The Berkshire Badgers faced the Crestwood Red Devils in their inaugural game Sept. 23 at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium, and looked comfortable on their new home field as they beat the Red Devils, 42-8.
Game photos click here.
The Berkshire Badgers faced the Crestwood Red Devils in their inaugural game Sept. 23 at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium, and looked comfortable on their new home field as they beat the Red Devils, 42-8.
Berkshire Head Coach Josh DeWeese and his team stayed prepared for anything when faced with anticipation and uncertainty before the game regarding their stadium.
“It was something we talked about a lot with the team this week,” DeWeese said. “We really didn’t know we were going to be on (the field) until this afternoon. But we just talked about tempering that and making sure we were focused on taking care of our job and doing our jobs on the field.”
Senior Josh Brown produced for Berkshire on both offense and defense. Brown scored two touchdowns on offense: one a four-yard run in the first quarter, the other a 23-yard reception over two Red Devil defenders in the third quarter.
On defense, Brown led his team with 14 total tackles and sacked his opponents’ quarterback twice.
He said a fast start to the game helped his team defeat Crestwood.
“We started off strong,” Brown said. “We had confidence going into the game, and we took care of what we needed to. We pushed the ball down the field and made some stops on defense. That’s our Badger football, that’s what we’re looking to do every week.”
DeWeese acknowledged the big role Brown has played for Berkshire all season.
“He plays all over the field,” DeWeese said. “He goes wherever we need him to, and he plays everything at a high level.”
Another Badger who played at a high-level against the Red Devils was junior Jack Hastings. Much like Brown, Hastings made plays all over the field. Hastings had a 25-yard touchdown reception, recovered a blocked punt and carried it back for a touchdown, and had seven tackles on defense.
When Berkshire blocked the punt attempt by Crestwood in the third quarter, Hastings was in the right spot to give his team a big play.
“You just have to be in that position to make a play,” Hastings said. “I didn’t think that would happen, and I was just in the right spot to make a play. We got it, made it happen, and it was great. It was a big momentum changer.”
Hastings has struggled with injuries during the 2022 season, but DeWeese said that when the junior is on the field, it makes a difference.
“He is a big part of what we’re doing,” DeWeese said. “He was injured a few weeks, he got hurt out at Chardon during warm-ups when we were playing Trinity, but he’s a big piece to the puzzle.”
Another player who stepped up for Berkshire was junior quarterback Miles Miller, who finished the game with four touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground.
This win over Crestwood was the Badgers’ fourth straight victory as they improved to 4-2. Next, they’ll face the Hawken Hawks (5-1) Sept. 30 in a Chagrin Valley Conference showdown.
But victory was also more than just another mark in the team’s win column. It was a moment for the community to come together and celebrate its brand new playing field.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Brown said. “What a feeling to be here on this turf with the community behind us. People lined up on the fence, (and) that’s what we’re looking for every week, we love that. Hopefully we see that week in and week out.”
