By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

Although Western Reserve High football coach Andy Hake has tried to beef up his non-conference schedule in recent years, adding the likes of Columbiana, Malvern and South Range for this season, there’s nothing he could do about the last four weeks.

Since losing to unbeaten McDonald, 14-12, in Week 6, the Blue Devils haven’t faced a winning team.

“Yeah, we have to crank it up,” said Hake, whose team plays host to Toronto on Saturday night in the first round of the Division VII playoffs. “We know that. Our kids know that. It’s time to go.”

Western Reserve (9-1) has done just that in recent years, advancing to the state semifinals in 2011 and 2013 while losing those games by a combined five points.

The Blue Devils haven’t lost in the first round since 2010, when they fell to McDonald by a touchdown.

“I hope it [playoff experience] helps us a [heck] of a lot,” he said. “We’ve just got to play our best game and not mess around. In the playoffs, if you play bad, you’re gonna lose.”

On paper, Toronto (8-2) is no match for the Blue Devils. The Red Knights lost 24-7 in their opener to Wellsville, which got drubbed by Western Reserve 37-13 in Week 4. Toronto’s other loss was to Shadyside, 33-6, on Sept. 26 and the Red Knights haven’t played a winning team since. But they’ve taken care of business in the last five games, winning by a combined 235-38.

Offensively, Toronto runs a strange mix of wishbone and the spread — nobody in the Inter Tri-County League runs the wishbone and very few teams outside the ITCL run it, either — and it features a 4-4 on defense.

“They’re a young team but they’re a tough team,” Hake said. “They play hard.”

Western Reserve is pretty healthy, outside of senior running back Evan Nesbitt (torn meniscus), and will lean on quarterback John Clegg, who has thrown for 1,750 yards and 20 TDs, including a 10 for 10, 370-yard effort in last week’s 56-7 win over Southern.

“If he plays well, we’re gonna play real good,” Hake said.

If Western Reserve can survive the first two rounds, it will likely meet perennial power Norwalk St. Paul for the third time in six seasons. The Blue Devils rolled past the Flyers 22-2 last year, which was a huge change since 2009 when St. Paul routed Western Reserve 45-0.

That’s one sign of the program’s growth. Here’s another: From 1972-2005, the Blue Devils made the playoffs just once, but have since advanced eight times in the last nine years.

“We live for this stuff,” Hake said. “There’s not a whole lot to do out here in Berlin Center and the kids love football. It’s a real honor to coach at a public school with this kind of success. It’s a small school and I know it has its drawbacks but the kids love playing ball.”

And while Hake’s manic, frenzied, lose-his-voice-by-halftime style of coaching may raise a few eyebrows, it seems to be working in western Mahoning County.

“Some people just come to the game and say, ‘Oh, he’s crazy,’” Hake said. “They don’t see how I interact daily with the kids. Our kids play for us. Somebody might take it as me being nuts, but I’m just trying to coach hard and be good to the kids.

“I mean, hey, I’m alive. I’m living, you know? I’m going to be dead soon, but this is how I am.”