By JEFF BREWER
November 8, 2011
SporstInk.com

ASHLAND, Ohio -- The Revere Minutemen scored two goals in the first 14 minutes of the match and two goals in the first six minutes of the second half on the way to a 5-1 Division II state semifinal boys soccer win over Lexington (14-7-1)  on Tuesday night at Ashland High School.  Revere (18-0-4) advances to the state championship match for a second straight year and will face defending champion Dayton Carroll (22-0-0) – the team that beat the Minutemen 3-2 in last year’s final.

“I’m happy I’m here, but I’m not done yet. Our team’s not done,” Revere  junior Drew Kimberly said.

Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. on Friday at Columbus Crew Stadium.

“We’re trying to come out every single game as hard as we can,” said senior striker Colin Romisher, now at 23 goals and eight assists in 14 matches. “Being there and knowing what it takes, it’s just helping this team so much.”

It was a slow start which cost Revere in last year’s state final match. “That (state final loss) is motivating everybody on the team,” senior defender Max Palazzo said. “It’s been eating at us.”

Romisher scored on an assist from Kimberly at 37:46 of the first half.  Before 14 minutes had elapsed, freshman Luke Kasson punched home a goal from
near the penalty mark on an assist from junior Hazem Najjar.

“(Last year’s tournament run) showed us what we needed to bring every game and the intensity level we needed to play at,” Palazzo said. “Obviously, from the score tonight, last year helped a lot.”

With just under 10 minutes left until halftime, Revere sophomore goalkeeper Joel Gerberich (three saves) pushed a hard shot just over the top and with less than a minute to go until halftime, Lexington scored on senior Vince Bail’s header following a free kick off the foot of senior Monty Parrish.

“I think after two goals, we let up a little bit and that was a good reminder to us that we have to maintain our edge,” Revere coach Sandor Jakab said.

 Romisher was taken down in the box in the first minute of the second half and he popped in the penalty kick to make it 3-1.

“Colin is in a zone,” Jakab said. “He’s a soft-spoken, humble young man. But, with that said, when he steps on the field, he’s been playing like a tiger right now.”

At 34:25, Revere sophomore Nolan Dyko headed home a punch attempt by Lexington goalkeeper Kyle Dunlap.

Junior C.J. Hlay added a late goal for Revere.  Last year’s tournament run and this year’s are practically inseparable, says Jakab.

“The leadership that (last year’s 13 seniors) brought,” he said. “They taught these guys how to win. To have to train day in and day out against that group of players taught these guys the competitiveness and the different moments of these games that we were going to need to come through this year.”

Sophomore Brandon Taylor, who started last year’s state final as a freshman defender, said, “The whole experience of getting there has really helped again this year.”

The Minutemen now hope they can take the final step.

By Eric Barnes
November 5, 2011
SporstInk.com

MACEDONIA, Ohio – Colin Romisher put forth another impressive performance Saturday and led the Revere boys soccer team to a Division II, Region 5
championship. The senior forward scored twice, and the Minutemen defeated Marlington 2-1 on a crisp, clear afternoon at Nordonia High School’s Boliantz
Stadium.

Revere (17-0-4) once again advances to the state tournament. Last season, the Minutemen lost 3-2 to Dayton Carroll in the Division II state championship
match. Next up for Revere is a match at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 with Region 6 champion Lexington, a 2-1 winner over Ottawa-Glandorf. The site has not been determined yet.

Revere coach Sandor Jakab said he is pleased at how his team is playing at this stage of the season.

“We’re not playing emotional,” he said. “We are intensifying. At the same time I’m a little disappointed we didn’t finish our (scoring) chances today. I
don’t think we’re peaking yet. I think we’re steadily moving to where we need to be.”

Revere pressed the attack early and had a couple near-misses in the first few minutes that could have blown things open almost immediately. The first happened less the 2:00 into the match when Revere’s Drew Kimberly took a pass from senior midfielder Eric Zeno and found himself one-on-one with Marlington senior goalkeeper and captain Michael McDermott. Kimberly was in close on the left side of the goal, but McDermott made the save.

“We came out ready to play and had good opportunities but couldn’t finish them early,” Revere coach Sandor Jakab said.

