Regional Semifinal Playoff Preview: Bearcats to face undefeated Shadyside
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
After gaining their first playoff win in 11 seasons, the Paint Valley Bearcats are looking to double that total on Saturday night. This time in the Division VII, Region 25 Regional Semifinals, they will take on undefeated Shadyside.
The game, which is set to take place at 7 p.m. at Zanesville Maysville High School, will see the Bearcats face a Tigers team that is 10-0 overall (they didn't have a Week 10 game) who are coming off a very close win this past Saturday night against No. 8 seeded Danville (6-5) by a 27-24 score.
PV (8-3), on the other hand , defeated the Tuscarawas Central Catholic Saints (8-3) by a 38-7 score at PVHS in their first-round playoff opener.
Since that game, the Bearcats have been preparing for their Week 12 matchup – not on their home field, but on the field of the Chillicothe Cavaliers. The CHS field has turf, and they've allowed PV to prepare for their game on it for a few practices.
"We are very appreciative of Chillicothe in them letting us use their field to practice," PV head coach Pete Hollon told The Highland County Press. "They've been gracious hosts.
"As for preparing for this game, a lot of the practice is mental and getting used to the turf and atmosphere they will be playing in. Mental reps are very important right now, as we want to keep our legs fresh."
[[In-content Ad]]In a closer look at the Tigers, they defeated five teams with winning records, including two teams who have eight wins in '14 in a Week 2 win over Monroe Central by a 21-0 score and Toronto in Week 5 by a 33-6 final outcome.
The Tigers use a base 4-3 defense, with a Cover 2 look.
"They use their 4-3 defense base most of the time," Hollon said. "They like to put pressure on the offense with their ends and linebackers. (Shadyside) also like to use a Cover 2 shell defense, as it gets their safeties involved."
If you are looking for a comparison of a PV opponent this year to get a picture of what Shadyside likes to do on offense, think of Unioto.
"Their offense reminds me of Unioto the most," Hollon said. "Their QB is a great athlete. He's 6-5, 215 pounds and has committed to Indiana University as a tight end."
It will be easier said than done for PV to stay competitive against their undefeated opponent. To have an opportunity to win the game, PV must stop the rushing attack of the Tigers.
"Stop the run," Hollon said when asked what his team must do to win the game. "Without a doubt, we have to stop the run. If the front seven doesn't play well, it could be a long night.
"They have good size, but we've played against teams with their size. We'll have to play lights out on the front seven."
Shadyside is a perennial playoff team, finishing as state runners-up in 2010 and 2006, and have made the playoffs the past 10 seasons and 15 times total in their history.
In their postseason history, Shadyside is 28-15. In the past three seasons combined, the Tigers have a record of 32-2.
Compare that to the Bearcats, who have made the playoffs the past two seasons, but have been building for this moment since the 2012 season, as most of their current starters were freshmen at the time who were in the starting lineup.
In '12, the Bearcats were just percentage points away from qualifying to the postseason with a 6-3-1 record. Since then, PV has won 16 games with 8-3 records and two playoff appearances.
In their playoff history, PV is 6-8 overall, with this season being their ninth appearance in the state tournament.
But this is 2014, and the Tigers of Shadyside have played very well against their 10 opponents, scoring 343 points (34.3 points per game) and allowing just 77 points (7.7 points allowed per game), including four shutouts.
After looking at the film from the win this past Saturday night, Hollon said he was still pleased with how his team played, but there are still improvements that need to be made for this upcoming game.
"We have to block a little better," the 19-year PV head coach said. "I wasn't completely happy with our pass blocking … that was the biggest thing. Overall, I hope that game last week built up the confidence of the team.
"The kids are ready, and on Monday I was pleased to see when they came to practice, they were focused on the game plan for Shadyside."
As mentioned earlier, in their Week 11 win, the Bearcats played some of their best football of the season, but there were a few unsung players who did well, even if it didn't show up on the stat sheet.
"Chris Fellenstein on defense did a lot of the dirty work underneath to help with our turnovers," Hollon said. "On offense, Jacob Ott and Josh Krech (the two offensive tackles) played well. You can just tell they play football the Paint Valley way. They are undersized and strong and put in work in the weight room."
Now it is just getting to the Saturday game for the Bearcats.
"We are as healthy as we are going to be, and from now on, there are no easy games," Hollon said. "We have to be prepared to play four quarters and get off to a solid start.
