DISTRICT 10 AA CHAMPIONSHIP

Wearing a sweatshirt with the word "DREAM'' blazing in orange-stitched letters across the front, Sharon High head football coach Jim Wildman perhaps didn't have to say a word after Thursday night's practice about his team's looming District 10 Class AA championship game against Girard.

The shirt and his demeanor said it all.

When the Tigers take the field at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Erie's Veterans Stadium, they will be trying to fulfill the next step in making that dream a reality -- to not only claim a third consecutive D-10 AA crown, but also to take a stab at the state championship in Hershey.

Wildman said his team, which this week ascended to the top of the AP's state AA rankings after previous No. 1 Mt. Carmel lost, has good reason to dream big.

"If you don't dare to dream, you're not going to get anything done," he said. "Our goals haven't changed. The set of goals that is in our hallway back there hasn't changed since they started having the state playoffs."

For the moment, the big-play minded Tigers (9-1) that boast the area's top scoring offense (44.4 points per game) are bent on becoming the first team -- regardless of sport -- in Sharon history to claim three straight district titles.

"That's what we're dreaming about right now," said Wildman (196-73-6), adding that Thursday night's practice was no different than any other Tigers' practice.

"I don't think your approach changes too much," he said. "I think if your preparation changes, the kids begin to have too many questions."

There certainly aren't many questions about the Girard Yellow Jackets (9-1), who ride the rushing attack of senior taiback Adam Podufal (1,386 yards on 198 carries for seven TDs) and fullback Doug Carson (105 carries for 539 yards and seven TDs).

"They're a fundamentally sound team and a well-coached team," Wildman said. "(Head coach) Mina George and I go back into the '80s, when he was at (Cathedral) Prep and I was still here."

Bolstering Girard's running game is junior quarterback Eric Weidler, who completed 22-of-55 passes through 10 games for 439 yards, five TDs and a pair of picks.

Weidler has a pair of favorite receivers the Tigers' secondary will have to watch in senior tight end Josh Maher (team-high nine receptions for 152 yards, but just a single TD) and junior split end D.J. Belmondo (four catches, 116 yards, 29 yards/catch).

On paper, that doesn't appear to stack up well with Sharon's Division I caliber offensive talent, led by the legs of tailback Carmone Parchman, whose 1,531 yards (153.1 yards/game) and 29 TDs rank him second and third, respectively, in the region.

Quarterback Mike Schneider has surpassed the 1,000-yard plateau (1,189) while completing 66 of 115 passes for 14 TDs.

The Tigers average 280.7 yards per game in total offense.

Flanking Schneider is a pair of superstar split ends in Marlin Jackson (Michigan) and Terrance Phillips (Penn State). Phillips has 28 receptions for 483 yards -- fourth-best in the area -- while Jackson has pulled in 23 passes for 488 yards (21.2 yards/catch).

According to Wildman, no team makes the D-10 AA title game by accident, and the Tigers will be ready for the Yellow Jackets, regardless of the difference in numbers.

"Anybody that's playing this time of year is obviously a pretty good football team. We've just got to try and stop what they do best and try to exploit the things you can exploit."

Sharon's defense has continued to tighten up a little more each week, and the Tigers boast the second-ranked team defense (6.5 ppg. allowed) and scoring defense (150.9 yards/game).

The success of the Yellow Jackets' defense has centered around the trio of linebackers Joe Yuhas and Maher, and senior nose guard Bill Jasper, which has combined for 221 tackles. Maher, meanwhile, led the team with five sacks, while Carson and Jasper each accounted for two.

Wildman said he stressed the very same things on both sides of the ball this week as he did the first week of summer camp.

"The things that you do on Aug. 14 are the things that you're going on Nov. 9 -- you're practicing blocking, you're practicing tackling, catching, throwing and reading. Those things never change."

According to fifth-year Girard coach George, a longtime friend and coaching rival of Wildman's, the Yellow Jackets also will try to change as little as possible tonight.

"I think the biggest thing we do well is stay in our game," George said. "The amount of talent (the Tigers) have, especially at the skill positions, we can't get out of what we're doing. We won't try any gimmick defenses or anything like that. For us to change everything to try to make us better just wouldn't work."

George said his coaching staff is well aware of both Parchman's dominance, and the Tigers' twosome of big-play receivers.

