Ellwood to battle Freeport on playoff matchup
Written: Nov 03, 2011
  By Joe Simon
New Castle News
Neither team was supposed to be playing in Week 10.
Well, unless it was a crossover game.
In the eyes of most, the Ellwood City Lincoln and Freeport high school football teams came into this season in a rebuilding mode.
Both teams proved that theory wrong rather quickly, and at 7:30 p.m. Friday, they’ll square off in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA playoffs in Freeport.
Ellwood City watched 13 senior football players graduate last year, while the Yellowjackets saw 19 seniors leave, but both teams responded by reloading instead of starting over.
Freeport (6-1, 7-2), winners of the Allegheny Conference, enter the playoffs for a third straight year. Coach John Gaillot said he and his coaching staff weren’t sure what to expect from a young and vastly inexperienced group at the outset of the season, but they’ve came together over the season and built a chemisty he hasn’t seen from other teams.
“This is my fourth season at Freeport, and I’ve had great kids all three years prior to this, but this group, there’s not one kid who’s an individual,” he said. “They’re genuinely happy when a guy has a big game or a big play. So many different kids have stepped up and been a star in each game. In the past, we’ve had one, two maybe three individuals who could do that.
“When the regular season is over, it’s one and you’re done and that’s depressing to me because I don’t know if I’ll ever have a team like this again.”
The strength of Freeport is up front, where it boasts a large and powerful offensive and defensive line. The average size of the offensive line is 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, and it’s a group that’s really blossomed out of nowhere, Gaillot said.
“We had two returning starters on the line, but everyone else is new,” Gaillot said. “Some kids who came out were away from football for a few years. So we started out slow, and every game we got better. We’ve been together for about seven or eight games, because of injuries and other things, and you can see them getting better and better — just see them understanding the man next to them, how they combo block and stuff like that.”
The main concern for Ellwood City (5-3, 6-3) and coach Don Phillips isn’t necessarily the line — it’s the guy behind it. Freeport running back Damon Smith has rushed for 1,209 yards and 18 touchdowns on 211 attempts. Gaillot described him as a determined runner who “has a heart bigger than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Phillips added a few more complements.
“Their tailback is a very good runner,” Phillips said. “He’s always looking for the cutback, and the thing that’s really impressive is that he has really good balance. He’s able to stay on his feet after guys hit him. And he has good vision, you can tell because he has a knack for finding those seems in the middle of the field.”
Freeport quarterback Brendan Lynch has completed 34 of 58 passes (.586 percentage) for 578 yards, seven TDs and two interceptions. He’s also rushed for 289 yards and four touchdowns on 82 carries.
Ellwood has a stable of weapons, too. The Wolverines’ Kyle Crawford is their premier playmaker. Crawford has run for 971 yards on 134 carries and made eight receptions for 158 yards. He has 19 total touchdowns. Ellwood City has three other runners with at least 150 yards rushing and a touchdown, and that balance is what has Gaillot worried.
“(Crawford) is very quick and agile, and he has quite a few moves,” he said. “Their fullback (Beau Ewing) is a tough runner who’s hard to bring down. Both quarterbacks (Bryan Graebing and Julian Cox) can throw the ball, but the taller one (Cox) runs pretty well. There are so many different levels that we have to defend, that’s what’s been giving us problems.”
Each team made the postseason in 2010 (both losing to eventual champ South Fayette) and are hoping that experience will help tomorrow.
“I think it’s a big help,” Phillips said. “They experienced a playoff atmosphere, so we anticipate that being a plus. The kids understand the level of play it takes to be competitive in the playoffs.”
(Email: j_simon@ncnewsonline.com)
|