E. Palestine rolls to the top in TCL

The Bulldogs are closing in on their first Tri-County League title in 27 years.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
EAST PALESTINE -- After 27 years, East Palestine High championship football history is finally about to repeat itself.
Inspired by a pre-game pep talk from the Bulldogs' last championship team, East Palestine seized control of the Tri-County League championship race Friday by mauling Lisbon, 42-14.
The victory puts the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-0) alone atop the TCL standings.
A Bulldogs' victory against Southern or Columbiana will clinch a share of the crown. Wins over both will give the Bulldogs their first title since 1975.
Key victory
"This win is huge, but honestly it's not much bigger than [our wins over] United, Leetonia and what we have to do the next two weeks," Bulldogs coach Brian Blevins said after his team posted six scoring drives against the Blue Devils (6-2, 4-1). "We haven't won anything yet."
Despite an injured throwing shoulder, East Palestine quarterback Smitty Kendrew dominated as a ball carrier, rushing for 162 yards on 21 carries, scoring three touchdowns and passing for another.
"Those past champions sent chills up and down my back," Kendrew said of the locker-room speeches. "It was awesome how they came in there and motivated us."
Powers delivers
Running back J.D. Powers rushed for 87 more yards on 25 carries, scored two rushing touchdowns and caught a 39-yard scoring strike from Kendrew just before halftime.
"This offense is a little bit different," Blevins said. "If you break it down, Smitty's really the tailback and J.D. is the fullback.
"We knew from our scouting that there were some things that we could exploit [against Lisbon] with Smitty running the ball," Blevins said.
The Blue Devils stopped the Bulldogs' first threat when Jay Yorty picked off a Kendrew toss at the Lisbon 20-yard line.
But on the next play, Devils running back Frank Gallo fumbled. Five plays later, Kendrew scored from 7 yards out for a 7-0 lead.
The Blue Devils marched into Bulldogs territory, but on a fourth-and-5, Ralph Lattanzio sacked Yorty to set up a six-play, 62-yard march. Kendrew broke loose for runs of 27 and a 23-yard touchdown for a 14-0 edge.
Lisbon capitalized
Lisbon capitalized after a rare Bulldog error in punt formation. The Blue Devils drove 41 yards on seven plays, cutting East Palestine's lead in half on Gallo's 3-yard run 100 seconds before halftime.
But just 35 seconds later, East Palestine restored a 14-point lead when Kendrew hit Powers over the middle for a 39-yard touchdown pass.
"We were just trying to find a mismatch," Kendrew said. "He went against a middle linebacker and J.D.'s pretty fast."
Blevins called the touchdown pass "the game's turning point -- you could feel the momentum shift going into the locker room."
Two 1-yard touchdowns by Powers in the third quarter put the game out of reach.
The Bulldogs are the No. 9 team in Division IV Region 13 of the computer playoff ratings.
Lisbon, which closes with Leetonia and Sebring, still has playoff hopes but must win out. The Blue Devils are the No. 7 team in Div. V Region 17 in this week's ratings.
williams@vindy.com