Romisher had a handful of scoring chances. His first was at the 29:50 mark when he broke through the Dukes’ defense and put a shot toward the goal from
about 15 yards out. It didn’t look like Romisher got much power behind the attempt, and the ball drifted harmlessly just wide left of the post.

He made up for the miss five minutes later with his first goal off an assist from junior forward Mike Santucci to give the Minutemen a 1-0 lead.

Romisher’s second goal came on a penalty kick with 38:37 left in the second half. Marlington senior captain Clayton Cowgill was called for the penalty.
Romisher drilled a bullet of a shot just about as hard to the left as he could angle it, slicing the ball just between the post and the outstretched arms of
the diving McDermott.

“Colin is in his own right now,” Jakab said. “He’s ahead of the situation. He can create opportunities for himself and he can also create chances for
others.”

The first half of the match was played primarily on Marlington’s end of the pitch, with Revere mounting attack after attack. The second half was the
opposite, albeit with fewer legit scoring opportunities for the Dukes. Revere’s defense tightened whenever Marlington worked the ball close. Sophomore keeper Joel Gerberich made a few nice saves along the way as well.

With 23:37 left to play, Marlington junior forward Jake Sutton made the Revere faithful nervous when he found the back of the net to narrow the score to
2-1.

By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal

Published: November 2, 2011 - 12:16 AM Beacon Journal Publishing Co.

BRECKSVILLE: Revere boys soccer coach Sandor Jakab is like most coaches.

He encourages his players to have a strong work ethic, practice  hard and compete hard in matches.

The combination of all three components helped Revere defeat Cortland Lakeview 2-0  in a Division II regional semifinal Tuesday night at the
Brecksville-
Broadview Heights High School Stadium.

Seniors Max Palazzo and Colin Romisher each scored a goal for Revere (16-0-4), who will play Marlington in a regional final at 3 p.m. Saturday
at Nordonia.

“Going into this game we knew that this team was going to bring a lot of energy against us,” Jakab said. “They were an intense team, so we knew
we had to be prepared, absorb that and also give it to them in return. I felt we were able to do that consistently.”

Lakeview (16-2-2) suffered its first shutout loss of the season.

Palazzo, a midfielder, scored his goal in the 36th minute from about 23 yards out on the right side with Romisher getting the assist.

“Colin and I have been playing soccer for I don’t even know how long, probably since 5 years old,” Palazzo said. “We have camaraderie on the
field. He saw me coming through a hole [in the defense]. I knew I had somebody on my back, so I knew I had to put it away with one touch.”

Romisher, a forward, netted his goal in the 42nd minute from about 15 yards out on the right side.

“I got a ball out wide near the sideline by the corner,” Romisher said. “I did a little juke [move]. I beat the guy in front of me. I just tried crossing it in as hard as I could and it deflected off some people and it went in.”

The matchup pitted two teams ranked in the top 10 of the final Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division II state poll, with Revere No. 2 and Lakeview No. 8.

“We didn’t finish our chances earlier in the game,” Jakab said.  “We had some good opportunities, and then late in the first half we got the first goal. That was really a dagger to them and hurt their intensity going into halftime.

“We knew we had to score early in the second half. When we put that second one in shortly after the second half started you could see their heads go down. You could see that the emotion they had was a negative emotion.”

Revere sophomore goalkeeper Joel Gerberich notched the shutout with six saves.

“Joel is a sophomore, but he also has a lot of experience,” Jakab said. “He is gaining confidence every day. Every game he is taking care of business. The defense in front of him obviously puts him in a position where he is getting good looks to make saves, as opposed to something very difficult. He is doing his job.”

Revere’s four starting defenders were junior Drew Kimberly, sophomore Adam Manteghi, sophomore Brandon Taylor and freshman Brady Tieland.

Senior Matt Bezbatchenko also contributed as a Revere starter with junior Mike Santucci, sophomore Nolan Dyko and freshman Luke Kasson.

Revere finished as the Division II state runnerup last season to Dayton Carroll. Romisher said he is confident that the Minutemen will be making another trip to the state finals in Columbus later this month.

“This is great,” Romisher said. “I’m loving it. I want to go back just like last year, but this time I want to win it. Dayton Carroll is coming up on the other side and this time we are going to beat them.”

