Unbeaten Ursuline will take on Massillon on Friday
at Paul Brown Stadium.

By JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — Many scouts from NCAA Division I schools are expected to swarm around Ursuline High and its football team this season.

And if the unbeaten Irish beat Massillon on Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium and continue to win in the weeks ahead, even more will be knocking on the Irish door.

The reason: Ursuline’s offensive line is very big — in fact it is huge — and it also is very experienced, talented and quick.

Ursuline’s six-man front, which ranges from 327-pound senior tackle Harold Coates to 202-pound senior tight end Rich McGahagan, averages 261 pounds. Joining Coates (6-3, 327) at the other tackle is senior Justin Brown (6-3, 263), while the guards are seniors Ryan Kelly (6-0, 228) and junior Dan Baco (6-1, 264) at guards and senior Michael Paul Jenkins (6-3, 287) at center.

Line has lot of depth

But size doesn’t end with just the starters. The Irish have waiting in the wings juniors Mike Herns (6-4-279), Dan Baco (6-1, 264), Dominique Cole (6-1, 204) and Josh Bermann (6-1, 246), and sophomores Jamel Turner (6-3, 206) and Carlo Eggleston (6-1, 237).

And most if not all of these 12 players also play defense, which produced shutouts over Cleveland East Tech (59-0) and East Liverpool (56-0) in the first two games of the season.

Ursuline cach Dan Reardon conceded, “It’s the biggest line I’ve had.” But he also pointed out that it also is a line “that brings a lot of experience to the team.

“Four of the six starters up front are back from last year. That gives us a luxury when we are making adjustments [in a game],” he said.

That size and experience has allowed the Irish’s playmakers, led by senior quarterback Lamar McQueen and junior running back Darrell Mason, to pick up yards and points.

Coates, Brown lead charge

The leaders of Ursuline’s mammoth front wall are Coates and Brown, who have attracted the most attention from college scouts.

“Coates and Brown do have scholarship offers,” said Reardon, noting that both players have evolved into leaders.

“They both lead by example,” he said Reardon. “The young guys are seeing [how they play] and that is invaluable on the field.”

Coates has received feelers from North Carolina State, Illinois, Marshall, Ohio University and Indiana, while Brown list offers from Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green and Ohio University. And more offers are expected to roll in, but also for their supporting cast as they develop throughout the season.

Coates, an All-Ohio selection last year who also serves as a team captain, said he tries to “lead by example. Maybe not in the sprints, but when I play. We work hard together. If we work as a team, eventually we’ll do well.”

Coates tries to help the team by “just coming off the ball and being very physical.” And, “Once adversity kicks in, that is most important,” he added, meaning that the team seems to play better when the game is one the line, like last week’s 21-14 victory over Fitch.

Brown leads same way

Brown said leads the same way as Coates.

“I’m not real vocal leading the team. I lead the team by example and experience. I have been playing since I was a freshman,” said Brown, who believes the true essence of his team is camaraderie.

“We have more team chemistry. We feel comfortable blended together,” said Brown. “We work well together. We have weaknesses and strengths and we try to help each other.”

Reardon admits Ursuline has a golden opportunity to enhance its reputation and make a name for itself statewide by bumping off Massillon.

The Tigers, after winning the season opener over Middletown (42-21), suffered back-to-back losses to Solon (10-3) and Parma Normandy (27-13 last week).

Massillon is Division I while Ursuline dropped from Div. IV to Div. V this year.

But will it be a David vs. Goliath matchup? No, says Reardon.

“[Division status] doesn’t mean a thing to me,” declared the coach. “Once the game gets started, it’s just player against player and [what division a team is in] doesn’t make any difference.”

kovach@vindy.com