Shamrocks Ready For Playoff Rematch vs. Wheelersburg
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HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, Oh.-- Barnesville head coach Blake Allen said last season's loss to Wheelersburg in the second round of the Ohio Division V, Region 19 playoffs was due to his team's lack of depth.
Fast forward a year and the two will meet again Friday night, this time in the regional semifinals at Hamilton Township just outside of Columbus. Kickoff is set for 7.
"This has been 12 months in the making," Allen said Tuesday before practice. "We have some unfinished business to take care of."
The Shamrocks (12-0) led perennial playoff powerhouse Wheelersburg 24-21 at the half, but the battle-tested Pirates (8-3) outscored the undermanned Shamrocks by a 34-7 count in the final 24 minutes for a 55-31 victory before a jam-packed Shamrock Stadium.
Wheelersburg ran 52 times for an eye-popping 429 yards and half-a-dozen touchdowns, with senior Derrick Lattimore doing the bulk of the work.
The 5-9, 205-pounder ran 20 times for 256 yards and found the end zone on runs of 19 in the first half and 20 and 53 in the fourth quarter when Wheelersburg pulled away. He had 185 on 14 carries. "Our kids are really looking forward to this game. That loss really bothered them because we were right there with them until the fourth quarter. Our kids have worked really hard to get back to this point.
"I told the kids the final four teams in our region are Ironton, Harvest Prep and Wheelersburg. That's three pretty good programs. Now we need to prove that we belong to be up there with them."
Allen said last week's gut-check 19-17 win over Columbus Academy was huge for his team's confidence.
"We've been fortunate to have some big leads in the second half this season, so to be down at the half and have Columbus Academy driving for a go-ahead score with less than four minutes to play and we're able to get a stop and then put the game away was huge.
"Last year we got worn down in the fourth quarter and couldn't get the stops we needed against Wheelersburg, but I think the maturity and growth these guys have gone through really showed."
Another amazing stat about last week's win was Barnesville was not being penalized.
"That is one of the most amazing stats because we start two freshmen on offense and four sophomores on defense," Allen said. "It just shows how serious these kids are taking the preparations for each week. That is a tremendous accomplishment to be week 12 and have no penalties in a big game like that."
Allen cited two players that have stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. They were sophomore inside linebacker Hines Ford and senior defensive tackle Blake Kirk. Ford was an Eastern District Co-Defensive Player of the Year, while Kirk, a first-year starter, earned first team all-district honors.
"Well deserved honor for Hines," Allen praised. "He has stepped up tremendously. We already knew we had Taison (Starr) at one linebacker, but we were looking for another. Hones is a tough kid who comes from a tough family. He's also a wrestler and that always helps. We knew he could do it.
"Outstanding," Allen said of the job Kirk has done. "He wasn't even a starter when the season started but he has worked his way in there by working hard. He has really stepped up."
Allen is well aware of Wheelersburg's prowess.
"They are always tough. They are one of the premiere programs in the state for their size," Allen noted. "They look to be faster this year. They had that big, bruising back last year, but he graduated as did some of the linemen, but they are still very good."
The Pirates tend to run the ball a little more than they pass it, but Allen said his defense needs to be awake at all times.
"They've gradually started using the quarterback a little more in the passing game as the season progressed. They've got two really good receivers and can lull you to sleep with the run, and then hit one of them for a big gainer."
Defensively, Allen said he sees a lot of his team in the Pirates.
"They remind me of us in the fact that they swarm to the ball," Allen continued. "They have a lot of speed on that side of the ball, as well."
Barnesville has been led offensively by junior quarterback Casey Carpenter and senior tailback Taison Starr. Carpenter, a lefty, has broken a pair of single-season program records with more than 2,200 yards passing and nearly 30 touchdowns. Starr, meanwhile, has eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight season. He had a career-high 35 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown last week.
Defensively, senior cornerback Duker Castello is now the all-time leader in interceptions with 11.
The winner will advance to the regional finals next week against the Ironton-Canal Winchester Harvest Prep survivor.