High school football preview: Black River's Hunter Varney ready to do whatever it takes

Black River standout Hunter Varney grinned because he knew he wasn't going to take the bait. The junior already has seen time at quarterback, running back, cornerback and kick/punt returner in his varsity career. He'll add strong safety, slot receiver and maybe even H-back to his résumé tonight when the Pirates travel to Hillsdale for the season opener. So, what position does he like most? "I like to play football," he said half-sarcastically. All jokes aside, Varney is dead serious about winning. Eighth-year Black River boss Kyle Clark has repeatedly said Varney is the most unselfish player he's ever coached, and that's high praise considering position switches are a fact of life at Division VI schools with fewer than 30 players on the roster. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder is a willing blocker, too, and would play guard if Clark felt that was the best way to put the Pirates in position to win. That will never happen given Varney's talent with the ball, of course, but you get the idea. "He's smart, he can play any of the skill positions, he knows what to do and he can play any of the defensive positions as well," Clark said. "He's the hardest worker on the team. "He's definitely a team player. There's numerous times where I say, 'Hey, this kid's sitting out today (in practice). Can you play that position?' The answer is always, 'Yes.' He's never even gave bad body language about it. He's phenomenal. Usually kids are stuck on their position and they get bent out of shape when they have to play somewhere else." While record-setting quarterback Dom Bell is the first player fans think of when Black River is mentioned, Varney is one of the most important as well. He's been nothing but productive since being recruited by current basketball teammates Parker Broadsword, Wade Mangan, Josh Stuart, Carson Steidl and Carson Shlapack to leave Wellington and open enroll at Black River — he lives less than mile from the border — no matter where he's lined up. Varney started at cornerback as a freshman, when he broke up five passes and returned an interception 26 yards. He also went 2-2 as starting quarterback after a mid-season change by Clark, completing 47-of-84 passes for 639 yards and seven touchdowns while also rushing for 112 yards and a score. Bell then joined the fray and edged Varney to be starting QB during the summer of 2025, but that was fine with Varney because he knew the team needed both to be on the field. Varney embraced a switch to running back, rotated with Dozier Hendershot and put up 533 yards from scrimmage (368 rushing, 147 receiving) while also returning kicks and punts. He also had 34 tackles, ranked second in Medina County with seven pass breakups, including the game-sealing one in a wild 40-33 win at Firelands, and returned a pick 21 yards at cornerback. With Hendershot and record-crushing wide receiver Zane Bungard graduated, Varney doubling his offensive output isn't out of the question. "I'd been playing quarterback since sixth grade, but honestly I've played all over the place my whole life," said Varney, who also switched his jersey from No. 8 to No. 30 this season. "I'm kind of a Swiss Army knife. I can do whatever. Wherever Clark needs me, I'm ready to go." As mentioned earlier, schools like Black River often move players around in an effort to get the best 11 on the field at all times. The current freshman class that went undefeated in 2025 provides depth in the secondary, allowing Clark, a defense-first coach, to bump Varney to strong safety. The position in the Pirates' 3-4 scheme has consistently produced quality players since Clark joined the staff as the coordinator in 2015. The strong safety is highly versatile, as he can line up in the box against heavy personnel, in the slot to negate the quick passing game or in the deep middle of the field next to the free safety in clear passing situations. Considering Varney is one of the top tacklers the team — first-team All-Lorain County League linebacker Kayden Hendershot and Bell would have cases as well — he feels at home. "It's a difference between taking a step backwards at corner to taking a step forward as a safety every play," he said. "I'm excited because I can support the run a lot more and get in to make more tackles." Despite obvious depth issues, Black River believes it could be the sleeper in the LCL race that has been dominated by Columbia and Keystone since its formation in 2019. Blowing a 15-0 lead in a midseason loss to the Wildcats was the only thing that separated the Pirates from sharing the championship with the Raiders last fall. Black River returns seven starters on each side of the ball and likely will feature the LCL's most prolific passing attack. Varney's selflessness will be at the forefront, especially when it comes to teaching the talented freshmen what it takes to succeed. "Everyone is really close," he said. "Everyone treats each other really well in the locker room. We're all hanging out and stuff. That's what I love. "I think we're really solid all around the board. All of our starters are solid. We don't have a lot of numbers, but I think almost every kid on our team is a solid football player. We have a really good freshman class, and all of those kids are learning. They're going to be good football players in a year or two." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.