Wilmington, Sharon teams match
perfect marks as rivalry resumes
Written: Oct 02, 2008
  By JOE SAGER
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
Pep rallies aren’t necessary. Neither are long-winded speeches or roaring chants.
Really, no extra motivation is needed this week for the Wilmington High football team.
After all, the Greyhounds are playing Sharon.
The rivalry is one of District 10’s best — filled with memorable moments throughout the years. The next edition takes place at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Wilmington.
“The players know what it’s about. Anybody who has been around the last 10 years knows that Sharon vs. Wilmington is the game,” Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said. “They are undefeated and we are, too. The players are fired up and excited.”
The ’Hounds, fifth in the Post-Gazette’s PIAA Class AA rankings, have dominated the series of late during Sharon’s rebuilding phase. They have won the last five meetings — including playoffs — dating back to a 13-12 road loss in 2003. Wilmington beat Sharon twice last season, once in the regular season and again in the D-10 semifinals.
“This is my fifth year as head coach at Sharon and we’ve had a couple good ones in that time,” Sharon coach Bob Fromm said. “Wilmington has gotten the better of the rivalry recently. But we’re working hard to get the program back to where it should be.”
The Tigers and ’Hounds are 5-0 and tied atop the D-10 Region 3 standings at 3-0, which means the stakes are high for their showdown.
“When it’s all said and done, there will only be one,” Fromm said. “For us, we want to play well in a big game. That’s how we are approaching it.”
Despite Wilmington’s success against Sharon, Verrelli isn’t taking anything for granted.
“They are a good football team,” he said of Sharon. “They have a great quarterback who runs and can throw. They have good speed and good receivers.
“They seem to be back to the old style of that Sharon tradition. We had some great games with Sharon and it seems like this’ll be a continuation.”
Quarterback Todd Rearick directs Sharon’s spread attack. He has thrown for 561 yards and eight TDs and scrambled for 265 yards and three more scores.
“They are a shotgun, spread-you-out team on just about every play... which obviously makes it difficult to defend everybody,” Verrelli said. “They have good speed and excellent receivers. Defensively, it’ll be a challenge covering all the things they can do.”
Wilmington’s offense is pretty effective as well. The ’Hounds are averaging 41.4 points per game and quarterback Shane Wagner is second in Lawrence County passing with 613 yards. Matt Wagner, Shane’s cousin, is second in the county in receiving with 18 catches for 244 yards. Carson Sharbaugh and Dallas Hartman are other productive targets.
On the ground, Derrick Burns (415 yards) and Sutton Whiting (227) are good options for Wilmington. Yet, the ’Hounds find themselves attacking through the air with more frequency than in past seasons.
“Shane Wagner has a great arm. He’s a good quarterback and we are very fortunate to have several excellent receivers,” Verrelli said. “Our running backs can catch as well. We have some good running backs — a great running game. We’re just trying to take advantage of all the personnel we have; it makes us more difficult to defend.”
The Tigers hope to gain an edge on special teams with their speed.
“We’re going to have to withstand the emotions early and make it through the first quarter,” Fromm said. “Special teams-wise, we’re going to have to win that battle.
“In games like this, you have to make at least one big play on special teams, especially on the road to make the momentum turn in your favor. Something bad will happen to us at some point and it will be a matter of how we deal with it. We’ve done a pretty good job with that so far.”
The ’Hounds are aware of the importance of special teams.
“Special teams are always a big part of the game,” Verrelli said. “It certainly will be a big factor this week.”
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