HARDING SURGES AFTER STARTING SEASON 1-2

By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

WARREN

Steve Arnold knew it was coming.

Having grown up in Warren, having coached Warren sports programs for 30 years, the Warren Harding High football coach knew there were going to be grumblings throughout the city when the Raiders lost two of three games to start the season.

“There are always high expectations, there are sometimes unrealistic expectations placed upon this team,” Arnold said. “We all knew that the fan base was unhappy, we knew that after a 2-7 finish a year ago there was little room for error, and there would be critics calling for change.

“Look, I get it, I am my own worst critic and I wasn’t happy being 1-2. But we put together a plan way back in January and we were going to stick with it. I have great assistant coaches and an outstanding senior class who were all behind what we were doing. No one deviated from what we set out to do, how we set out to do it.”

In fact, following Harding’s 51-21 loss at Massillon on Sept. 7, the Raiders vowed to stay the course, and in the process they set the groundwork for the rest of the season.

“That Monday after we lost to Massillon, I remember gathering for practice and everyone talking about our goals and what we had to do the rest of the year to achieve those goals,” said senior tight end/defensive end Jared Zillinger. “No one panicked. No one felt like we needed to do anything differently, we just had to do things better.

“People say the [Week 4] win over Fitch was the turning point of our season. Actually it was that Monday and that week leading up to the Fitch game. We were laser-focused the entire week of practice. We really became unified when we were 1-2.”

Since that loss to Massillon, the Raiders have reeled off seven consecutive victories. They went to Fitch and logged a 49-14 win over the Falcons (8-2, Division I playoff qualifier). Wins also came against the likes of playoff qualifiers Boardman and Youngstown East.

The 8-2 finish for Harding helped secure a fourth-place finish in the Division II, region 5 computer rankings.

Tonight the Raiders will host Garfield Heights (10-0) in a regional quarterfinal game.

“This senior class, they experienced both ends of the spectrum,” Arnold said. “They went to the regional championship as sophomores, and experienced a very rough season as juniors. They were determined to not let that junior season define their careers.”

Harding entered the season with plenty of experience (28 seniors, seven returning starters on offense and defense) but also with some question marks. The biggest mystery revolved around the quarterback position. Guiding the offense would be sophomore quarterback Elijah Taylor.

“We knew Elijah had the talent, he had the skills and smarts to play the position,” Arnold said. “The thing is, you have no idea how a kid is going to react when he’s thrown into the Friday night lights atmosphere. It’s a huge jump from freshmen ball to varsity, and it can rattle some nerves.”

It Taylor’s first start. he completed 17 of 29 passes (two touchdowns, no interceptions) for 210 yards. The bulk of the yardage was compiled in the second half of Harding’s 28-14 loss to Canton McKinley. After finding themselves down 28-0 at halftime, the Raiders outplayed the Bulldogs the entire second half.

For the season, Taylor has completed 100 of 163 passes for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“Needless to say we are very pleased with the way Elijah has handled things,” Arnold said. “He has really grown as a player, he continues to grow and mature. He is a huge reason why we’re playing (tonight).

Arnold is also quick to note that Taylor’s development can be credited in large part to an experienced offensive line and running game.

“The best friend of an inexperienced quarterback is an experienced offensive line and a veteran running back,” Arnold said. “The weapons we have up front and in the backfield enabled us to focus on the run early on, it allowed us to take things slow in terms of developing the passing game.”

Senior running back Kay’Ron Adams certainly has taken plenty of the pressure away from Taylor and the rest of the offense. Adams has rushed for 1,564 yards (17 TDs) on 207 carries. Earlier this season, the Division I prospect eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark in career rushing yards.

“We’ve had some great tailbacks in Warren history, and Kay’Ron belongs right up there on that mountain with the best of them,” Arnold said. “He is definitely in that category.

“This kid is an unbelievable talent. And on top of that, he’s unselfish and he’s a team player in every sense. What a great leader. He changes everything on offense.”

