Struthers returns loaded roster after historic season

STRUTHERS, Ohio (WKBN) – Last season, Struthers football played more weeks than ever before on the way to Week 14 of the playoffs . They now hope to build on that success with returning talent and a lot of excitement throughout the program.

“Those are our expectations now, so it’s not so much we hope, or we wish, we are setting the standard,” Struthers head coach John Bayuk said.

“We want to continue what we finished off last year, and we know how we have a good team and it’s going to be exciting for us,” senior quarterback and defensive back Jason Dukes said.

Exciting could be underselling it this year for the Wildcats as they enter 2024.

“Last year, a lot of them had their first Friday night light experience, and it was kind of, you could tell, deer in headlights,” Bayuk said. “But they got 14 weeks of football, so they got experience like really not many teams have.”

Two of the key returners are players from last year’s Big 22 list who racked up 1,300 rushing yards apiece and more than 30 total touchdowns combined: seniors Devin Braham and Jason Dukes .

“We kind of know what to expect now, we know we got the experience,” Dukes said. “Besides two guys, we got everybody coming back, and we know what to do, know how to get the job done.”

Like years past at Struthers, it looks like they will again have plenty of lanes to run, through.

“You know, we got one of the best linemen, I think, in the area,” Dukes said.

“Oh, it’s great. I’m just happy to get back out there with my team and hopefully repeat what we did last year,” senior offensive lineman Vince Boila said.

Along with the 6-foot, 4-inch Boila, he will be joined on the line by three other returning stars — Matt McConahy, Michael Meuter and Ahmarion Brown — setting up another menacing offensive line.

“I mean, we’ve gotten better and better every year, and it’s amazing like seeing how much we’ve grown since day one,” Boila said.

Now with high hopes and expectations, Coach Bayuk and the Wildcats have embraced it all entering the fall.

“What we’ve been talking about in our locker room is we’re setting a standard now for others and that kind of hold your kids accountable,” Bayuk said. “If you’re setting the standard — and we’re going to reach that standard — your kids got to be accountable to be at practice, be at lifting, and I think that’s really what you could see if you’re part of our program, it’s really taken a turn.”

The Wildcats return to the field in Week 1 to face off against Beaver Local on Friday, Aug. 23 at Laddie J. Fedor Field in Struthers.

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