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Western Reserve meets Shadyside in regional final
BERLIN CENTER
Getting to this point — the Division VI Region 21 final — was expected for both Shadyside and Western Reserve.
The Tigers have been regulars here in three of the past five years. In two of those seasons, 2006 and 2010, they landed in the state final.
Lauding in a season that’s been years in the making for the Blue Devils, they have performed admirably on both sides of the ball with an explosive offense and hard-hitting defense.
Midway through their respective games a week ago, both teams looked headed for a discouraging destination, rather than Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium in New Philadelphia.
Home.
Reserve (12-0) trailed Malvern 14-0 at halftime before rattling off 22 unanswered points to down the Hornets 29-20. Shadyside (9-3) was down by four entering the second half against Youngstown Christian. They weren’t just losing the game, the Tigers lost quarterback Chase Kinemond to a knee injury. Well, Shadyside would come back, winning 27-24 — Kinemond would not.
Replacing the junior who has thrown for 772 yards, while rushing for 547, was a 6-foot-4 freshman by the name of Austin Dorris. Dorris’s breakout performance spearheaded the comeback as he ran for three touchdowns and led a drive in the waning minutes against YCS to ensure a victory.
Kinemond’s status is unknown for tonight’s game.
“Obviously, you’d like to go up against the less-experienced guy,” Reserve coach Andy Hake said. “But, we have to be prepared for both of them. I know [Dorris] is very capable, so whoever we see is going to be a challenge.”
The QB switchups pose an added challenge for the Devils’ defense as the biggest comes from Shadyside’s running attack.
Junior RB Brooks Ramsey is a workhouse on the ground and the centerpiece to an offense that scores 27.6 points per game. Ramsey has totaled 1,149 yards and found the end zone eight times for the Tigers.
“They run a lot of I-formation, but I’m looking for them to mix it up,” Hake said. “They have a good system and a fundamentally sound offense.”
What Hake fears most is the Shadyside defense.
“We’re not going to be able to run off tackle anymore,” said the third-year coach. “We’re not going to be able to just power them up front.”
Reserve’s notoriously loaded backfield of RB Donnie Bolton (1,1921 yards), FB Tommy Marlowe and QB Jeff Clegg runs into a unit that allows just 16.1 points per game.
“I anticipate a physical, hard-nosed and classic game,” Hake said. “Shadyside has too much tradition and program toughness to go down easy.”