At the start of the 2011 football season, few people outside of Henrietta Township in Lorain County knew of Kyle Smith’s running and passing ability as Firelands High School’s dual-threat senior quarterback or Nick Deichler’s running and blocking ability as the team’s star senior tailback.
With each passing Falcons win this fall, that began to change.
Northeast Ohio high school football fans and media members alike began to take notice that this year’s Firelands gridiron squad was different from those in recent memory that struggled to simply remain competitive.
Under first-year head coach Mike Passerrello, the Falcons energized an entire community by posting a perfect 10-0 (6-0 Patriot Athletic Conference Stripes Division) record and earning the program’s first-ever postseason berth in its inaugural season as a member of the PAC.
The initial seeds for that success, however, were planted early in the offseason, long before the Falcons donned their shoulder pads and cleats for the first time in 2011.
“All players worked hard in the weight room, and we were able to come together as a team,” Passerrello said. “Overall, we had 94 percent team attendance in the weight room throughout the seven-month program.”
That level of dedication only strengthened during preseason camp and has continued throughout the year.
“The seniors have provided great leadership and [have] wanted to change the culture within the program,” Passerrello said.
Firelands, ranked eighth in Division III, Region 9, is set to travel to C.S. Harris Stadium on Friday to play top-seeded Chagrin Falls in an Ohio High School Athletic Association regional quarterfinal matchup.
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