“Splash!” roared the bucket of ice cold water dumped on Coach Brian Stephens after a  34-0 win over Willoughby–putting the finishing touches on their undefeated season. The game went by fast, the Wildcats taking care of Willoughby quickly, adding six points to the scoreboard in the first five minutes of the game, and making  it 7-0 after a successful field goal by Timmy Steffens.

Both the seventh and eighth-grade football teams finished their seasons undefeated—a feat that has never been achieved in the school’s recent history, at least not since 1996 when the teams split into two separate grade-levels.

The eighth-grade team, led by coaches Stephens, Capadona, and Parker, finished the season 8-0 with five games being complete shut-outs; the strong Mayfield defense held Willowick, Chardon, Kenston, Eastlake, and Willoughby to zero points.  In the team’s final game, Willoughby even ended the game with negative yardage.

The seventh-grade team, coached by Race, Mittinger, and Whaley, also proved dominant with a 7-0 finish—the first undefeated season for seventh grade since 2003. Mittinger called the seventh-grade team a “well-oiled machine” comprised of players with “remarkable talents for their age.”  He notes that having a young team with such a successful season means a “bright future for Mayfield football.”

Both teams cited Riverside as their biggest challenge of the year.  For the eighth-grade team, it was the only game of the year in which they were trailing.  And for last year’s seventh-grade team, Riverside was their only loss.  They anticipated a difficult matchup coming in, and the challenge became more daunting with a ninety-five-degree day.  Coach Stephens cited the defensive turnover in the second half of the Riverside game as his favorite memory from the season. Seventh-grader Matt Snider stated that Riverside’s “offensive line was huge and outweighed ours by at least double.”  But as eighth-grade Amir Sapp advised, with football “it’s not all about size….If you work hard at practice, it pays off.” Jimmy Shaw added, “You can’t be afraid to get hit; you have pads on for a reason.”

Though the teams dominated each week, the pathway to an undefeated season meant maintaining focus. Coach Mittinger said that taking the schedule “week by week” and not allowing their heads to get inflated was a challenge.

Coach Stephens agreed.  Coaching a team that was coming from a successful seventh-grade season with only one tie and one loss posed the risk of the players becoming comfortable.  Stephens consistently emphasized not settling for good enough in practice.  His message was “not focusing on being better than an opponent but being the best they can be.”

For the student athletes, this season will be one to remember.  Seventh grader Matt Snider cited teamwork and rigorous conditioning as the source of the team’s success.  He noted the team was “in sync” both on and off the field, playing each game “with heart.” “We were all friends,” he said, “and that made a big difference.”

Fennell Henderson, also of the seventh-grade, said, “Every week, every single game, we all did our job.”  Henderson added that while Mayfield may not have matched their opponents in size or athleticism, they made up for it with hard work.

Eighth-grader Timmy Steffens said the role of quarterback carried a lot of pressure, especially as the season went on and the possibility of a perfect season became nearer.

Running back Amir Sapp gave credit for his own successes to his offensive line of Antonio (Mango) Mangelluzzi, Shane Trivisonno, Nick delBalso, Nick Tatko and Eddie Barch: “I knew the line would block well for me,” he said. He added that he learned, “it’s not all about me.”

From the players’ comments, it seems they heeded one of Coach Stephens’ intended lessons: “It may sound cliche, but [I teach] the kids that the game is not about themselves…they must learn to trust each other and play for each other.”

Jimmy Shaw, eighth grader, said that this undefeated season will help them be more confident in high school.  “We will know we can beat them, we just have to play our hardest.”

Coach Capadona, who still looks back fondly on his own undefeated season as an eighth grader, said that the best moment of the year was the instant that the last game ended and the feeling of accomplishing an undefeated season became a reality. “We knew the job was finally done,” he said.

Amir Sapp marked this moment as a highlight as well, smiling as he recapped pouring a giant bucket of ice water on Coach Stephens’s head.

But despite the excitement of success, Coach Stephens encouraged his players, “don’t make this the best thing that ever happens to you on a football field.”  Just as he did each game of the season, he continues to push his team to strive for their personal best even as they leave the middle school.

When asked about the secret to an undefeated season, the coaches all agreed there is no magic trick or secret recipe.  For Assistant Coach Capadona, versatility contributed to the team’s success. “Athletes don’t specialize in any one position,” he said, but rather learn the skills needed for all aspects of the game.  Assistant Coach Mittinger attributed the team’s success to utilizing talent, putting each player in the best position, and adjusting the offense and defense each week. For Coach Stephens, it’s about relationships: He said, when “kids know you care about them more than the success, then they know they matter as much as a W matters,” and they rise to meet any challenge.

The coaches were given the following scenario: “One minute left, down by five, first down, at the twenty-yard line–what do you tell them?” Coach Capadona was the one to answer the question. He said that the opposite of choking is breathing, then stated, “I would tell them to relax, breathe, and remember everything they have learned.”

In conclusion, the entire Mayfield Middle School’s football team had an amazing and undefeated season because of the endless amount of support the players received from the coaches and also because of the endless amount of hard work the players put into their practices that transferred onto the field.

*This piece is a collaboration of The Wildcat Voice staff. Staff writers interviewed coaches and players during a press conference and composed separate news stories that were pieced together into the final product.