Tigers Head To Reedsville Eastern In Regional Quarterfinals
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REEDSVILLE - After not qualifying for the OHSAA playoffs last year, Shadyside has re-stored the roar in Tigertown.
The fifth-seeded Tigers (9-2) made their 27th postseason appearance last Friday with a 41-6 rout of No. 12 South Gallia in a Division VII, Region 27 first-round encounter. They will look to advance to the regional semifinals when they face No. 4 Reedsville Eastern (8-2) at East Shade River Stadium.
The fact that Shadyside has won nine games this season is a testament to the players, especially the seniors who only won eight games during their first three seasons. Those seniors are Jayden Johnson, Hunter Ramsay, Ace Nelson, Trenton Marling, Dario DeFelice and Ayden Allensworth.
"Our senior class has certainly taken their lumps. They've been starting and playing for three or four years," Shadyside head coach Mike Kernik said. "They had a rough three years with a lot of learning experiences and it has helped them greatly. This year as seniors they've grown into great leaders and have shown the guys what we've got to do to be successful. The underclassmen have done a phenomenal job of stepping up and contributing big time.
"This team has completely flipped our won-loss record from last year and I couldn't be any prouder of them," he stressed. "They set some goals in the preseason that they wanted to get to. They've worked hard to get to those goals."
Offensively, the Tigers are averaging 36.2 points an outing and have scored 40-plus points in seven times.
Johnson has been the spearhead of the turnaround. The 6-2, 175-pounder has combined for 1,131 yards of offense, with 1,091 coming through the air on 79 of 139, with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also run for 1,090 and 15 TDs, with five 100-yard-plus games.
Junior Colt Cook has come on strong. The 5-9, 125-pound scatback has 907 yards on 102 carries (8.9 per carry) and reached the end zone 13 times. He, too, has five 100-yard-or-more games.
"That's huge to have another guy to balance up that running attack. Now teams have to be a little more balanced," Kernik added. "They just can't key on Jayden and that has allowed us to air the ball out more, especially last week. We were able to throw the ball deep down the field and that should open up the defense even more."
They didn't exactly air it out as Johnson attempted just seven passes, but completed six of them for 153 yards and two touchdowns, both going to 5-10, 160-pound freshman Logan Cather from 51 and 33 yards. Cather now has 13 receptions for 221 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
"He's a good athlete. He's played on defense all year," Kernik noted. "He had some touches on offense during the year, but he needs to get more touches."
On the other side the Tigers have 6-1, 165-pound junior Michael Hendershot. He leads the team with 29 catches for 449 yards and half-a-dozen TDs.
"Michael is a great deep threat. He goes up after the ball and gets it," Kernik continued. "Those guys being able to stretch the opponents defense will also help our run game."
That run game is led by an offensive line that consists of sophomore Dom Forgacs (5-9, 210) at center; DeFelice (5-9, 200) at right guard and junior Lucca Smathers (5-9, 175) at left guard. The right tackle is sophomore Noah Kosky (6-1, 165) and the left tackle is classmate Trey Wright (6-1, 210). The tight ends are Marling (6-0, 185) and freshman Jaxon Gentile (5-8, 155).
"Jayden has run for 1,000 yards. Colt had run for 900 and we've passed for more than 1,000," Kernik pointed out. "That doesn't happen without those guys working hard up front. Everyone knows that."
Nelson (5-11, 180) is by far the leading tackler from his linebacker spot with 104, of which 28 are solos and 76 assisted. He also has 6.5 tackles for lost yardage, three quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery. Hendershot and Cook are next with 73 (33-40) and 71 (24-47), respectively. Both have an interception, while Cook has recovered two fumbles and Hendershot one. Junior Kolten Wallace (5-10, 200) leads the team with 13 TFLs while Forgacs has 7.3 and DeFelice 6.3. Junior Bryce Sloane (5-8, 140) has a team-best three interceptions and classmate Anthony Hill (6-2, 220) has covered three fumbles.
That defense will be tested on the ground, according to Kernik.
"They want to pound the ball. They've got two running backs that have combined for more than 3,000 yards and have scored 35 touchdowns," he said. "They are big up front. They block well and sustain their blocks well. We're going to have to match that physicality, play low, play hard and play aggressive. We also have to tackle really well and get them on the ground."
The Eagles rely on the junior duo of Parker Durst (5-9, 165) and Kyler Basham (5-7, 148). Durst had run for 1,558 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Basham has 1,459 and 20 six-pointers. As a team, they average 361 yards per game. Junior quarterback Braxton Yonker (6-2, 170) has only thrown the ball 64 times, completing 24 for 396 and three touchdowns. He has been picked off three times. Durst is tied for the team lead with three receptions for 30 yards. Junior Case Barnett (5-10, 200) also has three catches for 108 and a TD.
"We just need to focus and play with aggressiveness," Kernik said. "If we can come out and do what we want to do we'll be fine."