Dogged Determination

Crestview vs Columbiana

Gallery

East Palestine is 4-0 for the first time in two decades, and a win over Columbiana has the town buzzing.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

East Palestine high senior wide receiver Austin Cope is pleased with the Bulldogs’ 4-0 start.

He’s even happier about how it’s affecting his hometown.

“What I’m really proud of and what I thank everyone for every day is the community is really rallying,” Cope said. “The community is really following us. They give us the respect that I think we deserve. Hopefully, we can carry all that momentum and [continue to] progress.”

The last time the town enjoyed a 4-0 start was 1988. If the Bulldogs defeat United tonight, they’ll match the starting accomplishment of the 1982 team that finished 9-1.

“It’s great,” senior lineman Ben Gysin said of the atmosphere. “Everyone from around the area is so happy to talk [football], saying, ‘Oh man, I can’t wait to go to the game.’

“Our first couple of years of high school, it wasn’t like that so much because we had a couple of subpar seasons,” said Gysin who leads the Bulldogs with 51 tackles.

Three years ago, the Bulldogs went 0-10. Jeff Sharkey, who was no longer wanted as United’s head coach, was invited to take over.

“I really wasn’t interested,” said Sharkey, a Barberton native who was varsity head coach for four years at Marlington and three at United. “I wasn’t going to apply for the job.”

But Darren Miller, the Bulldogs’ former head coach who is now one of Sharkey’s assistants, persuaded him to apply.

“I’m glad for Coach Sharkey, I really am,” said Columbiana coach Bob Spaite last week after the Bulldogs defeated the Clippers, 41-7. “I thought he got a raw deal down at United. He’s done a nice job here, he’s got these guys hitting on all cylinders. They are excellent football team, they are going to make a nice run.”

One of the first things that Sharkey, a high school math teacher and Mount Union College graduate, discovered in 2007 was that his sophomores were gifted.

“They had a lot of talent and a very good work ethic,” said Sharkey of the class led by Cope, Gysin, quarterback Shane Peterson and wide receiver/defensive back Shane Egresi. “Usually sophomores ... just follow orders

and go along with the crowd. This group was willing, even as sophomores, to step up and do extra. I was all excited about that.”

The Bulldogs rebounded from the winless season with a pair of 4-6 seasons. In 2008, four of those losses were by a touchdown or less. They’re contending for their first league title and playoff berth since 2002.

“Coach Sharkey is huge to our team,” said Peterson, the engine to the Bulldogs’ balanced attack. “He knows exactly what our strengths are, especially on offense.

“He’s watched us grow and develop. He knew that we were going to be a special class and he’s helped us along — he gets the most out of us.”

A threat to run or throw, Peterson is the Bulldogs’ leading rusher (415 yards on 49 carries). He’s completed 17 of 27 passes for 281 yards.

“He’s amazing,” said Egresi of Peterson. “He’s fast, he can throw. He makes big plays out of what should have been losses. Pretty much all of the passes are right on the money.”

Cope has 13 receptions for 197 yards.

“Shane and I have been throwing in the backyard since we were little,” Cope said. “I mean, we lived together, basically. I was always over at his house. His Dad always preached football to us and we were attached at the hip for so many years.

“And we just know what each other is thinking so we can check different things. There’s a lot that we can do because we read each other’s minds like that.”

Peterson agreed.

“We used to play football when we were 6 and 7, down in my basement or outside,” Peterson said. “We’d play against each other, we’d play with each other, we’d play catch.

“We have chemistry [that] we can look at each other and know what [the other is] thinking. You just can’t replace that. Growing up together helps a lot. You can see that if you watch us. We’re on the same page all the time.”

Cope credits his head coach for molding their skills.

“Coach Sharkey knows his football — he’s an offensive wizard, I guess,” Cope said. “He developed this offense and he did it in a way that we would understand it. He’s really made an impact on us and we’re really happy to have him here.”

Gysin said the one good thing that came out of the 0-10 season was the chance for young players to step up.

“It gave us as underclassmen a lot of varsity experience,” Gysin said.

They ruffled some feathers.

“When we were freshmen, our freshman team didn’t lose a game,” Peterson said. “And we would compete as the scout offense and defense against our varsity and we would beat them sometimes. It would make them pretty mad.”

Now that the Bulldogs have matched their win totals of the past two seasons, Sharkey said his goal is to keep his troops from looking too far ahead.

“It sets the tone,” Sharkey said of the league-opening win over Columbiana. “Instead of having to rely on somebody else, you can dictate the procedure.

“If you lose that first [league game], you always have to rely on someone else to beat the team that you lost to,” said Sharkey whose team is tied with Springfield, Crestview and Mineral Ridge at the top of the Inter Tri-County League Tier One standings.

East Palestine also has the top spot in this week’s computer ratings for Division V, Region 17.

Standing in their way of a league crown and playoff berth are unbeaten Crestview in Week 6, perennial contender South Range in Week 8, Springfield in Week 9 and Mineral Ridge in Week 10.

“Last year, we started off 1-3,” Sharkey said. “I think we played well from that point on but we just dug ourselves too big of a hole.”

Now the town is buzzing.

“There’s just a lot more excitement in the school,” Peterson said. “If I go to church or out to eat, there’s people going ‘nice game’ or ‘I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it but nice game, you guys look real good.’ Anywhere you go.”

Cope said the players notice the signs younger fans have made.

“We had a high-school sendoff [last] Friday,” Cope said. “They took us out of class early and we all went out in front of the school and the players walked through a tunnel [formed by] the student body.

“It was really nice to feel that support from everybody.”

williams@vindy.com