TODAY’S GAME
Who: West Liberty-Salem at Mechanicsburg, 7 p.m.
Where: Mechanicsburg High School, 60 High St., Mechanicsburg
Last five meetings:
2013: Mechanicsburg, 34-28 2 OT (D-VI regional final)
2013: Mechanicsburg, 32-22
2012: West Liberty-Salem, 42-19
2011: West Liberty-Salem, 54-6
2010: West Liberty-Salem, 24-0
Fifteen times since the start of the 2003 football season West Liberty-Salem has faced a two-game losing streak in the regular season.
And 15 times the Tigers have successfully avoided consecutive losses. The Tigers face No. 16 — and a surging Mechanicsburg Indians team — with plenty at stake tonight.
The Ohio Heritage Conference grudge match is close to a must win for West Liberty-Salem to stay in the OHC title chase and boost its chances for the Division VI, Region 22 postseason.
Both teams are 5-1 overall. Mechanicsburg is 3-0 in the OHC and tied with Greeneview for first. West Liberty-Salem is 2-1 after last week’s 21-14 loss to the Rams.
West Liberty-Salem is ranked No. 6 in the Region 22 computer points. Mechanicsburg is No. 7. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason.
One likely topic at practice this week was ball security. The Tigers had five second-half possessions against Greeneview. Four ended with turnovers. Two came inside the Rams’ 20-yard line. Overall, three different players fumbled and two interceptions were thrown.
As WLS coach Dan McGill puts it: “Unfortunately everyone decided to have an off night on the same night.”
“There’s no time in a season to sit back and feel sorry for yourself,” he added. “Our guys came out ready to go Monday because they’re playing Mechanicsburg. They know how much this game means and they’re excited to get out there and compete again.”
The last time the Tigers lost consecutive games was 2002 during a six-game losing streak. That’s a span of 118 games.
Senior linebacker Ben Burden led a defense that held Greeneview to 27 points below its scoring average. The Tigers face another challenge in a Mechanicsburg team averaging 40 points.
“(Ben’s) about as physical a kid as we’ve had there in a long time,”McGill said. “He does a nice job of finishing tackles when he makes contact. I’d say what separates him from other guys, Ben has a knack for accelerating through contact. He enjoys hitting. I think that’s part of his DNA as a player. Hopefully it continues to rub off on the other players.”
On offense, Tigers junior quarterback Brandon Upton and junior running back Trevor Anderson are pacing an offense that outscores opponents 40-15.
“I think last week was what we hoped was an anomaly,” McGill said of the miscues that also included some drive-stalling penalties. “Having five turnovers certainly limits your ability to score points. At the same time I thought last week was our best defensive effort. The guys played hard. Giving Greeneview all those extra possessions I thought the defense played pretty tough.”
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