By Jeff Brewer
October 27, 2011
SporstInk.com

BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio – There was no Manfut Magic this time around.

Revere senior marking back Max Palazzo saw to it that St. Vincent-St. Mary’s senior offensive catalyst Antonio Manfut had few quality chances.

In the meantime, the Minutemen (15-0-4), led by senior striker Colin Romisher, scored two quick goals at the start and blanked the Irish 3-0 to capture the Kent Division II District boys soccer championship on Thursday night.

It marked Revere’s sixth district title in the last 11 years under coach Sandor Jakab. The Minutemen advanced to the Division II state title match a year ago.

“We talked about making sure we were ready to play and having a warm-up that prepares us for that, and coming out with the right mentality,” Jakab said. “We came out with two goals in 10 minutes and it took St. V-M a while to find themselves again -- and obviously they are a very good team.”

Romisher scored five minutes into the contest on an assist from sophomore Nolan Dyko, and then Romisher provided the helper on junior Mike Santucci’s goal minutes later.

“We’ve honestly really been working on coming out to play this hard,” said Romisher, who finished with two goals and one assist. “We have the talent to do it. And when we come out, I think we’re unstoppable.

“This is the day when every one of us was putting things away. Even defense, we were just winning 50-50s, playing extremely physical and getting in their heads.”

The Irish never recovered and were trudging uphill at chilly Pappano Stadium the rest of the match. Manfut (17 goals, 8 assists) and his talented sidekick – junior Robby Dambrot (7 goals, 9 assists) – could not penetrate a Revere defense structured to limit St. V-M’s dynamic duo.

“Antonio is a tremendous player,” Jakab said. "He’s very dangerous. We knew we had to contain him. We assigned Max Palazzo to him. Max has marked out key players over and over and over again. Max did a tremendous job on him. When Max was out of the game, Drew Kimberly did a fantastic job as well. I give my defense a lot of credit.”

Palazzo, bothered by a groin strain, still had enough to shadow arguably the most exciting player in Summit County in Manfut.  And when Palazzo picked up his second yellow card midway through the second half, Kimberly, a junior, picked up the baton.

Revere sophomore goalkeeper Joel Gerberich handled everything that came his way.

The match was choppy and marred by 10 yellow cards, including two soft reds. The officiating crew may or may not have been aware these same two teams met a year ago for the district title and Revere won that match 1-0 at home as well.

“It’s a different style of play and it’s hard to adjust to a style of play like that and figure out how you play,” St. V-M coach John Stavros said. “A lot of people don’t play direct like this. It’s tough to play against because it is so direct. You are not used to playing against it.”

Romisher’s quick restart on a free kick at the top of the box caught the Irish by surprise and made it 3-0 with 11:04 to play.

The match also had a heated ending and the teams finally did close with the customary handshake at Jakab’s insistence.

Second in the final state poll, Revere will host either Cortland Lakeview or Cardinal Mooney in a regional semifinal on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m.

By Jeff Brewer
October 13, 2011
SporstInk.com

WADSWORTH, Ohio – Striker Colin Romisher has scored many clutch goals during his Revere soccer career, but none bigger than the one he hit on Thursday night.

Trailing 1-0 on a soggy, sloppy surface at Art Wright Stadium, Romisher dribbled through Wadsworth’s defense and put a left-footed shot into the upper 90 from eight yards out with 10 minutes left.

The goal enabled the second-ranked Minutemen (12-0-4, 6-0-1) to tie Wadsworth 1-1 and preserve the first undefeated regular season in the 34-year history of the program, while clinching an outright Suburban League championship.

“I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in the first half,” the 5-foot-8, 135-pound senior said. “I had two breakaways and didn’t go anywhere with them.

“The second half, I just went as hard as I could. I had a good ball played to me, beat a couple of people and had a good shot, you know, it happens.”

Romisher attributed his success to concentration and coaching.

“I probably switched my position 10 to 15 times during the game,” he said. “Just so I can get certain kids off me. I try to find the weakest defender. It’s a lot of mental work, not just beating people.

“It’s my senior year and I’m putting all the pressure on myself and I’ve tried to score every game. That was my goal to score in every game I’ve played in -- and so far I have.”

