Medina's miracle: After 40 years, regional final boys basketball team remains grateful

Editor's note: The following story was written by Rich Doyle on behalf of team members. Cutting down nets in basketball is reserved for champions, and Medina's 1982-83 Class AAA state semifinal boys basketball team did that often. The team's 40th anniversary will be celebrated Friday at the Medina vs. Brunswick rivalry game, and the members of "The Miracle of Medina" team still reflect on lessons learned on the court. Be true friends Growing up together in the schools and on the playgrounds of Medina, we were close friends and remain close today. In our naivete we thought every team at every school was as close as we were, but that wasn't the case. Our athletic skills were refined at Reagan Park, where some of the greatest players of our generation, known as the "Reagan IRRegulars" ("regular" people don't play basketball every night at the park), gave us the best games, memories and laughter of our lives. The impact those older athletes had on our success was immeasurable, and we shared that appreciation at a Reagan IRRegulars Reunion this past summer. Believe in yourself In one year's time we went from handing coach Alan Darner his first losing season to the state semis. In the summer between we beat the state's preseason top-ranked team, Warren Western Reserve, at camp, dominated a Top Ten scrimmage by winning eight of our nine games and later beat the state's No. 1-ranked team, Lorain Admiral King. Despite these successes, we went unnoticed in the state rankings. That fueled our desire to win even more. We made light of our ambiguity by sporting shirts that read "Who's Medina?" Lift up others Tragically, we lost 6-foot-6 center Russ Kotalac, a Kent State recruit, to injury at the end of the regular season. Rather than becoming deflated, we rose to the challenge and elevated our games by accepting new roles for the betterment of the team. Dave Morris was injected into a starting role to perfection. Joe Lazor mastered the super sub role. Eric Wesolek and Rich Doyle hounded opposing guards and scored when called upon. Jay Peters and Brian Stadnik became scoring machines. We were determined to lift our fallen teammate. Never give up After cutting down the nets at the district championship, we found ourselves in the toughest region in the state with top-ranked Admiral King, undefeated and fourth-ranked East Cleveland Shaw and Cleveland St. Joseph, which boasted five Division I college starters, two of which became NBA stars. Having dismantled No. 1 Admiral King, we faced St. Joseph with a berth in the state semis on the line. Down by 19 points with 9:30 left in the game, the prospects were bleak, but with "unBEElievable" fan support and a record-breaking performance by rising star Peters, we were able to overcome and punch our ticket. Not a single player, coach or fan gave up on us in a game forever known as "The Miracle of Medina." The chant "WE ARE…THE BEES" still reverberates through the rafters of the Kent State arena. Represent with class The state semis paired us against giant competition, figuratively and literally. We faced the nation's sixth-ranked team by USA Today in Akron Central-Hower, whose roster included 6-11 Grady Mateen who went on to back up future NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing at Georgetown University. It was a "tall" task indeed, but our big men played larger and the game was tied at 28 at halftime. Only down five at the end of the third quarter, the fairy tale ended, but our guys were diving on the floor after loose balls until the final buzzer. Show support Our community mirrored the team it grew to love. The city of Medina took pride in showing the state we were more than a fluke. Everywhere we played, our fans set attendance records, first at districts, then packing the Kent State arena with a record 6,800 fans and finally a state semifinal standing-room-only record crowd of 13,889. The fans refused to have us enter the fray alone. In our final game, we left to a standing ovation and arrived back home to a surprise parade and welcome home celebration at a packed high school gymnasium. We never forgot the love and respect the city showered upon us. Each year our seven seniors collectively sponsor an annual "The Miracle of Medina Scholarship" as our way of giving back to the community that gave us so much. Just play In an era where kids are spending thousands of dollars on elite travel teams or specializing in singular sports, we shake our heads thinking, "Oh, you're missing out on so much." Of our seven seniors, we think four may have been "weeded out" early in our careers if we had played in today's era. So many of us improved exponentially in later years, and we wonder how many talented kids today are missing out after being eliminated at a young age. Peters who has coached at the highest levels of high school basketball, just started a "Basketball Club '' at his school with pick-up game rules: No coaches and rotating players. We applaud that and wish there were more like it in our world today so the kids could just play. Laugh among friends We played tough, aggressive basketball, but we also laughed often. Despite a number of amazing team accomplishments, we rarely talk about them when we get together. The conversations have more to do with silly stories that resulted from friendships established through basketball. We grew to know each other so well on the court that we could anticipate each others' moves, but it's the unexpected antics outside of basketball that keep us laughing later in life. Handle pressure Coach Darner, a disciplinarian by nature, called us a "loose team," which may have been the understatement of his storied career. Unbeknownst to him, we adopted the acronym F.L.A.F.F., which stood for "Foot Loose And Fancy Free." Our on-court experiences were special, but our team antics off the court were legendary, because that's what friends do. Playing loose helped us navigate pressure-packed scenarios together as friends. We wish everyone could experience that type of special bond at some point in their lives. Stay true to yourself We were always "Small Town Medina." Three members of the team married high school sweethearts, two of whom were cheerleaders, and many of us still call the county our home. We live our lives as good citizens, business owners and coaches trying to keep our community great. Like most old-timers, we cringe at the growth of our town and lament our community basketball courts sitting vacant while we think, "What we wouldn't give to be able to play Reagan-Ball again or to have one more chance to suit up together for the Battling Bees." Collectively, if we had one wish it would be for the kids of today to put down their phones and go pick up a ball. Those are the memories we cherish most. Celebrate life We look forward to rekindling old friendships as we invite the entire community to celebrate with us Friday. We will be without our beloved Coach Darner, who passed away just months before he was to be inducted into the Indiana High School Hall of Fame, having won two state championships and two state coach of the year awards. We are also without our friend and cheerleader Betsy Obloy, who succumbed to cancer within the last few years. We remember our parents, siblings, friends and classmates who can't be with us, but were part of this wonderful experience called "The Miracle of Medina." No doubt the ones we've lost will be cutting down heavenly nets in our honor Friday night. Forever thankful, your 1983 Miracle of Medina basketball team, Russ Kotalac, Joe Lazor, Eric Wesolek, Dave Morris, Rich Doyle, Brian Stadnik, Jay Peters, Ron Sency, Scott Dix, Darryl Mason, Colin Grimm, Lee Cheng, John Meier