“They try to pound you a little bit and they some have outstanding athletes across the board on offense,” Douglass said. “They’re big and athletic across the board. On offense, there’s a lot we’re going to have to prepare for schematically. They do a lot of blitzing with guys and guys coming from all different areas.”
If there’s one thing the regular season prepared Springfield for, it is to win close games. The Wildcats (7-3) won six games by a touchdown or less, a big difference from 2015 when they lost four games by three points or less.
“I think that was the big difference from our team last year to this year,” Douglass said. “Instead of coming up on the short end of the stick, we learned from last year that it’s never over to the last second. We’ve been in those battles so that if we’re put in that situation this week, we’ll have the confidence that we can go out there and execute the game plan to the end and win.”
Springfield has relied on its rushing attack to produce most of its offense. Danny Davis leads the team with 1,200 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while Shane Ramey has 849 rushing yards and 11 scores. Quarterback Leonard Taylor has been effective in short yardage situations and has scored nine rushing touchdowns.
Ramey emerged in the second half of the season as a consistent running threat, which Douglass said has helped Springfield use Davis more at wide receiver. He leads the team with 470 receiving yards and five touchdowns and also has accumulated 486 yards on kickoff and punt returns.
The running game has benefited from an improved offensive line that has several players over 260 pounds, but it’s Springfield’s ability to gain yards after first contact that has impressed Pickerington Central head coach Jay Sharrett.
“We’re going to have to get them to break stride first, especially (Davis),” Sharrett said. “We’ve got to get as many shoulder pads in the area as possible. Not only is (Davis) fast, but he can cause defenders to miss tackles and he breaks tackles.”
Taylor, who has thrown for 623 yards, also plays defensive end. He is fifth on Springfield’s team with 40 tackles and has two interceptions and one fumble recovery.
“That kid is ridiculous, just a really good football player,” Sharrett said of Taylor. “When you’re a two-way player playing a lot of plays at this level (Division) in the state of Ohio, you’re an extremely good player. He definitely worries us.”
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Pickerington Central has also relied on its running attack to move the ball. Morgan Ellison leads the team with 1,239 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while quarterback Darius Coker has run for 404 yards and seven scores. Coker has also thrown for 921 yards and three touchdowns.
“We have a number of veteran players back from last year’s team and they’ve been in big ballgames before,” Sharrett said. “We’ve got a lot of energy and our guys know what it’s like to be in the playoffs. Obviously Coach Douglass is used to being in long playoff runs from when he was at Trotwood, so we know (Springfield) will be ready. You just take a deep breath, play hard and go as long in the playoffs as you can.”
Friday’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.. The winner will advance to a regional semifinal game against either Hilliard Bradley or Pickerington North at a site to be determined.
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• Mechanicsburg hosts Miami East Friday night in a regional quarterfinal game. The Indians (10-0) are the No. 3 seed in Division VI, Region 24 and have won every game by at least 30 points.
The Vikings (7-3) are the sixth seed. They lost to playoff qualifiers Covington (28-17) and Troy Christian (42-21) in the last four weeks of the season.
• West Liberty-Salem won its last four games to earn a playoff berth but will have to beat one of state’s best programs to keep the season going. The Tigers (6-4) will play at No. 1 seed Marion Local (9-1) in a Region 24 quarterfinal game Friday night.
The Flyers won state titles from 2011 to 2014 and were state runner-ups last year in Division VI. Quarterback Duane Leugers has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. Leugers has also ran for over 500 yards and 15 touchdowns, while Nate Moeller has rushed for over 700 yards and seven touchdowns. Marion Local hasn’t allowed a touchdown in its last five games.
The Tigers started the season 2-4 but earn lopsided wins in the last four weeks. Brandon Wolfe has led the Tigers’ rushing attack this year with 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns.
• Greeneview (8-2) travels to Carlisle on Saturday night for a Division V, Region 20 opener. The Indians lost their first two games but have won eight straight since.
Running backs Ridge Reed and Zayne Hart have lead Carlisle’s offense. Reed has rushed for 1,145 yards and 14 touchdowns while Hart has run for 768 rushing yards and touchdowns.
The Rams’ two losses were both to undefeated teams — Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Mechanicsburg. Quarterback Collin Matt has 1,293 total yards of offense and accounted for 25 touchdowns for Greeneview.
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