"Our biggest goal is not to give up the big play," he said. "We cannot give Sharon the chance to run up 65 yards in one play."

On offense, George characterized his team as a basic running outfit. He said his squad will look for opportunities to pass only when Sharon loads the box.

"We're going to try to control the tempo and be patient," George said. "We don't want to get carried no matter what."

Notes: The Yellow Jackets have a deep rushing attack at their disposal, which was also boosted by 252 yards on the ground and three rushing TDs from Weidler. Junior tailback Yuhas chipped in 198 more yards in 10 games. ... the Jackets rolled up 2,701 of their 3,089 total yards on the ground, compared with the 2,018 yards the Tigers managed on the rush. ... Girard senior Josh Olesanik, a starting linebacker, will miss the game due to a concussion.

Collectively, Greenville's Bob Stone and Wilmington's Terry Verrelli have been coaching scholastic varsity football for almost half-a-century and have accumulated approximately 350 victories. But when their respective teams collide Saturday evening in Erie for District 10's Class AAA crown, monumental replaces the merely mundane.

"You have to understand,'' the normally understated Stone succinctly summarized. "This isn't just another football game -- this is the playoffs.''

Greenville (9-0), the Northwest Conference champion, will be bidding for its fifth D-10 title since 1993, while Wilmington (9-1), the Mercer County Athletic Conference kingpin, has a half-dozen title tilt appearances and four championships on its resume since leaving the WPIAL.

"It's still always exciting,'' admitted the veteran Verrelli (152-82-3), who has guided his Greyhounds back to Veterans Memorial Stadium in spite of electing to move up in classification to AAA. Last year, Wilmington fell to Sharon, 13-6, in the district's AA finale.

Thus far this season, the two teams are among the area's most prolific, offensively, and are equally as stingy defensively.

Greenville's ground game has amassed an average of 257 yards rushing per game and 5.8 yards/play, and the Trojans have outgained opponents by an aggregate margin of 3,425-1,372 and outscored them, 41.6 to 7.1 Defensively, foes are averaging only 2.9 yards/carry and completing only 38 percent of passing attempts against defensive coordinator Gary Hull's schemes.

Although returning only a scant starter from last year, Wilmington is posting nightly norms of 298.5 total yards and 32.6 points, while "The Hounds Hammer" defense has yielded an area-best average of only 133.5 yards and 6.2 ppg.

After seven straight season-opening successes, Wilmington's lone blemish occurred in a 16-0 setback at Sharon in which two Tigers' plays proved pivotal. The Greyhounds limited Sharon to 194 yards; however, the Greyhounds generated only 115 (64 rushing, 51 passing).

"That's where we're a little bit light,'' Verrelli, whose recent vintage offenses have featured some of the area's best athletic artistry. "When you get into big games, you definitely have to have big-play people.''

Wilmington's wing-T offense has featured a big-play penchant in the persons of Brandon Whiting (1,033 yards rushing, 23 touchdowns) and Jonathan Hall (679, 8), and wide-out Matt Krawchyk (18 catches, 344 yards, 19.1 yards/catch), while quarterback Matt Coad (33 of 76, 601 yards, 5 TDs) has been an adequate passer and running threat.

Erik Adams, the latest in a long lone of talented Trojans' tailbacks, has rushed for 1,272 yards (7.2 yards carry, 141.3 yards/game) and two-dozen TDs, while offensive coordinator Brian Herrick has developed a complementary passing game in quarterback Sammy Young (64 of 100, 1,283 yards, 15 TDs) and wide-out Gio Vendemia (40 receptions, 855 yards, 21.4 yards/catch).

"Greenville has big-play potential,'' Verrelli said. "This might be the best (Greenville team) I've seen. They have a great defense, a great quarterback, a great receiver, and this is probably the biggest Greenville team I've seen.''

Regarding Wilmington, Stone (192-44-6) countered, "They have very capable backs, capable receivers and, as always, they play good defense. Offensively, they just don't make a lot of mistakes.''

According to Stone, "intensity, focus and preparation'' are keys, and elaborating, "Everybody always says the same thing and it sounds stupid, but the team that makes the fewest mistakes has the best chance of winning the football game.''

