By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

COPLEY

As he walked off the field following Friday’s 17-0 win over Copley, Howland High football coach Dick Angle grabbed a water cart and began wheeling it toward the locker room.

“I bet [former Ohio State coach] Woody Hayes didn’t have to do this stuff,” he said.

Maybe not, but there are plenty of other similarities between the two coaches.

Playing a Dick Angle-type game — and a Woody Hayes-type game, frankly — the Tigers forced four turnovers and got a huge contribution from backup running back Tony Osborne en route to the Division II, Region 5 quarterfinal victory.

“We can run Dick Angle football if you want to call it that, because we have seven offensive linemen that are pretty doggone good,” said Angle, whose team improved to 11-0. “The big thing was, Tony Osborne really stepped up.”

Osborne carried 34 times for 164 yards, filling in for sophomore running back De’Veon Smith, who suffered a high ankle injury on the Tigers’ second offensive play. Angle said Smith could have played the second half but the coaching staff saw no need to risk exacerbating the injury, particularly with No. 2-ranked Mentor Lake Catholic looming in the second round.

“He wanted to go back in but we wouldn’t let him,” said Angle. “To have Tony step up and take over for De’Veon, that was critical.

“We didn’t miss a beat and our kids didn’t lose any confidence at all. That just makes us a better football team.”

Smith scored the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard run with just over a minute left in the first half. After a scoreless third quarter, it looked like that score might hold up. But after missing two field goal attempts in the first half, senior kicker Chris McClearn drilled a 47-yarder midway through the fourth to cap an 11-play, 62-yard drive and give the Tigers a 10-0 lead.

“We missed a couple field goals that I thought might come back and bite us in the you-know-what,” said Angle. “But Christopher’s a competitor and he kicked that one.”

Copley fumbled away the ensuing kickoff return, giving Howland a first down at the Indians’ 17. On fourth-and-3 at the 10, Angle opted to go for it rather than kick the field goal, figuring an extra three points wouldn’t make much difference at that point. Senior center Chuck Sayre called for a quarterback sneak and senior QB Tim Parana followed him straight up the middle for the touchdown.

“That was a good call by our center,” said Angle.

Parana was 5 for 5 passing for 35 yards, completing passes to four different receivers.

His counterpart, Copley junior Lou Gigliotti, was 11 of 18 for 105 yards and two interceptions, one each to junior CB Kenny Pozega (his eighth this season) and senior safety Dan O’Brien. O’Brien also had a sack and recovered a fumble.

Osborne, who has 13 sacks on defense this season, also recovered a fumble, but it was his work on offense that got the attention. He gets quite a few reps on offense during the days leading up to games but usually gives way to Smith on game nights, particularly since Osborne is so valuable on defense.

But when Smith went down, he was ready.

“De’Veon, that’s my boy; he helped me get pumped up for the game,” Osborne said. “After he got hurt, he said I’ve gotta step up and do what I do.”

And do what Howland does.

“Running the ball every play, being aggressive and playing hard-nosed offense and defense,” said Osborne. “That’s what we do.”