Shadyside, River Match 6-0 Records Friday In Hannibal
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HANNIBAL - The 30-mile stretch of the Ohio River Scenic Byway along Ohio 7 between Hannibal and Shadyside will be very busy Friday night as fans will be flocking to Martins Flannery Field where River hosts Shadyside in a meetin' of the unbeaten.
Both teams enter the contest at 6-0, with the Tigers rated No. 1 in the latest Division VII, Region 27 poll. Meanwhile, the Pilots check in at No. 5 in Division VI, Region 23.
Shadyside has dominated the all-time series, which dates back to 1958, by a 36-22 margin. River won last year's meeting, 37-0, without throwing a pass at Fleming Field in Tiger Town, but the Tigers have prevailed in 15 of the last 16 matchups. Shadyside has scored 1,111 points in the series to 1,039 by River.
Shadyside could be considered the 'surprise' team this fall as the senior class only won eight games in 32 starts in their first three seasons.
"Our senior class has been on the field since they were freshmen. They've taken all kinds of lumps. They have a lot of learning experiences," Shadyside head coach Mike Kernik said. "There have been some positive things in those first three years, but a lot of downs ... a lot of adversity all the way through their high school careers.
"This year they have taken it upon themselves to become phenomenal leaders. Going through all of that adversity has really helped them. Winning also helps. It breeds success and gives the kids confidence. It gives you momentum. That's where we are at this point," he added. "We just need to stay focused and keep the energy level up. The amount of energy and excitement this team is playing with right now is through the roof.
"I couldn't be happier for these kids."
Shadyside has rolled to lop-sided victories over East Palestine (49-13), Southern Local (49-0), Buckeye Local (61-6), Frontier (43-20) and Shenandoah (42-14), while nipping Strasburg (22-19).
River, which received a forfeit from Everett, Pa., last week has wins over Portsmouth Notre Dame (41-6), Buckeye Local (40-8), Oak Glen (49-14), Magnolia (40-8) and Cameron (25-20).
"We spent all last week working on our fundamentals and going over the basics," veteran River head coach Mike Flannery said. "Friday night will be all about playing the game and not to the occasion. Both teams are deserving of being undefeated. The opportunity speaks for itself."
The Tigers have relied on the outstanding play of quarterback Jayden Johnson thus far. The senior has rushed for 784 yards and 14 touchdowns on 98 carries while passing for another 580 yards and eight TDs. He has thrown two interceptions.
"He is a phenomenal athlete. He's so fast," Kernik pointed out. "He's making quick decisions. His first decision he's going with it. He's able to make those excellent plays because of our offensive line. Both sides of the ball have done a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing our skilled players to make the plays they do."
That hasn't been lost on Flannery.
"He's a dual threat quarterback just like ours is," the River head coach offered. "They can both make plays with their legs and are multi-sport athletes."
That offensive line that Kernik was referring to includes sophomore center Dom Forgacs (5-9, 210); senior right guard Dario DeFelice (6-0, 185); junior left guard Lucca Smathers (5-9, 175); sophomore right tackle Noah Kosky (6-1, 165) and junior left tackle Trey Wright (6-1, 210).
"Our size is decent, not really big but they are quick, athletic and strong," Kernik added.
River, which uses a double tight end wishbone set, will counter with a very large offensive front that includes tight ends Ayson McBride (6-2, 210) and Crestyn Isaly (6-0, 165), and interior linemen Drake Boughner (5-11, 200), Wyatt Jones (6-3, 320), Michael Schultheis (6-0, 230), Cooper Roberts (6-0, 250), Jayden Jones (5-10, 280) and Tucker Hostutler (6-0, 285)..
"They are huge up front and they want to control the line of scrimmage by pushing you around and running the ball," Kernik said. "We're going to have to match that physicality and aggression. We're going to have to stay in the gaps and not allow them to push us around.
"Their backs are also very big and they all three run hard," Kernik noted.
The Pilots three-headed monster in the backfield is led by speedster Wyatt Stalder. He is joined by bruising runners in Peyton Weese and Trey Larrick. All three have surpassed 100 yards in a game this season and the trio combined for 16 carries of 10-plus yards at Cameron.
"We have to focus on what we can control and make it a clean game with no flags," Flannery said. "We want to chase our standards by being physical and keeping their offense off the field as much as possible."
Kickoff is set for 7 o'clock.