"Field position's definitely the key to the game,'' Verrelli observed. "I don't think it's an oversimplification: We've got to be able to move the football. Greenville's tough, and when they're in your territory, they're extra-special tough.''

The teams have been meeting in mid-August scrimmages for years and -- before scheduling conflicts precluded it -- met during each of the last two regular seasons, with Greenville winning 14-0 in '98 and 35-14 a year ago. However Stone sees no relevance to that rivalry because of myriad personnel changes at the scholastic level. He is more concerned with how focused this team is, especially after facing a 10-7 halftime deficit due to two costly turnovers in last week's semifinal win over Harbor Creek.

"It's not a knock on them -- they're just kids and you never know what's going on in their minds -- but I've never been completely comfortable trying to guess a group's emotional state,'' Stone said. "Our goals have always been the same: To be respectable, win the conference, go undefeated in the regular season, then win District 10 and see how far we can go in the (state playoffs).''

"This has been a pleasant surprise, for sure,'' Verrelli admitted regarding his Greyhounds' gaudy numbers. "Having only one kid back from the starting lineup, I don't know if any coach could have predicted this, to be in the District 10 championship game.''

Expectations are a funny thing. Depending on which side the expectation coin lands is what often is perceived as the difference between success and failure. Achieve beyond expectations and you're a success; fall below expectations and you might be considered a failure.

That could be the case, perhaps, with Saturday's 1 p.m. District 10 Class A championship game between Mercer County Athletic Conference arch-rivals Kennedy Christian and Sharpsville at Erie's Veterans Stadium. Expectations are high for the MCAC-champion Golden Eagles (9-1), who enter the game as a favorite following in the footsteps of their 31-10 victory over the Blue Devils (7-2) in Week No. 7.

"Until we beat Sharpsville for the District 10 championship, our expectations haven't been filled," said Kennedy's John Turco, who will be coaching in his third D-10 title game. "This team is where I expected them to be."

Coach Paul Piccirilli wouldn't say the same, however, for his Blue Devils, who lost a slew of starters from their District 10 championship team a year ago and returned only four seniors this season.

"Our goal this year -- and we knew Kennedy was going to be awfully tough -- was just to reach the playoffs," said Piccirilli, who has his squad in a fifth consecutive D-10 title game. "Even being here is a great accomplishment for us. It's something the kids had to work for and they attained it. We've exceeded our expectations this year. ... The talk around was we were going to be under .500, so it's a great feeling to be in this position, to be 7-2 and with a chance to win the District 10 title."

Despite the high expectations, Turco also was well aware that with such a diverse group of first-year players coming in, those expectations wouldn't automically equate to success.

It showed early on as the Golden Eagles dropped their only contest of the season, 25-0, at Ohio Division III playoff qualifier Hubbard in their third game.

From then on, however, Kennedy has played superbly, reeling off seven consecutive victories by an average margin of 39-13, including last week's 33-14 win over Linesville in the D-10 semifinals.

Leading the way has been halfback Justin George (1,416 yards and 31 touchdowns), who runs behind an offensive line that averages 234 pounds across the front.

By comparison, Sharpsville features only one player -- 270-pound lineman Blase Iorio -- even close in size and only two starters, including 215-pound Ryan Kudelko, above the 200-pound plateau.

A stable of other backs, including Brian French, Dan Harris and Phil Doyle -- who just returned two weeks ago from a long injury layoff -- also provide support to Kennedy's offense, as do quarterback Ryan Squatrito (34 of 87, 516 yards) and wideout Nick George (14 catches, 283 yards).

"Certainly, team chemistry is a factor, but our team chemistry is good," Turco said. "But the situation is nothing new. There is no city named 'Kennedy Christian.' Our kids have to come from somewhere. This particular group of kids is close-knit and they all seem to be on the same page. And they're clicking on all cylinders."

As are the Blue Devils, winners of seven of eight since a season-opening loss to Western Beaver of the WPIAL's Big 8, including a convincing 41-16 defeat of French Creek champion Union City in the district semis.

Tailback Ron Haywood returned with a vengeance from a couple-week layoff due to a concussion, piling up 204 yards on 24 carries against Union City to push his season total to 625 yards on 103 carries. Eric Major and quarterback Bill Stiger (330 yards rushing, 428 passing) also lend offensive support, as does wide-out Brandon Pavone (15 catches, 428 yards).

