ST. CLAIRSVILLE — It was a “terrific year” for the St. Clairsville Red Devils in 2023, said longtime head coach Brett McLean, and one that St. C. did not take for granted.

“I was really excited for our seniors last year. They had a terrific year- went 9-3 overall, won a Buckeye 8 Championship, went to the second round of the playoffs,” McLean, who has led the Red Devils since 2002, said. “The standard is very high for our kids and our expectations are very high. We met a lot of those last year, and we don’t take it for granted. A nine-win season, any coach in his right mind will take that. Those kids did a lot for our program and there’s a lot of kids going on to play collegiately whether in football or a different sport. A lot of really good, quality kids who’ll be successful adults.”

Going into the fall season in 2024, St. C. isn’t taking this go-round for granted, either.

Coming off a season that saw the Red Devils get to the playoffs- and win a playoff game against Marion Franklin, 44-12, before bowing out in a 23-13 battle against Bishop Hartley- St. Clairsville returns several impact players from last year’s 9-3 squad, while also hoping to see contributions from the next wave of Red Devils.

“Our team is forming,” McLean said. “We’re trying to find the X’s and O’s of what we’ll be best at and what we need to eliminate from schemes. We’re trying to build depth, we’re trying to find the next-man-up, we’re having competitions like crazy at certain positions for the starting job, the backup job, the third-string job. It’s where you should be at this time of the year.”

McLean also noted the new turf at Red Devil Stadium, which St. Clairsville will christen in week one against Norwayne on August 23.

“We’re really excited about the new field and getting out on it real soon here. We’ve had a good summer. We’ve got a solid core of kids who are returning, but we have a solid group of kids who need to step up and be the next man. That’s what we’re looking for now.”

Coach Brett McLean discusses the upcoming season

St. Clairsville had a potent run game last year, headlined by Ohio D-IV All-State First Team runningback Dino Burk, who rushed for 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns in 11 games.

Burk (5-8, 185) now comes into his senior season for St. Clairsville as a focal point once more, but there are plenty of ballcarriers getting first-team work for St. C. as they work their way towards the season opener.

“We’ve got five or six kids who are taking reps with the number one offense,” McLean said. “We break our offense and defense down into red, white and gray groups and they all get the same opportunities. There’s five or six kids in our red offense, which would be our “first group,” who I think will all carry the ball throughout the season. It’s hard to say it’s going to be this one main guy or a set backfield. It’ll be dynamic all season long.”

Returning lettermen who could get carries include juniors Kolton Ferguson (6-1, 160), Grady Gwalchmai (6-0, 150), and Guy Vcelka (5-7, 150), and senior Gulian Kingery (5-6, 150). Juniors Therron Fillon (5-9, 155) and Jacob Tomich (5-8, 160), sophomores Eligha Hill, Matheson King (5-7, 185) and Kale Fisher (5-8, 130), and freshmen Jeremy Tharp, Ian McLean, Brady McCort and Hunter Orum fill out the runningback ranks. Each are also listed at either defensive back or linebacker on defense.

Burk missed two games last year with an injury, and going into this year, McLean is aiming to keep his entire team prepared to play, and make his group as injury-proof as possible.

“I’ve been doing this awhile, I can say for sure that there’s a lot of unpredictable things that are going to happen to our team,” McLean said. “So it’s important that our kids stay patient, they stay aware, they practice like they are the starter, even if they aren’t the starter. Because any second the whole thing can change. I think our coaches have done an outstanding job with them all summer long and we’re rearing to go.”

St. Clairsville’s backfield remains intact with last year’s starting running back and quarterback returning. The incoming senior threw for 1,534 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions last year with a 66% completion rate and three rushing touchdowns.

Though there are multiple positions with incumbents coming back to the team this year, McLean is stressing that playing time must be earned across the roster.

“There’s often an assumption that the returning starter starts, or the senior starts, and we’ve tried to avoid that process and hopefully the kids understand that you can come and win a job,” McLean said. You can compete to win a job no matter what age you are and no matter how much experience you have, if you’re the best.

“We don’t care who you are or what happened in the past, the best will play. That’s made our camp’s competition level pretty high. We got some kids who played a lot of football last year, and that’s a stripe for them, they’re veterans, they’ve gone out on Friday nights, they’ve done the job. But if they get complacent, they can be passed up.”

In addition to Schafer, junior Sam McLean (5-8, 130), sophomore Tyler Schubert (5-11, 185) and freshmen Luke Schafer and Owen Williams are all listed as quarterbacks on the offensive end.

“We’ve got four of those guys competing for the job,” McLean said. “Brady played and was our starting quarterback last year for all 12 games, did an outstanding job. He’s a veteran, he’s a guy who’s got some stripes on his shoulder now, but he knows he has to come and compete everyday to come and keep that job. He knows there’s three guys nipping at his heels, and that he’s gotta execute.”

As far as who will be catching passes for the Red Devils, seniors Gage Wolfe (5-6, 125), Gavin Schoolcraft (5-8, 170), Drew Gasber (6-0, 170) and Tyson Pastor (6-3, 165), juniors Kaden Clifford (5-6, 120), Brody Bolyard (5-7, 130), Ollie Muhly (5-7, 140), Derrick Panepucci (5-11, 170), Colten Florence (6-3, 190), Tyler Harris and Daelyn Harris (5-9, 150), sophomores Dareion Williams (5-7, 125) and Landen Serrano, and freshmen Jaxon Starks, Kohen HolmesBrandon Peters, Bruno DeFranco, Max Koher, Michael Kanopsic and James Parson comprise the receiver room. Each are also listed at either defensive back or linebacker on defense.

Seniors Micky Balgo (6-2, 190), Kyle Rankin (6-3, 190), Brody Saunders (6-2, 190), Max Fogle (6-1, 210), juniors Niko Jacob (5-11, 165), Malachi Greathouse (5-11, 175) and Levi Shunk (5-8, 150), sophomores Dalton Neff (5-10, 195) and Tim Crain (5-8, 130) and freshmen Hudson Florence and Owen Anderson are each listed at tight end, as well as linebacker or defensive end on the point-preventing side.

St. Clairsville has some holes to fill in the trenches, with linemen like Griffin Fogle and JR Adams graduating, but McLean says there are six returners “who played a lot of varsity football last year.”

Returning lettermen along the line include seniors Wyatt Toothman (6-0, 230), Ryan Ivey (5-8, 220) and Kambel Sall (5-10, 190), junior Alex Renner (6-1, 245) and sophomore Mason Wilt (6-3, 275). Juniors Jace Isaly (5-10, 205), Masin Samaniego (6-1, 205) and Asa Sabo (5-10, 235), sophomores Brody Russell (5-4, 175), Hugo Sustaita (5-6, 175), Bo Donley (5-11, 210), Carson VanDyne (6-0, 230) and Ronevan Calvert (5-10, 240), and freshmen Elijah Jordan, Calvin Druzin, Carson Covey, Wyatt Tipton, Aiden King, Tayden Yeager, Jacob Planey and Aaron Baker round out the group of linemen.

Junior Parker Galloway (5-10, 170), who will also star for the St. C. boys soccer team, is handling kicking duties for the Red Devils.

McLean is going into his 22nd season as head coach of the Red Devils. He is assisted by Kevin Sacco, Ben Frye, Chris Patrone, Eric Gay, Gary Hull, Vern Ridgway, Steve Hicks, Anthony Skrabak, Byron Mayers, Chris Balog, Jeremy Schafer, Chris Fogle, John Kutchner, Greg Bowser, Tyler Tonkovich and Justin Copley.