2011 ITCL Playoff Preview

Division 6 - Region 21 (Saturday November 19th - 7:00pm kickoff)

Shadyside Tigers (9-3) VS Western Reserve Blue Devils (12-0) @New Philadelphia Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium

The Blue Devils want to get there, the Tigers have been there.  Saturday night at Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium in New Philadelphia the championship game of Region 21 will take place with a chance for the winner to get one step closer to a state championship contest.      Last year the Tigers won Region 23 and beat Mogadore in a state semi-final game to advance to the 2010 state championship.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, they met a tremendous Delphos St. John's team that wiped them out 77-6.  This year the Tigers are a lot younger, but they know what it takes to reach those big games..      The Tigers have made 13 playoff appearances, and have accumilated a 26-12 record in the post-season.  They have also captured three Regional titles, mostly in Region 23.

The Tigers are led by Head Coach Mark Holenka, who is a 1971 graduate of Shadyside, and has been there for the past ten years, the past three years as Head Coach where he has a 26-11 record.  Previously he had coached at River High school where he was the defensive coordinator for 19 years.      Offensively the Tigers will utilize a pro-style attack with (#42) junior running back Brooks Ramsey (at right) leading the ground game.  Last week Ramsey rumbled for 180 yards in a 27-24 win over Youngstown Christian.  But maybe what was even more impressive with the Tigers win last week over the Eagles was the performance by (#1) freshman quarterback Austin Dorris.      Dorris replaced starting signal-caller Chase Kinemond, who suffered a knee injury, and Dorris would go on to rush for 44 yards, 3 touchdowns, and he passed for an additional 72 yards.  As of today Kinemond will sit out the game this Saturday.      When the Tigers do pass the ball, the main target is (#20) junior receiver Cody Hudson.  In the game against Youngstown Christian Hudson had two receptions for 55 yards.      On the year the Tigers have scored 332 points offensively (27+ per game), while they have surrendered 194 points (16+ per game).  In the playoffs they are averaging 36.5 points per game and giving up 15.      As is the case with any championship team, the Tigers defensive corps is solid.  They are led by three-year letterman (#54) senior defensive end Matt Hammond.  Others to watch on the defensive side are (#15) senior end-linebacker Mason Gulash, (#43) junior linebacker D.J. Shoemaker, (#24) junior safety Ian Baker, (#60) senior end Kyle Sheppard, and (#50) lineman Hunter McPherson.      The Tigers entered this year with only 1 returning starter on offense, and 4 on defense.  Each week the Tigers have had a different player step up and provide a big game to carry them on to victory.  They may not be flashy, but they are a fundamentaly sound team that has gotten more confident as the season has gone on.  Now it will be up to the Devils to see if they can strike midnight and end the Tigers Cinderella season.      The key that many fans will have to watch for is if the Devils linemen can take control of this game.  If they do, then Bolton and Clegg will have big games, and defensively the Devils may apply a lot of pressure on the freshman quarterback of the Tigers, forcing them into errors.

2011 Shadyside Tigers Roster

Photos coutesy:  Times Leader

Calpreps Prediction: Western Reserve  vs. Shadyside at New Philadelphia (OH), 7:00pm   [projection: Western Reserve 31-21]