High school football preview: It's peanut butter jelly time for Buckeye

The blue-collar Buckeye football team knows it has to pack lunchboxes and go to work every day. At the center of the Bucks' rushing attack are senior tailbacks Brayden Sopko and Liam Phillips. Save the tired clichés of thunder and lightning. The 5-foot-9, 191-pound Sopko has a fresher way of expressing the way he and the 5-10, 176-pound Phillips go together. "Liam and I complement each other like PB&J," Sopko said. "He's got crazy speed, and I've got some strength. It goes perfect together. He gets those big breakout yardage runs, and I can finish (drives) and push through (at the goal line)." Phillips agrees that together they offer everything longtime coach Greg Dennison could want in his running backs. "With me and Brayden, I feel like we've got speed and power," he said. "That complements each other very well. We can make a big play, and then Sopko can get there on the 5-yard line and he can bust it right through and get a touchdown just like that." To reach double-digit wins for a fourth year in a row, the Bucks will lean on the experienced running back tandem — physically imposing 6-1, 212-pound Denis Shevchenko is the fullback — while first-year starting quarterback Shane Metter and the rest of the passing game finds their groove. The defense also has less depth and experience than in recent years. "The running game is the biggest part of our offense," Phillips said. "It means a lot to us. We work hard in practice. The O-line, the running backs, we all put our hearts into this. We just have to go out there and do what we do every game." Phillips, Sopko and the rest of the Bucks have no plans on slowing down. Buckeye has gone 31-6 over the last three seasons, including 11-1 in 2025, and drops to D-IV for the first time this fall. "We want to repeat what we did last year," Phillips said. "We want to be 10-0. We want to keep the program where it's at and put in that same amount of effort that we do every year. "We're in Division IV this year, but we still want to be the same team in the playoffs. We want to make a deep run and be dominant." Phillips returns as the leading rusher with 738 yards and 11 touchdowns on 92 carries (8.0 average). He added two catches for 36 yards and six kickoff returns for 263 yards and one touchdown. Phillps got his first carries of last season in Week 3, running six times for 67 yards in a 35-30 victory over Tiffin Columbian, and led the team in carries in six of the final nine games. His breakout came in a 34-28 victory over Cleveland West Conference foe Bay in Week 5, when he ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. He had a season-best 192 yards with two touchdowns on 14 carries in a 42-0 victory over Normandy and rushed for 177 and two on 18 in a 26-0 playoff win over St. Marys Memorial. While Phillips is the faster of the two, he isn't afraid to stick his shoulder into the middle of the line and grind out tough yardage. "I try to bring grit every week," he said. "I try to work hard for yards. I try to bring speed, make plays and do everything I can for my team." Sopko ran 103 times for 529 yards (5.1) and eight touchdowns while catching three passes for 30 yards. He broke out in Week 2's 21-13 victory over Amherst with 107 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Sopko also had a season-high 170 yards on 33 carries with one touchdown to lead a 35-27 win over Rocky River in pivotal CWC game. When it comes to the Bucks' success on the ground, which accounted for 2,941 yards on 469 carries last season, there really isn't much of a secret. "We just have to know that we can come off the ball harder than the other team," Sopko said. "If we explode and push them back, that's what really compliments our run game. "(The offensive line) are all amazing. They've got that tough ability. They're all very strong, so when they come off the ball well big plays happen." What the the Bucks' offense brings this season will be officially unveiled tonight when Buckeye hosts Cloverleaf. The Bucks have been waiting for a long time for the matchup. "I'm drooling for that game," Sopko said. "I can't wait to play them. It's homecoming, first game at home, so it's going to be a lot of fun and exciting for all of us." That starts a stretch where Phillips and Sopko are focused on teaching their younger teammates the right way to go about their business. "I'm excited for this year to come," Phillips said. "We've put in a lot of work. We're really focused on doing this right and getting right this season. We've got a lot of things to look forward to. "We've got a great schedule with a lot of great teams to play. We've really got to be at our best." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.