Wadsworth (5-7-3, 2-4-1) took a 1-0 first-half lead on a goal by senior captain Luis Escudero.

“Our team showed a lot resiliency,” Revere coach Sandor Jakab said. “We were down and we were frustrated.  We missed a lot of good chances, balls that slipped through or near misses.  I think Wadsworth had a great game plan and they stuck with it.

“I’m proud of the guys for coming back.”

The Grizzlies were playing their third match since longtime coach John Johnson returned to the sideline.  The president of the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association, Johnson suffered a medical emergency early in the campaign and was cleared to return after being out for a month.

Jakab graduated 13 seniors from his state runner-up squad of a year ago and many figured the Minutemen would come back to the pack in 2011.

But the Revere coach has done a masterful job juggling his lineup throughout the season due to injury, illness and team discipline.

“We now have a new season ahead of us,” Jakab said.

The top-seed in the Kent Division II bracket, the Minutemen open sectional play at Pappano Stadium on Oct. 20 against the winner of the Akron North at Norton first-round game. 

Boys soccer: Reloaded Revere ready to resume title run

By Sarah Filus
Special to the Beacon Journal

Published: September 29, 2011 - 12:57  Beacon Journal Publishing Co.

On his way into the locker room Monday night, Revere coach Sandor Jakab breathed a sigh of relief. His Minutemen had produced a second-half comeback over the Bay Village Rockets.

“We really wanted to win that game,” Jakab said. It’s the first time the Minutemen beat the Rockets since 2004 at the Division II District Championships, and they did it Monday without starting forward Colin Romisher, a top scorer for the team who was out sick, and starting goalkeeper Joel Gerberich, who recently suffered a concussion.

That match, along with a win against Tallmadge on Tuesday night, kept them undefeated (10-0-3) with three more regular season matches to play.
As the No. 2 ranked team in Division II soccer in the OSSCA state poll, there’s plenty of room to wonder if the young team will have a chance to make it to state finals for a second year in a row. Last year they were runners-up to Dayton Carroll. Before that the Minutemen hadn’t competed at the state championship level since 1995.

Even with 12 seniors leaving at the end of last season, and 11 the year before that, the Minutemen have remained consistent winners.

“We knew going in that we’re a young, energetic team,” Jakab said. They only have four returning starters, three of whom are seniors. “But we have quality players who have needed to step up and found the moments to do it.”

Especially some of the underclassmen such as CJ Hlay, a junior midfielder who scored the Minutemen’s first goal in the Bay Village game.

The experience of reaching the state championship match is helping this year. In the game, the Minutemen rallied twice before losing 3-2.

“The way we battled back in the state championship game last year has helped us because we know we can come back in games and win games,” said Matt Bezbatchenko, senior midfielder. “We’ve done that this year a number of times.”

Like when the Minutemen hit the field Monday night against the Rockets in the pouring rain and came out of the first half behind 1-0.

In the last 30 minutes of play as the rain came down harder, the Minutemen turned up the heat and scored two goals while enthusiastic fans huddled together under golf umbrellas, shouting and blowing noisemakers.

The coaches have emphasized endurance to prepare for the season, Jakab said.

During the offseason, Brandon Decker, the varsity assistant coach, organized conditioning and strength training practices three days a week starting in January to ensure that the athletes could play significant minutes of the game.

“Once you have a taste of it, it makes you even hungrier to get back there,” said Jakab, who has coached soccer at Revere since 1991 and boys soccer since 1997. “When you’re there, you don’t take it for granted. You work even harder.”

This year, if the team makes it to the finals, it will be a lot different than last year, said Max Palazzo, senior forward who is described by teammates and coaches as the emotional support of the Minutemen.

“We’ve been there before,” Palazzo said. The crowds were so loud that the players couldn’t hear the coaches’ corrections from 10 feet away. “None of the kids had stepped onto that field and played in front of crowds in an atmosphere like that,” Palazzo said.

The returning players are working hard to lead by example and get the underclassmen prepared for whatever might come down the field.

But the coaches and players are hesitant to get too far ahead of themselves.

“We just have to make sure we take it game by game and make sure we don’t look too far ahead into the future,” Palazzo, “We always make sure we come out and play the whole 80 minutes.”