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Balanced Wellsville prepares for St. Paul
By TIM CLEVELAND
WELLSVILLE
Wellsville High football coach Rich Wright says his team has a very balanced offensive attack. Quarterback Jordan Sloan is a perfect example.
“I think he’s rushed for 800 yards and thrown for over 800 yards,” Wright said on Monday. “We’ve been pretty balanced with carries.
“He’s probably rushed for nine touchdowns and thrown for 10,” Wright said. “He’s been a big part of our offense. He’s a senior and a two-year starter.”
Sloan said he’s enjoyed being able to step up and be a leader for Wellsville.
“Our team is senior loaded,” he said. “Being chosen to lead this team, I take pride in that.”
After leading Wellsville (9-2) to a 39-21 victory on Saturday against Ashland Mapleton, Sloan and the third-seeded Tigers will seek to advance even deeper in the playoffs when they play second-seeded Norwalk St. Paul (10-1) in a Division VII Region 23 semifinal.
That game will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at Orrville Red Rider Stadium. The Flyers advanced with a 55-7 rout of Southington.
“Last week, he threw for 235 [yards] in our playoff game,” Wright said of Sloan. “He had huge games against Mineral Ridge and McDonald in Weeks 8 and 9.”
The Tigers defeated Mineral Ridge (20-10) and McDonald (31-21).
Sloan said a 42-0 victory over archrival Southern Local in Week 2 was a key moment as the Indians had beaten Wellsville the prior three seasons.
The last time the Tigers made the playoffs was 2011 when Sloan was a sophomore wide receiver. He said making it back as the team’s quarterback is the fulfillment of a long-time goal.
“It feels great,” he said. “I’ve wanted to play quarterback in the playoffs my whole life. To play at home in the first playoff game was special.”
If Wellsville hopes to advance to the regional final, it will be due to the leadership of Sloan and his fellow seniors.
“We have 14 seniors, which for a Division VII school is a lot of leaders,” Wright said. “Jordan gets that role thrown on him more than most as the quarterback.
“We’re going to need all 14 seniors’ leadership,” Wright said. “It’s a good test. [St. Paul] has a good program. We’re going to have to limit some of our mistakes. We’re happy to move on. I think if we play up to our ability, it should be a fun night.”
Sloan added that while Norwalk St. Paul will present a difficult challenge, he feels Wellsville can get to the Flyers.
“They seem pretty quick,” he said. “They have a lot of speed. We’ll look to take advantage of them up the middle.”