High school football preview: Black River's Zane Bungard looking for breakout season

Few Medina County football players know their way around the field better than Black River senior Zane Bungard. Positional flexibility is a way of life at small schools and is something Medina and Wadsworth have trouble comprehending with their one-platoon philosophies. One key injury can send the depth chart into chaos, and players are forced to change positions midseason almost every fall. Bungard has first-hand experience, as the Sullivan Township resident would gladly play center and nose tackle if Pirates coach Kyle Clark asked him to. Now 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Bungard began his career backing up quarterback Eric Groesser while also playing No. 2 tight end and alternating between safety and cornerback. He's even quick-punted out of the shotgun. The biggest move came last season, when Clark took over the offense after six weeks, inserted tough-mind freshman Hunter Varney at QB and bumped Bungard to wide receiver. No one was more supportive than Bungard, who felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. While the right-hander was a dangerous dual threat who led the team with more than 700 yards total offense, he was frustrated that the Pirates were averaging only 17.7 points and shut out for the first time in 59 games in a maddening 14-0 near-upset of eventual Lorain County League champion Keystone. "It's hard in a way because you have to know everything, pretty much," said Bungard, whose sister Zoey scored 1,035 points for the basketball team. "You know what every position has to do, so you have to study a lot of plays so you're well aware of what you have to do each play. "Quarterback really wasn't my favorite position. I didn't think I was the greatest quarterback for the job, so I felt I could help the team in a better way by changing positions. I enjoyed that (Clark) moved me, for sure, and (Varney) did a better job for us than I did." The results were immediate with Bungard at wide receiver, as the Pirates crushed Oberlin (42-7) and Brookside (47-14) before nearly pulling off upsets as double-digit underdogs against Clearview (22-14) and Columbia (35-30) to close the regular season. Bungard had 10 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Another twist came when talented freshman quarterback Dom Bell's stellar summer led to Varney volunteering to move to running back. Regardless of who was behind center, Bungard blossomed immediately as the No. 1 wide receiver, was arguably the best player on the field in a 7-on-7 tournament against defending state runners-up Hillsdale and Kirtland and hauled in bombs for TDs, including a well-covered one-hander, in live action against Cloverleaf, Crestview and Mapleton. While Bungard is technically the No. 3 QB, there is no looking back. If the preseason is any indicator, Tyler Mrakuzic's school records of 47 catches, 744 yards and eight touchdowns are in serious jeopardy. That's how dominant Bungard has been over the past two months in Clark's new RPO-based spread offense. "What I like about our offense is you're not destined to one route," said Bungard, who praised Bell's ability to read defenses and anticipate throws. "You can get open in many ways, sit in holes and you don't have to do the full route. I like to have that freedom to do what I want. "We have amazing receivers, a really good quarterback and a really good running back. Our line is definitely there with pass pro (protection), so I think our passing is going to be really strong." The same scenario is playing out on defense, where Black River is switching from a 4-2-5 back to its old 3-4 due to a lack of line depth. Bungard is now at outside linebacker, where he can blitz, cover the flats or even put his hand in the dirt as a rangy defensive end with a similar build to Black River legend John Guilford. Bungard has career totals of 72 tackles (7½ for loss) and five pass breakups. Those numbers may be surpassed this season due to his speed and experience. "He's very athletic, very quick," Clark said. "We had him in the defensive backfield at corner and safety, but he's always had an outside linebacker's body. With those ball skills, now he brings that to the outside linebacker position along with his athletic ability and aggressiveness. He should be a standout player." Long known for its rushing prowess and physical play in the trenches, Black River has a completely different roster makeup with skill position experience. The passing attack may break records with Bell slinging the ball all over the field to Bungard, Varney, Austin Pamer, Bryce Murray and Kage Petruzzi, and the Pirates have been pleased with their physicality and instincts on defense despite a lack of size. Bungard likes where Black River is at in its development. The Pirates know they have a slim margin for error with only 30 players but see no reason they can't compete in the LCL considering their four conference losses in 2024 came by an average 10.8 points. At the very least, Bungard is appreciative of the journey he's taken to finally feel at home on the natural grass of Art Stevenson Field. "We have amazing chemistry," he said. "This is the best chemistry we've had on any high school team I've been a part of throughout my four years." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.