Union High football coach Stacy Robinson has a motto for his team: “Get in where you fit in.”

It’s an appropriate saying for a Scotties team that had 27 players on the opening day of camp and dresses just over 20 kids every Friday night.

It’s also proper for a team that has been dealing with injuries as of late, with quarterback Joe Gunn and cornerback Tre’Von Charles battling respective ailments.

That has opened the door for Randy DeJohn and Garrison Bell, who have fit in just fine in spot duty.

In a 20-13 nonconference win over Fort Cherry, DeJohn, taking over Gunn’s quarterback responsibilities for the second straight week, completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 181 yards and touchdown passes from 33, 22 and 45 yards.

Bell, who was mainly an offensive player before being inserted into the cornerback position in lieu of Charles’ injury, recorded three interceptions. As the top wide receiver, the senior also added 107 yards and two scores on five receptions.

While the win didn’t affect the Scotties’ conference record, losses from Riverside, Vincentian Academy and Rochester helped Union clinch its first WPIAL Class A playoff berth since 2012.

The performance earned the duo Co-Lawrence County Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

“We preach it day in and day out,” Robinson said. “Obviously they got opportunities to get in and shine and that’s exactly what they did. They rose to the occasion when we needed it.

“Maybe I’m old-fashioned or hard-headed, but it’s not that hard. We’re not running the Oregon offense, the basics are there and, if you’re any type of player, you should be able to get out in most skill positions and do all right. We train every day on catching and running, we even work with the quarterbacks on it. You never know where you’ll have to be so we don’t have any specialists here.”

The duo, who were thrown into their new roles in wins over Riverside and Fort Cherry, admitted that there was a learning curve. For DeJohn, it was getting past the pre-game nerves; for Bell, it was adjusting to a whole new position.

“The beginning of the Riverside game, I was pretty nervous,” DeJohn said. “But, after that, once I started to get into my groove, that all went away. My team really supported me throughout it.”

Bell added, “It’s still tough. I know all of the coverages, I just haven’t completely adapted to it, I haven’t remembered everything. But I did what I could. I don’t even know if I’ll be there when (Charles) comes back but, if I do, I’ll do whatever I can.”

That versatility has offered Union something it hasn’t had as it plays a numbers game: backups at key positions. With Charles expected to return this week from a head injury and Gunn listed as day-to-day with a shoulder injury, Robinson will have some personnel decisions to make in the next two weeks heading into the playoffs.

“It’s always nice to have options,” Robinson said. “We dress 22 or 23 on game nights, so every abled body is welcome. It helps us in every aspect of the game. It’s a good problem, finally, to have backups at a position.”

(Email: AKoob@ncnewsonline.com)