AMAZING JOURNEY | Chaney football team comes from way behind to earn state ranking
To appreciate the journey the Chaney High School football team has made, pause to consider how it started.
In 2017, there was no Cowboys football team as the school was in the final year of an eight-year break of not fielding a squad. Six years earlier, Chaney was converted into a visual and performing arts and STEM school, and its athletic programs were eliminated.
In 2018, Chaney’s football program returned with a junior varsity team.
In 2019, the Cowboys resumed varsity play.
Heading into Saturday’s showdown with Ursuline (4-1) at Rayen Stadium, the Cowboys (5-0) are among the remaining undefeated teams in the Mahoning Valley after knocking Canfield from the unbeaten ranks with a 16-13 victory on the Cardinals’ field last Friday.
“Man, it felt great,” senior Jason Hewlett said. “That was a pretty big stepping stone for us — they beat us pretty badly last year.
“We were a weakened team [4-5] and we knew we were a way better team, so this year [is] sort of like a revenge tour,” he said. “We’ve been marking these games on our calendar because we believe in ourselves.”
The Cowboys aren’t the only unbeaten squad: Fitch, South Range, Girard, Lowellville, Valley Christian, Warren JFK and Southern also have unblemished records at the regular-season midpoint.
In this week’s computer playoff ratings, Chaney ranks first in Division III Region 9. Canfield is third, and Ursuline is eighth.
When the 10-week regular season ends Oct. 21-22, the top 16 teams in each of Ohio’s regions will advance to the playoffs. The top eight teams will get home games.
In this week’s Associated Press poll of all Ohio Division III teams, Chaney is ranked fourth, Canfield fifth and Ursuline 12th.
Seth Antram, back at Chaney after a season as Boardman’s head coach, credits the administration, former head coach Chris Amill and former athletic director Rick Shepas for getting the football program in position to contend.
“There’s a lot of people who had a hand in this, that’s for sure,”Antram said, praising Shepas for “getting numbers up.
“Casey Bogerd does an amazing job as the AD, and he’s a football guy — that really helps,” Antram said. “He played at [Youngstown State University]. His wife graduated from Chaney so he stayed in the area.”
Antram, a Crestview High School graduate, was Amill’s offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020, then became Boardman’s head coach in 2021.
When Amill left the Mahoning Valley to coach at a charter school in Charlotte, N.C., Antram returned to Chaney.
Antram said he didn’t immediately apply for the Chaney opening.
“A lot of the [Chaney] kids reached out,” he said. “They wanted a familiar face and that struck a nerve with me. My attachment to them factored in big time.”
He said “football was secondary” in his decision. He said the community and administration deserve credit for a push “to change the culture of a whole bunch of things.
“Sometimes … it takes a while to win them over, but once you do, it’s family.”
Chaney opened the season with a 34-2 victory over Poland. Victories against Boardman (40-14), Cardinal Mooney (22-17) and Marlington (35-10) followed.
“We knew we had a pretty good chance to be good if certain guys stepped up,” Antram said of his preseason expectations.
Teaching his players to be successful was a challenge.
“We came back and somewhat started from scratch, teaching how practicing well affects the game and just the whole mental side of being successful,” he said.
The Cowboys’ biggest challenge on the field came in the win over Canfield. Trailing late, senior inside linebacker Jaquan Johnson intercepted a tipped pass and returned it for a touchdown, the first pick-six of his life.
“It was crazy; the fans were going crazy,” Johnson said. “I just enjoyed it.
“Last year, we didn’t score any points [against Canfield], so to come out and score points and get the win, it was very big.”
Hewlett is happy to be back on the field after a major injury last season.
“The journey for me has been up and down, especially for me,” said Hewlett, who suffered a broken leg last year. “We have better discipline now and we’re all buying into the program.
“I congratulate the [seniors the past three years] who paved the way for us,” said the linebacker/wide receiver who has committed to the University of Cincinnati as a defender.
Hewlett and Johnson agree they and their teammates don’t mind coming to school on Mondays after a victory.
“It gives us a big lift. You can see the energy in school is different now that we’re winning ball games,” Hewlett said. “Before, it was all still love with the teachers and [classmates], but you can feel we’re happier now with the team. We’re excited and giving them something to look forward to next [game].”
Johnson said, “It just makes us feel big-time around the school — everybody congratulating us on what we did. It just feels good.”
The key to Chaney’s success is defense, perhaps why Hewlett and Johnson prefer it when their opponents have the ball.
“On defense, you can make plays on your own, and it’s all in your hands,” Hewlett said. “And you can fly around and just be a ballplayer.”
Johnson said, “I just like catching interceptions, tackling people, making big hits.”
Hewlett says he has nothing but love for Antram and Amill.
“They are two great coaches, two different coaches with different styles,” he said. “I love both of them. [Antram] didn’t come in here trying to be coach [Amill] — that’s why I respect him. He didn’t try to be somebody else.
“It’s working.”
Asked if he’s enjoying the winning streak, Antram smiled.
“Football is a grind, but it’s a grind that football guys love,” he said. “I’m loving it, seeing these guys be successful. They deserve it, so it’s great to see.”