Amherst News-Times, 2000-11-08

              Barbershop singer reflects - Page 3 |Mailman douses house fire - Pa
Amherst News-Time
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Wodnesday, November 8. 2000
Amherst.  Ohio
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Comet season ends with heartbreaking lo
by JASON TOMASZEWSKI
News-Times reporter
As hard as this may be to believe,
there were three Comet football
teams that showed up for the regional playoff game against Brecksville last Friday. The tint team was
the Comet team we have seen all
season. They made big plays on offense and special teams while playing staunch defense. Then, sometime late in the second quarter the
Amherst team that won a share of
the Southwestern Conference title
left the area and was replaced by a
phantom team that could neither
move the ball on offense, or stop the
Bees with their defense. However, a
new team would arrive late in the
fourth quarter. This is a team that
we have not seen this year. This
team showed resiliency when things
seemed bleak. When faced with a
fourth and 17 from their own 25
with less than two minutes left to
play, this team said "No problem."
They would march the ball the
length of the field to set up a winning field goal attempt from the 20
yard line. But before you could say
Buffalo Bills, the kick would sail
wide right and Amherst would fall
to the visiting Brecksville Bees
20-19 in the first round of the state
playoffs. It was their second first
round loss in as many years.
The game started off just like the
previous 10 for AmhersL On their
first play from scrimmage senior
Adam Kuncel broke off right tackle
and galloped 70 yards for the touch
down. A high snap would cause the
point after attempt to fail, but the
Comets were in possession of an
early 6-0 lead. The crowd at Amherst Memorial Stadium barley had
time to sit down after Kuncel's fantastic play when on BrecksviUe's
second play from scrimmage Kyle
Klekota stripped Bees tunning back
Jeff Schroeder of the football.
Bobby Madison gobbled up the ball
and sprinted 26 yards to pay dirt and
it seemed as though Amhent would
cruise to a victory. The two pint
conversion would fail and the Comets would settle for a 12-0 lead.
Things 'would only get better for
AMherst when Klekota would rip
off a 54 yard touchdown run early in
the second quarter. Klekota would
also add the.extra point to put Amherst up 19-0.
That is when the Comets were replaced by the mysterious phantom
team. After being shutout in the first
quarter, Brecksville would take possession on their own 20 yard line
and march 80 yards in 7 plays to cut
the Comet lead to 19-7 on a 2 yard
Schroeder run. That drive would
give Amhent a taste of what the
Bees had in store for them in the
second half.
Brecksville would score the only
points in the third quarter on another
long drive. This one, an 8 play 60
yard assault, wold culminate with
Matt Zajac scoring from 23 yard;
ouL The drive was kept alive when
Amherst was called for roughing the
punter on the Bees 35 yard line.
That set Brecksville up with a new
set of downs at midfield. The ensu
ing touchdown would slice into the
Amherst lead again. Going into the
fourth frame Amhent was clinging
to a 19-14 lead.
The Bees would find the endzone
one more time when Mitch Murphy
would inhale a 13 yard pass from
Zajac. The two point conversion
would fail, putting the Bees up
20-19.
Enter the new Comet team. They
are new only because they had
never been needed until now. Led
by quarterback Dominic Pellittieri,
they resembled Brian Sine and the
Cardiac Kids rather than Jim Kelley
and the Buffalo Bills.
The drive actually started on
fourth down. On fourth and 17 from
their own 25 yard line Sine, I mean
Pellittieri, hit Madison for 28 yards
and a first down. After passes to
Klekota and Mike Bigrigg, the
Comets would find themselves first
and ten from the Brecksville 18.
Several pass attempts were nearly
picked off, adding to the suspense.
Left with a fourth and 10 from the
18, Amherst head coach Jeff Reisen
made the only decision he could. He
called for the field goal. However,
just like Marv Levy, Reisen has no
regrets. "He (Klekota) plays both
ways, so maybe he was a little
tired," stated Reisen. "But he has
made them from that distance
before."
While Amherst was crushed by
the loss, they have much to be proud
of. A 9-1 record, an SWC tide, and
a trip to the playoffs. It was an excellent season.
Comet defensemen Brian Cesear and Jim Do-
Brunz stand up Brecksville running back Jeff
Schoeder at the line during Amherst's 20-19
at Memorial Stadium.
Bulgarian exchange student enjoying life in Amherst
by JASON TOMASZEWSKI
News-Times reporter
While most 17-year-old girls are
more than a little nervous when they
go away to school, Victoria Zagor-
ova is calm, cool, and collected.
And she hasn't just gone away to
boarding school; she's gone around
the globe. Zagorova, a senior at Marion L. Steele High School, is a native of Bulgaria.
Zagorova is taking part in the international exchange student program, which sends students from all
over the world to different i
to study. The idea is that while these
students complete their education,
they will get the rare chance to see
how people from other cultures and
countries live. Zagorova is learning
quickly just how different we
Americans are.
"The cultures are completely different," stated Zagorova. "The way
people spend their time here, entertainment, school is different too."
According to Zagorova, Bulgarian schools do not offer a lunch
break. "There are no cafeterias in
the schools," she said. The students
do receive a 20 minute break in the
Mayor honored
Amherst Mayor John Higgins was honored at the Breakfast of
Champions at Spring Valley Country Club in Elyria last week. The
breakfast is held every year to recognize those who work on the
behalf of the senior population. There are three awards given out
every year in three different categories, Busksess/Professional, Qov-
ernment, and Individual. Mayor Higgins was the governmental
recipient.
