DIVISION IV FOOTBALL East Palestine eyes the upset

The Bulldogs are riding high with a strong backing from the community.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
When Brian Blevins was offensive coordinator at Kettering Fairmont in the mid 1990s, he routinely coached against some of the best teams in the state -- Cincinnati Moeller, Cincinnati Colerain and Cincinnati Princeton.
"Some of the games we won, we had no business winning," Blevins, now the coach at East Palestine, said. "The kids just believed."
It's a message he's selling this week to the Bulldogs (10-1), who play Ursuline in Friday's Division IV regional semifinal at Boardman High School.
"On paper, a team like Ursuline wins most of the time," Blevins said. "But that's why you play the game. It could be that one night that you pull off the upset."
First playoff win
East Palestine, who edged Sullivan Black River last week in the school's first playoff game, faces an Ursuline team that was a popular preseason state title pick.
"They're the real deal," Blevins said. "They have great size and great athletes. They're definitely a Division I-ish team. I don't know what I can say about them that hasn't already been said."
But Ursuline (6-5) has struggled this season with injuries, inconsistency and a brutal schedule that would frighten most Div. I teams.
Still, the Irish managed to snag the No. 8 spot in the region. That berth, along with last week's 28-10 over top-seeded Akron Manchester, has given the Irish a lift.
"The kids are definitely excited and that's good to see," Ursuline coach Dan Murphy said. "The win over Manchester really meant a lot to us, but we can't just stop and be content with that. East Palestine is definitely going to be a tough game for us."
The Bulldogs are deeper -- they have just two two-way starters -- and have gotten emotional boosts from winning their first Tri-County League title since 1975, and a strong backing from the community.
"It's been crazy down here," Blevins said. "It was really neat to have a home game last week and to get our first playoff win. I'm sure they'll be just as crazy at Boardman on Friday."
Key players
The Irish aren't deep (several players play both ways) but the Irish have feature Div. I college prospects Terrence Graves, Delbert Ferguson and Louis Irizarry, who were starters on Ursuline's 2000 state title team.
Yes, the Irish are favored. Just don't tell Murphy.
"I honestly don't pay attention to that stuff," Murphy said. "Who's to say who's the favorite? Unless you're watching all the films, spending time with both kids and the coaching staffs, you don't know.
"We don't even pay attention to it."
scalzo@vindy.com