The Blue Devils' secret weapon just might be their kicker, sophomore Ray Rotell, who leads the team in scoring with 51 points, including an area-best five field goals. He features one of the strongest kicking legs in the region.

Rotell is just one of 19 underclassmen that can be found in 24 starting positions (including kickers). The fact Sharpsville finds itself in the championship game, however, would seem to indicate that those underclassmen have been able to overcome that inexperience.

"The unknown was that very few people had game experience," Piccirilli said. "But as the year went on, our sophomores grew up and our juniors grew up. Now we feel like we have 19 or 20 seniors. We had talent and we played a tough schedule. And to beat some of those teams, the kids matured faster than they might have. And the coaches have done a super job to get the kids to the point where they're at now."

Which is playing their arch-rival for a second time.

"It looks like they've struggled (lately), but what people don't understand is those teams are selling out to beat Kennedy," Piccirilli said. "But they won't be down against us. As soon as you put Sharpsville in front of them, they're going to be up."

Turco knows that quite well from the other side. Two years ago, the Golden Eagles came into a D-10 title matchup with Sharpsville as a heavy underdog, especially after having fallen 21-14 to the Blue Devils during the regular season.

However Kennedy pulled the upset, ousting the defending state champions from the playoffs, 6-3, and ending Sharpsville's long unbeaten streak. This week, he has imparted that lesson on his team, which now finds itself in a virtual reversal of roles.

"Yes, we have," said Turco, regarding that history lesson. "Sharpsville is a dangerous team. They are young, but they are multi-talented. Their offense is one of the best offenses in single-A. We look at how they handled the top team in the French Creek and they were operating on all cylinders.

"Watching the tapes, that team could very easily have been undefeated this year. We have all the respect in the world for Sharpsville and what they have done. They have taken the underdog role, but that program never seems to go down."

And neither does Kennedy, which is enjoying its most successful year, record-wise, so far under Turco.

"That's just a tribute to the great kids we have," Turco said. "We don't do anything special. Our offense and defense are not hard to figure out. If you have good kids and they execute, they can take you a lot of places.

"They're great kids and they get the job done."

Some believe that it's difficult to beat a good team twice in the same season. But everyone knows it's tougher when that "good team" may be on the verge of becoming a great team.

Such is the case when the Farrell High Steelers take on Monaca in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals tonight at Blackhawk High School stadium in Beaver Falls.

Monaca defeated Farrell, 21-0, at Anthony Paulekas Stadium in the season's fourth week. But this is a much different Steelers team than the Indians first met.

"We had a really young team going into this season," said veteran Farrell coach Lou Falconi. "And a lot of the older kids didn't have a lot of experience. We were nowhere near where we are now.

"The kids are positive; they want to play this game. Not so much because of revenge, but they feel they can beat Monaca. The nice thing is we coaches don't have to preach to them ... The kids are really pumped. And maybe the fact that they beat us will work on (the Indians') minds."

The Steelers have had some ups and downs, as you would expect with an inexperienced club. The ups included a big win over Rochester -- a team that handed Monaca (9-1) its lone loss -- and senior running back Kennard Davis set a school single-game rushing record with 327 yards on only nine carries against Neshannock. The downs include the shutout against Monaca and a heart-breaking overtime loss to Western Beaver, which rallied from a 21-12 deficit in the game's final couple minutes to send it into overtime.

But the Steelers had a major lift in last weekend's playoff opener when they defeated highly-touted host Riverview, 34-16.

"That was a major win," Falconi said. "The kids have more confidence and that's what they lacked early in the year. In the loss to Monaca, we got nothing out of Kennard. When he had that big night against Neshannock, he woke up to the fact that he can run fast.

"The coaches have been working hard for this. This staff has put in a lot of hours and a ton of work and that's what pays off," Falconi added.

The Steelers also have something else going for them against Monaca.

"We've never lost to them in the playoffs," said Falconi.

While the playoff clashes haven't been many, they have been meaningful. Farrell defeated the Indians, 21-14, in 1986 at Monaca when it was ranked No. 1 in the state. The Steelers went on to win the WPIAL championship and would have been a favorite to win a state crown if there had been state playoffs at that time.

