Decision to come to Shawnee paid off for Jarzab family

D-III state football championship

CANTON — Shawnee High School senior quarterback Brad Jarzab couldn’t hold back the tears.

It wasn’t because his team had just lost to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 21-14 in the Division III state championship game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton on Friday.

The tears came from talking about his teammates, who welcomed him with open arms after his dad, Shawn, resigned as the coach at Northwestern after the 2008 season.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Brad said. “Three years ago when we were at Northwestern, we wouldn’t have ever thought we were going to be here.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better team to do it with. These guys right here, I love all of them. They’ve really helped me. We’re like a family. We do everything together, and when we get into the game, it’s the same thing. It’s been an amazing, amazing pick to come to Shawnee.”

Three years ago, they were a coach and quarterback looking for a new program.

“We knew out of bad situations come good, and I’d heard that from several of the pastors of the churches we’ve belonged to,” Shawn said. “To me, that speaks volumes. When you do things that you’re supposed to, great things happen.”

The Jarzabs found a home at Shawnee with Rick Meeks and the Braves.

“(The community) has been unbelievable to us,” Shawn Jarzab said. “You dream about coming to the state championship, and nothing was taken for granted. Brad worked hard. I told him we weren’t the second coming. We were going to work hard, and God willing, good things will happen.”

Three years and a lot of hard work later, Shawnee nearly won the D-III state championship.

For Shawn, it was awesome watching his son play on the state’s biggest stage. Brad finished the game with 140 yards rushing and two TDs and 122 passing yards.

“I’m so proud of him,” Shawn said. “I love him with all of my heart. He fought tooth and nail just like the rest of our guys. We’re so proud of them. They deserve all of the accolades that they get.”

While the Braves fell short of their ultimate goal, the journey — both for the team and Jarzabs — has been amazing.

“Someone once said, ‘Don’t be upset that it ended, feel blessed that you were able to ride that journey,’ ” Shawn said. “That’s what we were able to do with a great bunch of coaches and players. It’s something I’ll remember forever.”