Special Season"
East Palestine - Entering the 2009 season, the Bulldogs of East Palestine will be one of the favored teams in the ITCL Upper tier. And Shane Peterson is one of the primary reasons following a 1,000+ yard rushing and passing performance in 2008. "It's nice to have some support from the community regarding the upcoming season. I feel like our team is capable of something special," Peterson would remark about the upcoming campaign.
Shane is one of 18 seniors returning to the Bulldog lineup in 2009, and with that lies the leadership, and pressure to succeed. "The senior class is definitely the group to set the example for our team. We take pride in working hard in the weight room and out on the practice field, and of course there's a certain amount of pressure we place on ourselves. But we'll give it all we can and see where it takes us."
Peterson started one game in his sophmore year, and nine last year (which makes his 1,000+ yards rushing and passing that much more impressive), missing one game due to an injury. With that, head coach Jeff Sharkey should have tremendous confidence in his signal-caller, but probably not to the effect of overhauling the offense for him. As Peterson would comment, "As a senior, coach is going to give me a little more freedom to make on-the-field calls, but I think we'll stick to what is reliable and efficient on offense as opposed to trying to add too many new wrinkles." He would go on to add, "I'd say that our offensive scheme fits very well with our personnel, but my surrounding teammates are without a doubt the reason I have had individual success. Our line was very good last year, and will be full of seniors this year, and even more improved. Not to mention our talented receiving core and running backs."
Shane is often found with a big smile on his face after a game, especially after a win, but what does he enjoy about playing football for the Bulldogs? "To me, Friday nights wouldn't be the same without all my closest friends out there with me. They keep me motivated and allow me to enjoy it much more." East Palestine fans may enjoy a lot of Friday nights this fall too.
By Tom Burton
Berlin Center - There is a lot to know about Shane Ewing on and off the field. He is an honors student in the classroom, an all-state quarterback on the field, and a kid with his mind set on goals after his all important senior season. Recently I had a chat with Shane regarding this upcoming season, and I also threw out some tough questions for him. He stepped up to the plate and answered every answer with the class of someone well beyond his youth.
I started the interview with a simple question of goals for the upcoming season. He responded with quick and short answers. The first goal of his is to go 10-0 throughout the regular season with a defensive
mind-set rather than the normal Western Reserve offensive mentality. His second goal was focusing on not just reaching the state playoffs but advancing deep into the tournament.
Although it may have been a tough question, I decided to ask about the coaching change from Coach Kopachy to Coach Hake and he responded with good insight. He responded by saying that sometimes change is for the best and that with Coach Hake, a new mentality has been installed. They are picking up were they left off last season and are looking forward
to moving to the future.
Shane also realizes that even though he recieved all-state honors last season that there are several areas of his game that he wants to improve on. He wants to be a more complete football players and to be the best player on the field at all times.
I finished the interview with the question of "desribe yourself as a player in three words or less." He came up with, "competitive, gutsy, with a little bit of luck". He may have went over the word limitation but the answer was Shane Ewing all the way.
Shane is looking forward to this upcoming season and there is no doubt in my mind that Shane (now a 3rd-year starter) is focused towards making this his best season yet.
