By Matthew Peaslee

mpeaslee@vindy.com

POLAND

Heads up.

Earbuds in.

Stomachs growling.

The Youngstown Christian football team sat in the locker room at Poland’s Dave Pavlansky Field for an extra hour after halftime due to a lightning delay. Already holding a 20-0 lead over Springfield, the Eagles were poised for a strong second half.

Antsy, but focused.

“Our kids were actually hungry, literally hungry, they were starving,” YCS coach Brian Marrow said. “They wanted to eat, but they turned that around and got hungry for the game to start again and they came out strong.”

The Eagles scored on their first three possessions after the extended break for a 40-3 rout of the Tigers.

“We never took our mind off the game,” running back Ryan Grier said. “We listened to music and always had our focus on getting back out and playing.”

YCS had lost by a combined 125-63 in the past four meetings with the Tigers. The closest game was 18-15, in 2008.

“They’re a good team,” Grier said. “Everyday we did extra stuff after practice like sprints and lifting.

“Our seniors took this to heart because we’ve been here for four years and we never beat this team. The coaches stressed that and we wanted to make more history on top of what we did last year.”

Grier had touchdown runs of three, 46 and 91 yards to finish with 160 yards on 14 carries.

“He’s a dynamic player,” quarterback Emmett Underwood said. “He can do anything. He’s one of the most talented players on this team.”

Though Marrow says that Underwood, himself, may have developed into a talented weapon.

The senior QB threw for 116 yards on 9-of-15 completions and a pair of TD passes. The first score, a 13-yard fade pass to Ryan Coyier, was done all on his own, Marrow said.

“He checked out of that, designed it up and executed perfectly,” the sixth year YCS coach said. “He’s turned into a leader.”

Marrow was out of town for the past few days as he attended the funeral of a relative. He missed the final walkthroughs and a pep rally at the school.

“They told me they loved me for the things that happened this week and made sure I didn’t worry,” Marrow said. “They lifted me up.”

Darian Townsend scored for the Eagles (2-0) on a 32-yard TD reception and Johnathon Staples added a 19-yard running score late in the third.

Chris Wells kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Springfield (0-2) score.

“This sees where we’re at,” Springfield coach Sean Guerriero said. “They were productive against us. We need to get back to the basics and keep on moving forward.”