SLIPPERY ROCK — In the middle of the night, Slippery Rock High football coach Clyde Conti sometimes rises out of bed to feverishly jot down a new play or formation.

Ideas come to Conti at random. While other coaches are hesitant to implement their epiphanies, Conti thrives on them.

"We just run whatever comes to mind sometimes," Conti said after a 27-10 win over Sharon in which the Rockets ran everything from the spread to their traditional wing-T to even some old-fashioned power-I. "If it sounds good, we'll run it.

"That's basically what we do," Conti added, smiling. "No rhyme or reason to what we do."

But there is a method to the madness.

Whether it be play calling, game plans or even personnel, Conti and his young coaching staff have been adept at pushing all the right buttons.

Flicking the right switches has led SlipperyRock to a 9-3 record and a date with Wilmington at 7 p.m. Saturday in the District 10 Class AA championship game at Slippery Rock University.

Conti has used three different fullbacks — AyronGallagher, JustinAngerett and Isaac Osborne — this season, depending on the game plan and his gut feeling.

Angerett rolled up nearly 300 yards during a four-game stint at fullback, including his first 100-yard game against North East in the first round of the playoffs inErie.

On the bus ride home,Conti and his staff hatched the plan to use Osborne at fullback againstSharon.

Osborne, at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, is four inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Angerett. Neither, though, is a prototypical fullback.

Under Conti, the Rockets rarely have followed the norm.

Osborne had touchdown runs of 40 and 80 yards on the way to 190 yards rushing againstSharon.

"(Against North East) Justin had something like 22 carries, so we knew (Sharon) was going to shadow him," Osborne said. "We figured if we switch everyone around, they won't know what to do."

It worked. Slippery Rock gained 337 yards on the ground in the win.

Going out on a limb doesn't always work, though. Sometimes, the branch cracks.

When the Rockets played Wilmington in October, Conti tried to spread the aggressive Greyhounds defense by using a five-receiver set.

The formation did little to throw the Wilmington defense off its stride as Slippery Rock gained only 99 yards of offense in a 42-6 loss.

"We tried to do some things last time," Conti said. "It wasn't a good move on my part. I was disappointed in myself."

Most of the time, though, Conti and his staff strike gold when they throw the Football 101 textbook out the window.

Perhaps the most unorthodox lineup shuffle began againstNorthEast when the Rockets lined up kicker, soccer player and wrestler Mike Ramirez at defensive end on passing downs.

Ramirez, who has booted nine field goals and 28 extra points this season, chased NorthEast quarterback Curtis Bailey relentlessly, finally sacking him in the fourth quarter to quash a drive.

While he went without a sack against Sharon, he put enough pressure on Sharon quarterback Todd Rearick that the Tigers began double-teaming him.

"I don't know what it is about coach Conti, but he has a knack of putting people in the right places," Ramirez said. "It was pretty cool getting a sack. I never thought I would get one of those."

Ramirez showed the ability to corral ballcarriers while kicking off and punting this season. On special teams, he recorded seven tackles.

When the soccer season ended, the football coaches approached him with the idea to do more than just kick.

Ramirez jumped at the chance.

"If their soccer season isn't over, we don't have him," Conti said. "We just convert people and plug them in wherever we feel like it."

Conti did that with Osborne, who assumed when he came out for the team — his first football action since the eighth grade — he would play wide receiver because of his height.

Not so fast. The coaches saw running ability best served in the backfield.

Osborne, a hurdler on the track team, has rushed for 844 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

On his 80-yard run, Osborne sprinted away from speedy Sharon defensive backs.

"That's why we had him in there," Conti said. "He's an athlete. He's going to stand on the podium at the state track meet, barring injury. Hopefully, we can get more kids like Isaac to come out."

And the Slippery Rock coaching staff is sure to devise unique ways to use them if they do.