Although the Warren John F. Kennedy football team fell short of its goal of winning a state championship, the 2022 season was another thrilling chapter written in the Eagles’ history book.
The Eagles have been building a high school football dynasty in Trumbull County and the numbers speak for themselves.
They have made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, with a record of 22-6 in postseason games. The Eagles have won four regional titles in that span, with three appearances in the state championship game.
It’s a program built on faith, pride and striving to be the best. That’s why, following the 38-6 setback to New Bremen in the OHSAA Division 7 state championship game, the players and head coach Dom Prologo were disappointed in the end result, but grateful for the opportunity to showcase their talents on the state’s biggest stage.
“The future at Kennedy is always going to be bright because we’re Kennedy,” Prologo said in the postgame press conference at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. “We have expectations and our kids work hard.”
The Eagles finished the 2022 campaign with a 13-2 record, including the state title defeat, with only one regular season loss. That one loss came against Mogadore, which only had one loss this season to eventual Division 6 state runner-up Kirtland.
The Eagles earned the No. 1 seed heading into the Division 7 state playoffs and were voted as the top team in the state in Division 7 by the Associated Press.
JFK possessed a high-flying offense, which averaged 32.1 points per game in the regular season. The Eagles defense was also tough, shutting out opponents three times this season, including a regional semifinal shutout against Southern.
In a Week 4 game against Perkins, the JFK defense stifled the team that had been averaging 40 points per game coming into the contest with the Eagles. Perkins only scored 12 in that loss to JFK. In the regular season finale, JFK only allowed 100 yards of total offense to Ravenna Southeast.
“We’ve been good at getting that done all year,” Prologo said of the defense. “Our kids have done a good job at getting teams off the field.”
The most exciting win came in the regional final against Danville. With less than a minute to go, Caleb Hadley threw a touchdown pass to Aidan Rossi, but the Eagles still trailed, 21-20. It took a successful two-point conversion run by Hadley to lift his team to a 22-20 lead and the defense held tight in the waning seconds to secure the victory.
In the state semifinals, JFK avenged a 2021 loss, 14-7, to Newark Catholic. The Eagles faced the Green Wave again and set the tone early with a 62-yard touchdown run by Antonio Smith. They cruised the rest of the way to a 21-7 victory, vaulting the Eagles to another appearance in a state championship game.
JFK faced another familiar opponent in New Bremen for the state title. The two teams last faced off in the 2020 state championship. New Bremen won that one, too, 31-0.
The lone touchdown for the Eagles in the 2022 state title game came on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Rossi to Hadley in the third quarter.
“These are my guys and I love every one of them,” Prologo said. “Any success I’ve had as a head coach is because of this senior class. These guys have had a heck of a career. To be able to walk off the field as a senior and say we were 15-4 in the playoffs, that’s pretty special. That’s like playing six seasons of football. So these seniors that we have, they are indicative of what Kennedy is, and Kennedy is family.”
The seven seniors for the Eagles are Rossi, Ambrose Hoso, Abram Rivera, Chris Campana, Thomas Valent, Patrick Valent and Sarosh Sheth.
When asked what he would miss the most about his high school playing days, Rossi echoed the family sentiments of his head coach. He will miss his teammates — who quickly became his brothers.
“The brotherhood and the camaraderie between everyone,” Rossi said following the state championship game. “Everyone was so close. That contributed a lot to the success that we had. This summer, we really bought in to what we had to do.”
Along with Prologo, other members of the coaching staff include Dominic Menendez, Angelo Babbaro, Matt Green, Ryan Lee, Jordaan Simmons, Mike Lodyn, John Bruce and Damon Buente.
After completing his third year as head coach of the Eagles, Prologo has a record of 32-8.
“I just want to say thank you to Coach Pro,” Thomas Valent said. “Since when I was a freshman, I didn’t think I’d ever see the field … and I owe this man a lot. The reason he is going to be successful and the teams going forward is because, when we lost in 2020, the seniors and juniors said if we don’t win state, we fell short. And if you set the bar that high, great things are going to come. This speaks of the tradition and what Kennedy is.”
Rossi added, “Thanks to Coach Pro, this program has a bright future, no matter who the players are, because of the coaches that are leading the charge. Losing this game, it hurts more than anything but it takes a little weight off my shoulders knowing we have such a great coaching staff here. It’s going to be a perennial success here. That just helps a little bit. Without (the coaches) I certainly wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Prologo was named the 2022 Division 7 Northeast Inland District coach of the year and Hoso was named the 2022 Division 7 Inland District defensive player of the year. Patrick Valent, Thomas Valent, Smith, Hadley, Sheth, Rivera, Rossi and Fred Bolchalk were also honored as first-team all-district players.
Warren JFK has won two state titles in school history, 1991 and 2006. This was the fifth time the Eagles finished as state runners-up, 1989, 1992, 2006, 2020, 2022.
