Fairview quarterback Burke Lowry, a 2023 Northeast Lakes All-District honorable mention will be a junior in 2024. (Mark Perez-Krywany – The Morning Journal)
After Fairview boys basketball made a run to the sweet 16 in 2023-24, two-sport athlete and Warriors quarterback Burke Lowry intends to transfer that culture to the football field.
“Bringing the brotherhood from basketball to football, that was one of the biggest things that we wanted to focus on. We wanted to bring in that athleticism here,” Lowry said.
Lowry was a Northeast Lakes Division V all-district honorable mention, as he threw for 1,601 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his sophomore year.
“This is the first time in a while where we have pretty much everyone back,” Fairview coach Sean Ranc said. “A lot of them have started since their sophomore year, some were freshmen. This is Lowry’s third year in the system. It has been fun. We have veteran guys, and we are moving quicker.”
Targets such as Nolan Reis and Sal Rizzo may have graduated, but Fairview brought back incoming wide receivers Pat Canfield, Brandon Clark and Savijan Harris.
Those are a few of the returning starters, as the Warriors will return eight on offense and eight on defense. With that comes a veteran presence on the field.
With the majority of the starters coming back, Lowry was on the hunt to add basketball teammates to the picture. Fairview football received the addition of Will Allen and J.R. Beato. Beato and Allen played football at the high school level, but took brief hiatuses.
“We kept a good relationship with a lot of the guys, and we have seen them have a lot of success on the basketball court,” Ranc said. “I will give Burke a lot of credit. He has worked to get some of those (basketball guys) out to football. I am glad that they are out there. They are great athletes.”
Lowry (Division III All-Ohio honorable mention) is the veteran presence at quarterback. Though he will be a junior, he’s started at quarterback since his freshman year. Along with Beato (honorable mention) and Allen (third team), all three were All-Ohioans on the hardwood.
“(The wide receivers) have height and speed. Most of them are 6-foot or taller, they are fast and they are physical. None of them are little guys. They can body up and play in space,” Ranc said.
On July 11, Fairview suited up for a home 7-on-7 against Bay, a Division III, Region 10 playoff team and former member of the GLC West. Lowry and the offense reach the end zone numerous times through the air.
“Lowry has such a great arm, and he is so smart,” Ranc said. “He is a 4.0 (GPA) student in the classroom. He studies the game of football and watches football a ton. He is really good at breaking down film. His arm and his intelligence is what sets him apart.”
Fairview basketball went 19-7 (6-2 CVC Metro) and won its first district championship in a tightly contested matchup against Cuyahoga Falls, 49-46, in the Division III Wooster District final.
“I think one of the most important things is liking the guys that you are playing with. You play better when you are having fun,” Lowry said.
In contrast, Fairview football played in the Great Lakes Conference, which had programs in Divisions II, III and IV. The Warriors’ offense had their moments, but averaged 17.3 points per game in a 1-9 (0-5 GLC West) season.
“(2023) was not the prettiest outcome that we wanted, but I think that we made great progress as an offense. I think that we can be great in the upcoming season,” Lowry said.
This year, Fairview will play in the Chagrin Valley Conference’s Valley Division east of Cleveland. The new conference presents its own set of challenges, such as Kirtland (15-1, 5-0 in CVC-Valley), the defending Division VI state champion.
“Our whole schedule is Division IV and Division V this year. It is nice to play schools our size. It is different when you do not know a lot about the teams that we are playing in our conference,” Ranc said.