By Matthew Peaslee

mpeaslee@vindy.com

Youngstown

History doesn’t matter to the Youngstown Christian football team.

That’s because the Eagles are more than happy to write their own.

What the Eagles lack in playoff experience, they make up for in enthusiasm, heart, dedication and simple love of the game.

“The coaches are the nervous ones going into games,” YCS coach Brian Marrow said. “The kids are loose and carefree and always come ready to play.”

The fact that this is Shadyside’s 13th playoff appearance and second in five years is quite the afterthought. The Tigers also are the Division VI state runners-up.

“None of that stuff bothers the kids,” Marrow said. “It’s a different generation right now. They weren’t blown away by anything so far.”

What awaits, though, are the Tigers (8-3) that will be the trickiest team YCS has faced all year.

“We haven’t seen any Wing-T offense and that’s what they run out of,” defensive back Anthony Abeid said. “That package has been what we’ve been preparing for.”

A system that allows for ample use of fakes and misdirections, Shadyside’s Wing-T has featured 5-foot-6, 140-pound running back Brooks Ramsey behind a formidable offensive line. He’s closing in on 1,000 yards for the year and could surpass the mark with a big game against the Eagles. In its 46-8 win over rival Wellsville in the regional quarterfinals, Ramsey totaled 183 yards on 16 carries and a pair of rushing touchdowns. The Tigers jumped out to a 28-0 first half lead in that first round game.

“We’ll need to read our keys more,” linebacker Nick Rios said. “Just getting back down to the basics will help us the most to defend that.”

But basics to the Eagles may not be so basic to, well, most teams.

“Everybody just gets after it,” Rios said.

Their defense has been third in the area in pass defense allowing just 66.7 yards through the air. A reason for that could be the simple fact that it’s tough to find a passing lane against them. YCS has created over 20 turnovers this season, with Abeid accounting for seven of those through interceptions. He’s taken three to the house.

“The front seven is great at what they do,” said the senior, who also is the running back. “Us in the secondary are just confident to stay in the pass coverage so we don’t have to step off and make a lot of those hits.”

It’s a safe bet that the Tigers won’t try to throw deep against the Eagles, either. However, when they do pass, likely it will be a dump to the fullback, as is seen in most Wing-T offenses.

That guy for Shadyside is Alex Quinn.

The 6-foot-1, 167-pound junior serves as the lead blocker, receiver and fill in RB. He picked up 38 rushing yards in the win against Wellsville. Quarterback Chase Kinemond completed 3-of-4 passes for 66 yards. He has 452 passing yards on the year.

“One thing I’ve noticed about them is that run or pass, they’re fundamentally sound,” Marrow said.

Both squads had the opportunity to look at film of each other against a common opponent — Pittsburgh’s Imani Christian Academy. Shadyside defeated the Saints 30-7, while YCS halted their undefeated season in Week 5 with a 27-14 win.

When the Eagles and Tigers meet in New Philadelphia’s Woody Hayes Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m., it will be the second time in three seasons that they have squared off.

In Week 7 of the 2009 campaign, Youngstown Christian hosted Shadyside at Canfield and fell 43-14. The Eagles ended that season with a record of 6-4 while the Tigers were 6-6 after Grove City Christian knocked them out of the playoffs in the second round. They did pick up a win in the regional quarterfinals against Columbiana that year.