1 am honored by this award,- stated Higgins. "But there Is much
more we need to do for the ekJerty."
Higgins follows Sherrod Brown and the Urain C«*jnty Cornrrvs-
stonert as elected officials who have won this award.
middle of the day, however, there is
no food served.
When asked whether she was
homesick, Zagorova replied yes, but
not as much as you would think.
She has spent the last two yean in
the Bulgarian capital of Sophie
studying art. She lived in tbe big
city in an apartment by herself. Her
father would visit often, as he would
Sve business to attend to in the
y. Other than that Zagorova
would have to wait for holidays to
make the two-hour drive back to her
hometown of Shomen.
Still, Zagorova finds the time to
e-mail her parents everyday and
tries to call when she can. "I send
e-mails everyday, I like to call them,
but when I do we talk for about half
an hour," she said. "That can get
expensive."
"I am very luck to have such nice
host parents," Zagorova stated.
"They are wonderful.' It was
through her host parents, Anthony
and Laura Moreno, that Zagorova
was able to get lo know several of
the other exchange students before
school started. "My host mother is a
counselor for the exchange program," stated Zagorova. "I was able
to meet the students from Germany
and Brazil"
Her host parents have also taken
her to Cedar PoinL "We don't have
places like that in Bulgaria," she
said. "It was greaL Millennium
Force was my favorite"
Since those early days in the United Stales Zagorova feels comfortable. She has many new friends, is
on the swim team, and paints.
"I was in gymnastics and swimming in Bulgaria," stated Zagorova.
"I really enjoy swimming." When
asked what her favorite event was
she replied she didn't have a favorite. "I like all tbe styles."
She is equally eclectic when it
comes to painting and art. "I like
graphics, oil, watercolon, and Mack
and white." Zagorova stated. She
has studied ut in Bulgaria and
would like to continue to study here
in the United States. "I would bite to
go to college here and study art,"
she stated. "Maybe go to Oberlin."
While die still has some time to
make that decision, Zagorova has
bar eyes set on a date in the more
near future. Her parents Dobrinka
and Evelin will be arriving in the
United States in November for a
two-month stay. She will alio be
reunited with her cider sister who is
living in upstate New York. That
will also give her the chance to see
some of her Bulgarian friends who
are now living in Connecticut.
"It will be like a big family reunion," stated an obviously excited
Zagorova.
Zagorova said that she is very interested in the upcoming election.
Her government class is discussing
it and she is intrigued. She said that
she does not favor one candidate
over the other, but rather, is interested in the election as a whole.
Zagorova graduates in the spring,
but where she goes from there is a
little in the dark. "I think I want to
study here (Tbe United States) in
college. I can apply for a four-year
student visa." She also thinks that
she might want to apply for citizenship. "I have to see more of what it
is like to live here first," she said.
Until then Zagorova is content lo
swim, paint, and hang out with her
friends. Her popularity was evident
during the interview as several students stopped by to say hello. With
everyone being so nice, and so
many options available to her, who
could blame her for wanting to stay?
Victoria Zagarova
St. Joe peer mediation program
seeks to prevent violent conflicts
Violence in schools is a story that
parents hate to read. It was only several weeks ago that parents cringed
when a local elementary school
principal was the recipient of death
threats. The sad truth is that violence in schools is a reality.
Some people would rather look
away from these terrible scenes.
They hope that this trend will
simply go away with time. Unfortunately this is a very dangerous tactic. One local school bas decided to
look this monster in the eye and
fight back. SL Joseph School in
Amherst participated in a program
to curt) school violence by managing anger. They are not doing this
via councilors, or specialists They
are getting results from the
place of all. the stadents.
Sl Joes brought in anger
ment specialist Sister Mary Nod
from the Cleveland Diocese to con-
duct a two day program on peer tee-
diation. The program is designed to
show students that there are better
ways of resolving s problem than
with violence.
The students participate in several
activities, such as role playing and
brain storming, which illustrate just
bow a dispute can be peacefully resolved. In one such activity the students are given a cartoon atrip. The
first part of the strip portrays a con-
flicL Tbe students warn coeiptete
the cartoon so that rite dispute is
settled peacefully. The class then
discusses each cartoon and its
The students also participate in a
role playing exorcise. Hare the Mu-
rfrffjff fftt fmsftmmaSsfA mrjk% a fiCtitiOUS
argumeoL They then play out a mediation session where tee problem
can be solved.
Sr. Nod has been doing this type
of work for the pate IS years. SHe
feds teat rids type of a
a long lasting effect on the participants. "This is something that can
CONTINUED on page 2
Downtown
forum set
The City of Amhent and the Asa-
'. bent Downtown Burineei Aaaocia-
1 tion Design Committee will host the
first in a aeries of public forums on
Wednesday. November IS d 7 pjn.
at the old post office, 233 Pari: Ave.
The topic of the forum will be
"Quality Downtown Design." This,
aad future sdons to be held shseegk
the spring of 2001. writ be rioaela
association whh the Urban Dedpa
Center of Northeast Ohio. Tie
pubhc is invited to