 190-pound college prospect. Ciryak understood the gravity of the assignment and told Heichel he'd carry on the legacy by switching from jersey No. 19 to No. 5. No one could have predicted the incredible results, however, as Ciryak and the second-seeded Hornets (12-0) prepare to play third-seeded Toledo Central Catholic (11-1) in the Division II, Region 6 semifinals Friday at Sandusky Perkins' Firelands Regional Medical Center Field. Ciryak has seven receiving touchdowns, four punt returns for scores, two pick-sixes and seven interceptions overall. The average length of his 13 TDs has been an eye-popping 38.2 yards, giving a ground-and-pound offense a deep threat in the play-action passing game, a record-setting defense a ballhawk and an always-solid special teams unit a game-changer back deep. "Me and (Heichel) were talking and I said, 'I'll carry (No. 5) on for you," Ciryak recalled with a grin. "I hope I'm making him proud. We still chat a little." For the first five years of his football life, Ciryak started plays instead of finishing them. He was a shorter, rounder version of himself at center, one of the least glorious positions in the game because 99% of people only notice the position when a bad snap takes place. As Ciryak began to grow upward, though, coaches took notice and moved him to wide receiver in sixth grade. He's done nothing but make up for lost time since, helping the Hornets win a Suburban League title in seventh grade and his class go 14-2-2 between the freshman and junior varsity levels. "Not something you would think, right?" a chuckling Ciryak said of playing center. "As a lineman, you always dream about getting the ball, so it's been awesome." Ciryak's deep-threat ability has proved to be key for a completely rebuilt passing attack with first-year quarterback Andrew Lurtz. Six of Ciryak's receiving TDs have been on post routes — three after faking a block for slot receiver Johnny Siliko — while the shortest, a 4-yarder against Kent Roosevelt, came on a slant-and-out in the front corner of the end zone. While Ciryak has what appears to be pedestrian numbers of 28 catches for 432 yards, including 119 after the catch, they would be higher if not for a rushing attack that averages almost 300 yards. "It's all about extra work, running and knowing the (defensive backs)," Ciryak said. "We watch a lot of film, and if I can get a good three days during the week just studying that DB and seeing what he's all about, I can make my breaks." Defensively, Ciryak's multi-faceted skills allow the Hornets to mix coverages and even positions. He normally lines up as a physical field-side cornerback but will support the run in the flat against certain formations and has situationally flipped positions with standout free safety Creed Hill, mostly to use Hill's speed to contain outside rushes. Four of Ciryak's seven INTs have technically come as a safety, and a 17-yard pick-six just 1:41 in set the tone in a key 35-0 Suburban League American Conference win at Barberton. Ciryak also has 17 tackles (1 for loss) and five pass breakups for a defense that allows 5.3 points, 132.1 yards and a 17.1% third-down conversion rate. "He's been a huge piece of our defense because of his size and athletic ability," coach Mike Gibbons said. "Teams really can't get a mismatch on us on the edges, and that's big when you have a good-sized corner who can cover ground like that." Last but certainly not least, Ciryak's punt returns have been a revelation for a program that not long ago featured Jake Rogers, one of the most electrifying returners in state history. Ciryak has a back-breaking 53-yarder against Brunswick, a momentum-swinging 63-yarder the next week at Tallmadge and a 52-yarder with a spin move against Copley to his credit, along with an untouched 61-yarder against Cuyahoga Falls. Ciryak is the first Medina County player with four punt return TDs in a season since Medina star Jim Johnson, who had a tryout with the original Cleveland Browns, had five way back in 1942. In fact, only Ciryak, Rogers (7) and Johnson (7) have recorded at least four in a career, and Ciryak still has a season to play. "I did not hear about that. That's news to me," Ciryak said. "That's awesome, but first year of varsity you wouldn't think about breaking any records, or doing anything really. It's more like, 'OK, I'm going to learn how things go,' but that's crazy. "It's knowing where my blockers are and trusting everybody — trusting they're going to do their job and I'm going to do mine." Add everything together and it's not hard to see why Highland coaches are baffled that Ciryak has received no college interest other than Division III Marietta. "This is his first year of varsity football, and obviously he's putting out some good film right now on both sides of the ball, as well as special teams as a punt returner," said Gibbons, a D-III All-America linebacker at Mount Union. "He's just scratching the surface of what he can be, because he's a really, really good athlete." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.