After 14 games, numerous practices and countless collisions, players from both Clinton-Massie and Steubenville are far from 100 percent in terms of health.
Clinton-Massie head coach Dan McSurley has lamented the health – or lack of same – of his squad for the past several games. Specifically, Clinton-Massie running backs and offensive linemen are showing some signs of wear and tear.
“We have injuries,” he said. “And when you take kids who have never touched the ball before and now you are asking them to go both ways, it’s hard. We’ve battled through it. We’ve grinded it out. We’ve just stepped it up.”
With Saturday’s Div. IV state championship game looming, McSurley knows the opponent will not be easy on the Falcons. Not just from a talent standpoint but in terms of style as well. Steubenville will not try to dance around with Clinton-Massie.
“It’s going to be physical; it’s not going to be finesse,” said McSurley. “We’re not going to be intimidated. We know what they are and we think we’re pretty good, too.
“We’re just looking to get guys healthy, so we can be just as solid as we can. We’re going in to this thing like there’s no tomorrow, all hands on deck. We’re going to have to adapt to what we’ve got.”
RB RECALL: When you think Clinton-Massie football, you think strong defense and a solid ground game.
Nobody carries that ground game torch like Bayle Wolf, who is wrapping up his senior year as a member of the Army West Point football team.
Wolf had what can is easily one of the greatest single player performances in a state championship game in Ohio prep football history.
In 2012 against St. Clairsville, Wolf scored five touchdowns and rushed for 220 yards as the Falcons won a shootout 46-36.
WHAT DEFENSE: One record Clinton-Massie isn’t happy to hold is one against the defense. Mark Hendel of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney has the longest touchdown run in Div. IV state championship game history. Hendel went 68 yards against the Clinton-Massie defense in the 2013 title game.
But, from the All That Matters Dept., Clinton-Massie won the game 27-21.
