BIG NIGHT — Big Red’s Brody Saccoccia and Lawson Lewis celebrated an early interception in last week’s win over Indian Valley and will look to celebrate some more tonight when Steubenville takes on Sheridan in the Region 15 championship game. – Andrew Grimm
NEW PHILADELPHIA — The preliminary rounds are in the books — now it is time for the main event.
No. 1 Steubenville (12-1) and number two Sheridan, also 12-1, will duke it out today inside Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium for the Division IV, Region 15 championship.
The opening kick for the third all-time meeting between the programs is set for 7 p.m. Big Red earned a 35-14 victory in the opening round of the 1994 playoffs while Sheridan collected a 22-18 in round two of the 2004 post-season.
The winner will advance to next week’s final four to face either Kettering Archbishop Alter or Cincinnati Wyoming. Those teams will decide the Region 16 championship tonight in Monroe.
The other D IV semifinal will match the Region 13 survivor (unbeaten Canton South faces Struthers) against the Region 14 champion (unbeaten Sandusky Perkins will look to knock off Cleveland Glenville, the defending D IV champion).
“Sheridan is just an all-around solid football team,” Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia said earlier this week. “The thing that stands out the most to me is they are a team.”
“They run it well and they pass it well. Their quarterback (Caden Sheridan) makes them go. If there is a big play to be made, he makes it. He gets excellent protection from his offensive line.
“Defensively, they do a really good job. They are very well-coached and just a solid, solid football team.”
Sheridan, a 5-10, 205-pound senior, has put together some impressive statistics. He has completed 101 of his 178 passes for 1,795 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions.
In addition, he is Sheridan’s second leading rusher with 670 yards on 134 carries and 15 scores.
Justin Munyan leads Sheridan’s game ground with 1,027 yards on 151 attempts. He has 17 rushing touchdowns.
Sheridan’s top target is senior A.J. Winders (5-6, 170). He has 45 receptions for 797 yards and eight touchdowns. Senior Bryson Ruff (5-10, 165) is next with 20 catches good for 462 yards and five scores.
Through 13 games, the Generals, who have won five straight since a Week 9 loss to Dresden Tri-Valley, have compiled 4,769 yards of offense (2,941 on the ground and 1,828 via the air). Defensively, Sheridan has surrendered 3,156 yards (1,270 rushing and 1,886 passing).
To reach the championship game, Sheridan disposed of Morgan (49-28), Gallia Academy (42-0) and Columbus Bishop Hartley (34-27).
“They are a very physical football team,” Saccoccia said. “Of course, if you are playing right now, you are physical. You don’t get to a regional championship if you are not a physical football team.”
In the win over Hartley, Sheridan was outgained 392-222 but the Generals had more than 150 yards in returns.
The Generals have good size up front led by junior tackle Jack Robinette (6-4, 300). He lines up next to senior Cole Davis (6-1, 250), who is also a force on defense. Senior Connor Backus, 6-2, 250) mans the other tackle spot for the Generals, who are coached by Paul Culver III. He has guided Sheridan since 2016. His father, Paul Culver Jr., is a Hall of Famer and grew up in Hopedale.
Big Red, the defending regional champion, earned the right to defend its title by holding off Indian Valley 42-35 in the semifinals. The Braves jumped out to an early 13-0 lead before Big Red reeled off 35 unanswered points and held on for its 12th consecutive win.
“We had a bad start and a bad finish, but we were great in between,” Saccoccia said about the Indian Valley game. “We have about 36 minutes of really, really good football. The first six or seven minutes and the last six or seven were not great football for us. Hopefully the middle part carries over to this week.”
After his first pass was picked off, Steubenville quarterback Aydan Manning bounced back in a big way to finish with 305 passing yards and four touchdowns, going 18 of 27. For the season, the first-year starter has completed 160 of his 243 passing attempts for 2,244 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has been intercepted six times.
Isaac Hill continues to lead Steubenville stable of receivers with 77 catches for 1,235 yards and 10 scores. Senior Savier Faulks has 1,201 rushing yards on 166 carries and has scored 20 times. Faulks also was a 1,000-yard rusher as a junior.
Big Red is averaging 189 yards rushing per game and 180 via its passing attack. The defense allows 103 rushing yards per outing and 155 via the air.
Junior safety Brody Saccoccia continues to lead Big Red in tackles with 131. Senior Peyton Gorby is the sack leader with eight. Senior Santonio Brown and Hill have seven each.
When asked about the keys to a Big Red victory tonight, Saccoccia said:
“We have to protect the ball, try to eliminate pre-snap penalties, play smart, physical football and be great tacklers.”
From a health standpoint, Saccoccia said his club is in pretty good shape.
“Going into Week 14, we’ll take our health,” he said. “So far, we have been pretty lucky. Hopefully, we will be at full strength for this game.”
Playoff notes:
≤ Sheridan is in the playoffs for the 24th time but this is the first appearance in the Division IV post-season for the Generals. They are reportedly heading back to Division III, Region 11 in 2024.
≤ The Generals are making their first appearance in the regional finals since 2018. They lost a slugfest to Bloom Carroll in the regional semifinals last year. Bloom went on to win the state championship.
≤ In the 2004 game, Sheridan jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Antonio Magnone came off the Steubenville bench for a banged-up Zack Collaros and rallied the Big Red. A controversial non-fumble calls in the fourth quarter went Sheridan’s way and the Generals held on for the 22-18 victory.
