Team

United

Record	Div.	Conf.
5/3	Div. V	Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference

By Jon Moffett

jmoffett@vindy.com

HANOVERTON

You’ll Have to excuse the United football team if they’ve looked a little rusty in practice this week. After all, they’re not exactly used to being on the field this time of year.

For the first time in school history, the Eagles are preparing for week 11 of the football season — also known as the playoffs.

“It’s really weird because it feels like we should be at home like everybody else,” said senior quarterback Josh McLaughlin. “But here we are, and it’s just another week. But it’s really weird, especially being a senior.”

Here they are indeed.

“I can’t put words into how happy I am,” McLaughlin said. “It’s indescribable.”

Senior wide receiver Ryan Powell agreed.

“It feels great. Being the first team to make the playoffs? Wow. That’s a great experience,” he said. “We’ve been talking about this since the beginning of the year. Now we made it happen.”

After finishing the regular season with a record of 7-3, the Golden Eagles will travel to Cuyahoga Heights on Saturday for their first playoff game. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Coach Mike Ward said there is no feeling quite like what he is experiencing this year.

“It feels very good, and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this year,” Ward said. “But it’s a really good feeling to have another game.”

Though the Eagles won’t practice any differently — it’s just another week in Ward’s mind — there is still a lot of excitement.

“Obviously it’s going to be a little bit different than the first few weeks of the season,” McLaughlin said. “But we’ve taken every game as a playoff game for the last half of the season.”

Powell said, “We treat every game like a one-game season. And now we’re in the playoffs. We’re just going to take it one game at a time.”

The Eagles have had some historically good teams, but never made the postseason. The football team had previously been in Division IV, one above their current division.

“And when we were winning enough games to possibly get in to the playoffs, they were only taking four spots back in those days,” said Ward.

“It’s a different set of circumstances, but all that aside, we got in.”

Ward said making the playoffs is every team’s goal at the beginning of the season. But he said he saw the talent of his team and felt this could be the year the streak is broken. He said the team had a list of goals with the ultimate prize being a playoff game.

“Like most coaches, you sit down with your team [at the beginning of the season] and you try to set some team goals,” he said. “And among those was to make the playoffs. We also wanted to win the league championship.”

Though McLaughlin said it’s weird to play in week 11, he’s one of the main reasons the Eagles punched a ticket to the playoffs.

The 6-foot, 170-pound signal caller led one of the more potent passing attacks in the Valley. Along with an athletic receiving corps, McLaughlin and the Eagles were able to buck the trend of a power running game that is so prevalent at the high school level. Ward said he was merely using what he had.

“I’m a firm believer that at this level, you get a certain talent that comes your way,” Ward said. “You can’t recruit it, it’s just here. So we are of the philosophy that you take your offense and defensive schemes and adapt those to the athletes we have, rather than the other way around.

“We have a lot of guys who can run and catch,” Ward said. “We have some athletic kids. We don’t have a big, physical running back and we’re not a team that can line up, put in a tight end and run you over; we just don’t have that kind of personnel.”

What, or rather who, they do have is McLaughlin.

Ward said the senior is one of the best leaders he’s seen in his coaching career and the senior class as a whole is responsible for the success.

McLaughlin, though, is the linchpin of the entire offensive unit. He possesses the ability to pass and run, and helps the spread offense hum.

“We see it all the time at this level, is the one-back, spread offense,” Ward said. “And when you have a quarterback who can run as well, you actually have two runners in the backfield anyway.

“It spreads the field and creates one-on-one opportunities for receivers, and running backs to carry the ball, because the defense has to spread out. And we have an athlete at the quarterback position who makes that all go.”

Ward lauded McLaughlin’s accuracy and ability to run. But more important is his decision-making and knowledge of the game.

“To have a guy like that, who can run and throw, make the right decisions and is a great teammate, well that’s the total package,” Ward said.

McLaughlin, who wears the same No. 4 jersey as legendary gunslinger Brett Favre, realizes the importance of the feat, regardless of the outcome.

“We were the first team to make it to the playoffs at this school. Ever. And that’s what we’re going to be remembered for,” he said. “It’s still kind of surreal to say that. I’m not really sure how to handle it, but it’s pretty amazing.”

And the trend has spread — just like the Eagles’ offense — throughout the school and community.

“If you talk to the teachers, who have been here for 20 years or more, this is the most school spirit they’ve ever seen,” said McLaughlin. “It’s unbelievable.”