Adams also put up his best numbers in some of Harding’s biggest games. Against Fitch, he rushed for 209 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for 201 yards and a pair of scores when Harding clinched a playoff spot against Mooney. A week later, he ran for 182 yards against an East team which entered the contest having won six of seven games.

“It’s all about the offensive line,” Adams said. “They create these huge holes. I just hit the secondary and then try to make something happen from there.”

Adams said his performance is also the result of “having a chip on my shoulder,” and never forgetting the feeling of walking off the field last year following the two-win season.

“Never again, it’s on our shirts, it’s been our motto since January,” Adams said. “We haven’t tried to forget about last year. We use it as a constant reminder this year. It has provided a lot of motivation.”

As for the offensive line, Arnold said it has performed “above and beyond our expectations.” The group includes Jarrett Lenney, Simahjay Warfield, Evan Mrgan, Brandon Peterson, Jaquahn McIntosh and Maurice Moorehead. Zillinger also provides plenty of experience at the tight end position.

“Our line is a very close bunch on and off the field,” Warfield said. “I think that’s what makes everything click on the field. We’re five guys up front all working as one.”

Warfield said the appreciation the line receives from the skilled position players and coaching staff also provides plenty of incentive to perform at a high level.

“At Warren G. Harding, the big boys up front get a lot of love from the running backs and quarterback,” Warfield said. “They are always taking care of us. The coaches make sure to let us know they are noticing our work. It’s a good feeling knowing all the hard work and all the lifting is paying off.

“Coach Arnold is always preaching to everyone, ‘Star in your role.’ It’s not about getting in the spotlight. It’s about doing whatever it takes to earn a win for the team.”

Tonight, Harding faces a Garfield Heights squad which rolled its way to its first undefeated regular season since 1977. The Bulldogs average 37.8 points per game.

Senior linebacker and Minnesota commit Donald Willis and fellow linebacker Marlon Jordan spearhead a defensive unit which has allowed just eight points per contest.

“This is a very dangerous club, lots of talent and very fundamentally sound at what they do,” Arnold said. “It’s a tough first round match-up. We’re going to have to be at the top of our game. We can’t afford any mistakes, because they will jump and take advantage of any opportunity presented to them.”

Zillinger insists that the Raiders will be a focused bunch, because “no one is ready for this season to end.”

“We’re out to win for our town, our fans and each other,” Zillinger said. “We keep thinking back to last year and how things just came to a crashing end. We’re not ready for that. We’ve had our sights set on week eleven and beyond.”

Just how far can this team go?

Arnold is quick to point out that the Warren G. Harding High football program of 2018 is not the same program as it was in 1990, when it won a Division I state title.

“Back then when we consolidated two schools, who ever thought we’d be Division II?” Arnold said. “The truth of the matter is, things are a lot different, in our city, in our high school and because of that, in our football program. In terms of numbers we don’t have the jobs, we don’t have the families, we don’t have the kids that we had two decades ago. And those days aren’t coming back. Consequently we don’t have the same program.

“We still have a ton of talent. The kids we have, they are great kids on and off the field. But some things change with a shrinking enrollment. You don’t have the depth you used to have. If our first unit isn’t out there, you notice a big drop-off. In the past, that wasn’t necessarily the case.”

But again, Arnold is quick to point out that like the fans, he too sets high expectations on himself, his coaches and players. Like Zillinger, he is not ready to pack away the equipment for another year.

“One week at a time, that’s as far as we are looking at,” Arnold said. “Our expectations this week are the same as they were in week one and week ten. Play to the best of our ability. That’s all any fan should ask out of a 16, 17-year-old athlete.

“But yeah, the coach in me, the competitor in me expects to win, I expect to be playing next week and beyond. We set the bar very high for ourselves, we always do.”

Tonight’s game kicks off at 7. The winner will play either Akron Hoban or Mayfield next Friday at a neutral location.