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St. Clairsville Welcomes Fairland Saturday

Photo by Sheri McAninch Brady Kolb and St. Clairsvile welcome Proctorville Fairland on Saturday in the Division IV, Region 15 tournament set to open.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The St. Clairsville football team rang up an impressive list of accomplishments during the regular season.

Things like an OVAC title, Buckeye 8 championship and the school’s seventh undefeated regular season have all been crossed off the goal sheet.

As exciting as those things may be, not one of them matters, beginning Saturday night when the Devils open the ‘second season.’

With the Division IV, Region 15 tournament set to open this weekend, St. Clairsville has re-focused itself on the task at hand, Proctorville Fairland, which is making its fourth trip into the postseason as the eighth seed with a 6-4 record.

“Teams play different types of schedules and you can’t put any weight into a team’s record or their seed,” St. C. coach Brett McLean said. “Everyone who is playing this weekend earned their right by beating quality opponents, so everyone is dangerous. We know we have to bring our best and hopefully our kids are ready to do that.”

This marks the first meeting between the Red Devils and Dragons. Though St. Clairsville’s coaching staff did see Fairland in August during a scrimmage against Meigs when it was scouting the Maruders, the element of new and researching is something that excites McLean.

“We’ve played local teams in the playoffs before, but, to me, the coolest thing about the Ohio playoffs is trying to go out and learn as much as you can about an opponent in a short amount of time,” McLean said. “Really, you never know until you get on the field how what you found out is going to play out. We spent a lot of time last weekend and in the early part of the week trying to gather as much as we could about Fairland.”

The Dragons, who are located just across the Ohio River from Huntington, W.Va., will make the more than 3-hour trip to Belmont County with a relatively young squad, according to fourth-year coach Melvin Cunningham, who was an all-American at Marshall and played for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL.

The Red Devils are at home for the second straight season in Week 11, but they had an unceremonius ending last season, falling to Philo.

McLean — in the research he’s compiled — has been very impressed with the Dragons, especially their offense that’s triggered by four-year starting quarterback Joel Lambiotte, who has been impressive.

Gaining the attention of numerous Division II and smaller Division I programs, Lambiotte has thrown for 2,367 yards and 27 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 654 yards, making him a true dual threat.

Lambiotte, utilizes sophomore Gavin Hunt (37 receptions, 776 yards), Reilly Sowards (49-643) and tailback Michael Stitt (39-495) primarily in the passing game.

The St. Clairsville defense has been solid for much of the season, allowing 13 points a game. Leading the way on the defensive side are senior linebacker Kyle Storer, who has a team-high 73 tackles, and senior defensive tackle Justice McCamick, who has been a menace to opposing quarterbacks with 63 total tackles and seven sacks.

With Lambiotte slinging it, the St. C. secondary will certainly be tested. Since Justin Heatherington went down with an injury against Union Local, senior David Mellema has shifted to free safety. He has 30 tackles, four interceptions and five pass defenses.

Along with the secondary, the defensive front’s ability to create pressure on Lambiotte will also be important. The Red Devils have been effective at rushing the passer this season with 26 sacks. McCamick leads the team.

The balance of the linebacking corps includes J.T. Porter, who has 54 tackles and an interception, Noah Trubiano and his 69 tackles as well as Luke Watt who has 43 tackles.

Speaking of defenses, the Dragons’ has been touched up at times this season. All told, they’re allowing 27.5 points a week, while the Red Devils offense scores 36 a week.

St. Clairsville’s offense is run-dominated with a large and talented offensive line paving the way for senior running back Brady Kolb and company.

The Red Devils’ trenches include junior Javon Lyons (right tackle), Avery Henry (right guard), Chase Espen (center), Austin Angus (left guard), Trey Delguzzo (left tackle) and Trey Elerick (tight end).

Following those linemen and senior fullback Derek Witsberger, the Devils have accumulated 2,786 yards and 42 touchdowns. Kolb — a two-time all-Ohioan — has gained 1,447 yards and scored 24 of those touchdowns. Heatherington was responsible for 1,034 yards of offense before his injury.

In Heatherington’s absence, Aaron Jordan has become the complementary piece to Kolb. He’s gained 320 yards and scored four touchdowns.

When the Devils go to the air, which isn’t frequently, quarterback Dustin Carrothers has proven himself to be more than capable. He’s passed for 943 yards, while completing 50 percent of his throws.

Senior Craig Bober and his 6-foot-5 frame is Carrothers’ primary target. Bober, who owns a Division I offer from Morehead State, has caught 18 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

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