Playing off for the playoffs?
This is one in a series of articles previewing Friday night's high school football gamesThe WPIAL football playoffs don't start for another two weeks — unless you are Keystone Oaks or Freeport.“Our playoff game is Friday night,” Keystone Oaks coach Greg Perry said.The Golden Eagles (5-2, 4-1) travel to Freeport (5-2, 4-1) for a 7 p.m. kickoff with second place at stake in the Class 3A Allegheny Conference.Only the top two teams in each 3A section are guaranteed a postseason berth.“I'm not sure how that wild-card stuff works, so we better go after this win right now,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said.Keystone Oaks knocked Apollo-Ridge out of the playoff picture with a 35-13 victory last week. The Yellowjackets dropped a 21-10 decision at Seton-LaSalle in a battle for first place in the conference.Freeport had a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.“We made some mistakes and didn't capitalize on some opportunities,” Gaillot said. “We just have to move on.“We know the winner of this game is in and that's how we have to look at it.”The visiting Golden Eagles have only six seniors on their roster. They graduated 16 seniors from last year's 9-2 squad.Quarterback Logan Shrubb has thrown for 936 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions — and he's a freshman. Junior running back Michael Daure has rushed for 785 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with catching 22 passes for 256 yards.C.J. Morrow is KO's top pass receiver with 19 catches for 237 yards.“Daure is a good athlete and a complete football player,” Perry said. “He returns kickoffs for us, too, besides running with and catching the ball.“He's a 5-foot-11 track kid who we like to get the ball to in space.”Perry coached five all-state quarterbacks at Seton-LaSalle and another one at Keystone Oaks. He runs a spread offense that he describes as “very quarterback friendly.”In the past, those have been older quarterbacks. Shrubb is only 14 years old.“In my 26 years of coaching, this is the first time I've had a starting quarterback who wasn't at least a junior,” Perry said. “This offense is a lot for a young kid to take on.“He's getting it, he's getting it ...but he hasn't totally gotten it yet.”Freeport has veteran players on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Austin Romanchak, who has 544 yards and 12 TDs rushing, 448 yards and four TDs passing. Conor Selinger has run for 489 yards and five scores.Jake Sarver is the Yellowjackets' leading receiver with 11 catches for 150 yards.“Keystone Oaks is a very tough team to run on,” Gaillot said. “Their four linebackers and defensive line are very good. They're very aggressive and they stack seven in the box.”Perry is equally impressed with the play of Romanchak.“That is an experienced, versatile kid who does a lot for their offense. He is one heckuva football player,” Perry said.The Golden Eagles have an offensive line that features a 285-pound right guard, 270-pound right tackle and 265-pound center.“We've got some size, but we're going up against a very physical team,” Perry said. “Joey Tortorella is our senior leader. He's the linebacker who makes all of our calls on defense.“Joe's done a great job of leading this team along. This is a huge challenge for us on the road, but you want to play in big games at this time of the year. That means you're having a good season.”Freeport's defense begins with its linebackers as well — Austin Kemp and Selinger.“They led us in tackles again last week,” Gaillot said. “Those guys have been outstanding all year.“The atmosphere shuld be something Friday night. It will be really fun if we win.”Keystone Oaks defeated Freeport, 44-7, last season.