In 1988, Monaca was rated No. 1 in the WPIAL when the Indians were upset by a very young Farrell squad, 14-12, in the WPIAL semis. The Steelers lost the following week in the WPIAL finals to Wilmington, 10-7.

"This team reminds me of that '88 team," said Falconi. "We were young then, too. Monaca had one of their best teams ever."

There's something else this year's Steelers have in common with that club -- big-play capability.

"I saw that Monaca coach Mark Lyons pointed out in the Post-Gazette that in the last four games we'd scored 14 touchdowns of 40 yards or more," said Falconi. "I hadn't thought about that. We had a kick return and a long fumble return, but we had 12 offensive plays for touchdowns. That's something we didn't have early in the year. We needed somebody to hit a home run."

Davis is one of those home-run hitters, but another workhorse in the backfield is Alan Claiborne, a strong, punishing runner who can also turn on the speed. The other running back is Justin Odem, while Petey Craig guides the offense from the quarterback slot. Claiborne and Odem are sophomores, while Craig is a junior, which leads to Falconi calling them his "puppy backfield." Key receiver for Craig is tight end Marcellino Manilla.

Defensively, Farrell lines up in the "50," relying more on quickness than power as in some past years.

"What's nice is that we have seven kids who play defense who are not on the offense," said Falconi. "I don't think we've ever had that. That's a big plus."

Farrell is pretty healthy, although the Steelers are a "little nicked up," according to Falconi. But Monaca is in worse shape. In the first meeting with Farrell, Monaca's Joel McDonald rushed for 236 yards. But McDonald is out for the season with an injury. The Indians' best lineman Josh Antinopolos, who dominated Farrell up front, is playing on an injured leg.

But Monaca still has a wealth of talent. Eric McPhilomy has picked up the slack from McDonald's loss and has rushed for more than 100 yards in the last six games.

"We're going to have to score three times to beat them," said Falconi. "But I've been through a lot in 20 years of coaching and I feel pretty confident about this game. If we beat them, the odds will start turning our way.

"But as long as we battle and do everything we can to win, I'll be happy. It's a plus to win, but it's icing on the cake just being in the playoffs."

Both Hubbard and Medina Highland are traveling uncharted territory heading into Saturday's Ohio Division III second-round playoff game at Ravenna High School.

Neither team had ever won a playoff game until last week, and Medina Highland is in the playoffs for the first time ever, while Hubbard is making its sophomore run.

Hubbard coach Jeff Bayuk is optimistic. His Eagles are healthy and they have tasted success in the postseason.

"Medina's aggressive on both sides of the ball, but they're not as big as (first-round victim) Kenston," said Bayuk.

Sixth-year Hornets head coach John Hopkins admitted Hubbard is probably the largest team they have had to face to date.

"They have a good tailback (Anthony Smith), and they are very sound defensively," said Hopkins. "We'll try to keep them off balance with a mix of the run and the pass."

Medina Highlands posted its first winning season since 1979. Last week, the Hornets downed perennial Ohio powerhouse Mentor Lake Catholic 29-28 in double-overtime.

Both play a similar style of offense, featuring a tough running game. Medina runs a wing-T offense and a 4-4 base defense. Although the Hornets are the smallest school in their league, according to Hopkins, they have faced two playoff teams and done well against both, losing to Division II Greene, 21-14, but beating Division III Copley, 30-24.

Hubbard reached the Division III regional semifinals for the first time by virtue of a 10-7 win over Kenston.

"It's satisfying to get past the first round against a good team," Bayuk said. "And it's a step in the right direction for our team."

Bayuk says he might have a couple of wrinkles added to his basic game plan, but won't change his offensive or defensive sets drastically.

Leading the Hubbard offense will be Smith (1,361 yards on 181 carries, 17 TDs), while the defense will be spearheaded by leading tackler Ron DeJulio, an inside linebacker who has 66 solo tackles, 36 assists, four quarterback sacks and a dozen tackles for losses.

Hopkins said,

"One of our goals was to post a winning season, and the other was to make it to the state playoffs," Hopkins said of his Hornets, who are led by Adam Snook (130 carries, 780 yards, 10 TDs) and Mike Kudla (111 tackles).

Notes: The Eagles' captains are Mike Rexroad, Steve Pompili and DeJulio. ... The winner of this game will play the winner of the Akron-Hoban/Copley game in the state quarterfinals.