The contest, at Bo Rein Stadium, is almost a must win for both teams.

By STEVE RUMAN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Based on history, it seems safe to suggest Niles faces a near insurmountable task Friday when it plays host to Poland. The Bulldogs have dominated the series between the Metro Athletic Conference rivals, winning 14 of 17 games. In all but three of those games, the Red Dragons have been held to one touchdown or less.

Niles also enters the second half of the season licking its wounds following a 49-14 loss to Canfield.

Yet Poland coach Mark Brungard has a message for Bulldog fans who are expecting an easy time at Bo Rein Stadium.

“All I know is that I’ve faced Niles twice as a head coach. They handed it to us two years ago, and last year we beat them [20-14] in what was a fantastic high school football game,” Brungard said.

Brungard said Niles responded to last year’s loss by “playing their best game of the season in shutting down Canfield.” He also noted that the Red Dragons are “tough as nails” at home, where they have won 12 straight dating to 2005.

Does this suggest that the more recent history favors Niles?

Dragons on rebound

“What happened last year, or last week for that matter, won’t come into play Friday,” said Red Dragons coach Tim Johnson. “Our kids were down and feeling sorry for themselves last week on the way home from Canfield, but they have to put that behind them and prepare for an extremely talented and extremely well-coached Poland team.”

In fact, Friday’s game is pivotal for both clubs. Niles (4-1, 1-1) cannot afford to lose another game if it expects to retain at least a share of the MAC title. The Red Dragons are ranked seventh in the Division III, Region 9 computer rankings. However, after Poland, the Dragons’ next three opponents are a combined 2-13.

Poland (4-1, 2-0) is ranked 11th in Region 9. However, with a future schedule which includes Canfield (4-1) and Howland (5-0), the Bulldogs control their conference and playoff fate.

“We definitely are satisfied with where we’re at right now,” Brungard said. “Our kids were down when we lost at Parma [Normandy], but we have since bounced back. Looking at the closeness of that game and seeing how good of an opponent they were, I think it eventually gave our kids some confidence.”

Bulldogs on a roll

In fact, since the loss, the Bulldogs have outscored three opponents by a combined 128-26. They are succeeding because of what Johnson describes as “a total team effort.”

“Based on statistics, they don’t have any offensive superstars, but boy do they have some darn good players,” Johnson noted. “With their wing-T style of offense, you have to be disciplined because you never know who is going to get the ball. If you try to key on one player, you’ll get burned.”

Trent Vallinger (433 yards, five TDs) leads Poland in rushing yards, while Greg Sabol (347 yards, six TDs) and Troy Vallinger (six TDs) lead the team in scoring. Quarterback Gannon Hulea has completed 27 of 54 passes for 342 yards.

“The way we spread things around, you won’t see many of our players getting all-star awards at the end of the year, but they’re OK with that,” Brungard said. “These kids understand that with our style of play, in order to be successful, no one is going to post mammoth numbers.”

Niles, meanwhile, does feature a running back who is sure to get his share of post-season accolades. Senior Nate Ganyard leads the Red Dragons with 824 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Not one-man show

Still, Brungard is quick to note that the Dragons are far from a one-man team.

“We saw their other back [Ricardo Beltran] step up big against Struthers, and their quarterback [Vince Melillo, 484 passing yards] is extremely solid,” Brungard said. “Obviously, our top priority is to keep Ganyard in check. But if teams focus too much on him, they’ll get burned.

“We’re definitely not going to see the same Niles team that played at Canfield last week, and that scares me,” Brungard said. “This is going to be a typical MAC grind-it-out showdown.”