"We have to keep ourselves in the game and slowly develop our game. We'll have to make the proper adjustments and play our style of football … and impose our will."
The game, which is set to take place at 7 p.m. at Zanesville Maysville High School, will see the Bearcats face a Tigers team that is 10-0 overall (they didn't have a Week 10 game) who are coming off a very close win this past Saturday night against No. 8 seeded Danville (6-5) by a 27-24 score.
PV (8-3), on the other hand , defeated the Tuscarawas Central Catholic Saints (8-3) by a 38-7 score at PVHS in their first-round playoff opener.
Since that game, the Bearcats have been preparing for their Week 12 matchup – not on their home field, but on the field of the Chillicothe Cavaliers. The CHS field has turf, and they've allowed PV to prepare for their game on it for a few practices.
"We are very appreciative of Chillicothe in them letting us use their field to practice," PV head coach Pete Hollon told The Highland County Press. "They've been gracious hosts.
"As for preparing for this game, a lot of the practice is mental and getting used to the turf and atmosphere they will be playing in. Mental reps are very important right now, as we want to keep our legs fresh."
[[In-content Ad]]In a closer look at the Tigers, they defeated five teams with winning records, including two teams who have eight wins in '14 in a Week 2 win over Monroe Central by a 21-0 score and Toronto in Week 5 by a 33-6 final outcome.
The Tigers use a base 4-3 defense, with a Cover 2 look.
"They use their 4-3 defense base most of the time," Hollon said. "They like to put pressure on the offense with their ends and linebackers. (Shadyside) also like to use a Cover 2 shell defense, as it gets their safeties involved."
If you are looking for a comparison of a PV opponent this year to get a picture of what Shadyside likes to do on offense, think of Unioto.
"Their offense reminds me of Unioto the most," Hollon said. "Their QB is a great athlete. He's 6-5, 215 pounds and has committed to Indiana University as a tight end."
It will be easier said than done for PV to stay competitive against their undefeated opponent. To have an opportunity to win the game, PV must stop the rushing attack of the Tigers.
"Stop the run," Hollon said when asked what his team must do to win the game. "Without a doubt, we have to stop the run. If the front seven doesn't play well, it could be a long night.
"They have good size, but we've played against teams with their size. We'll have to play lights out on the front seven."
Shadyside is a perennial playoff team, finishing as state runners-up in 2010 and 2006, and have made the playoffs the past 10 seasons and 15 times total in their history.
In their postseason history, Shadyside is 28-15. In the past three seasons combined, the Tigers have a record of 32-2.
Compare that to the Bearcats, who have made the playoffs the past two seasons, but have been building for this moment since the 2012 season, as most of their current starters were freshmen at the time who were in the starting lineup.
In '12, the Bearcats were just percentage points away from qualifying to the postseason with a 6-3-1 record. Since then, PV has won 16 games with 8-3 records and two playoff appearances.
In their playoff history, PV is 6-8 overall, with this season being their ninth appearance in the state tournament.
But this is 2014, and the Tigers of Shadyside have played very well against their 10 opponents, scoring 343 points (34.3 points per game) and allowing just 77 points (7.7 points allowed per game), including four shutouts.
After looking at the film from the win this past Saturday night, Hollon said he was still pleased with how his team played, but there are still improvements that need to be made for this upcoming game.
"We have to block a little better," the 19-year PV head coach said. "I wasn't completely happy with our pass blocking … that was the biggest thing. Overall, I hope that game last week built up the confidence of the team.
"The kids are ready, and on Monday I was pleased to see when they came to practice, they were focused on the game plan for Shadyside."
As mentioned earlier, in their Week 11 win, the Bearcats played some of their best football of the season, but there were a few unsung players who did well, even if it didn't show up on the stat sheet.
"Chris Fellenstein on defense did a lot of the dirty work underneath to help with our turnovers," Hollon said. "On offense, Jacob Ott and Josh Krech (the two offensive tackles) played well. You can just tell they play football the Paint Valley way. They are undersized and strong and put in work in the weight room."
Now it is just getting to the Saturday game for the Bearcats.
"We are as healthy as we are going to be, and from now on, there are no easy games," Hollon said. "We have to be prepared to play four quarters and get off to a solid start.
"We have to keep ourselves in the game and slowly develop our game. We'll have to make the proper adjustments and play our style of football … and impose our will."