Local Sports

Warriors call the shots in EBC

BELOIT -- The often-used phrase "defense wins championships" rang ever so true during Friday night's Eastern Buckeye Conference title showdown between arch-rivals Salem and West Branch at Clinton Heacock Stadium -- a game dominated by the Warriors, 50-0.

West Branch's first-team defense has allowed just four touchdowns all season -- three to Canfield and one to New Philadelphia -- and pitched four shutouts, including the win over the Quakers.

"They put a lot of time into that side of the ball -- our coaches do and our kids do," praised West Branch head coach Tim Cooper, who owns a 53-8 record after the Warriors (9-1 overall, 6-0 in the Eastern Buckeye Conference) captured a seventh straight outright EBC championship and the Totem-Bell traveling trophy. "And at the end of the day, defense wins championships," added Cooper. "It always travels and we always want to be the most physical team on the field. We want to fly to the football with elite effort and that's what our kids did tonight."

"They're a great team and we couldn't match their team speed and we couldn't match their team physicality," said Salem head coach Ron Johnson whose team was out-gained 321-76 in the game. "You don't have a stat like that (giving up four touchdowns in a season) without being really good."

With a capacity crowd of 5,200 looking on, the Warriors' offense, which leads the EBC in scoring at 34 points-per-game, also had plenty of offensive success in the game.

West Branch quarterback Grady Hirst, a Youngstown State commit, accounted for five touchdowns in the game including two passing and two rushing and one on defense.

"There was a lot of pressure on us, but these guys played lights out every game and it feels really good," said Hirst. "I can't give enough credit to my teammates -- they're awesome."

"The biggest thing that separates Grady from other guys is he has such a competitive desire to succeed," said Cooper. "And we've seen that since he was a freshman. He just hates to lose, so he's going to play at an elite level effort-wise and he's already an elite athlete, so you pair those two things together and he's a pretty special player."

West Branch's defense scored first-half touchdowns on a 72-yard interception return by Jeremy Ramsey and a 43-yard fumble recovery by Hirst as the Warriors took a 42-0 lead at halftime which began a running clock.

  "They're very sound (on defense) and coach (Shawn) Alazaus does a great job with their defense," stated Johnson. "They're sound, they've got a great scheme and they tackle well and they really, really pursue to the football, so you break one tackle then you've got to get ready for another one really quick."

"What we do in the weight room in the off-season has really helped us create a toughness and an attitude on that side of the ball," said Cooper. "Our kids have really bought into that. I'm just so proud of those guys and excited for them."

With the setback, the Quakers are now 8-2 overall and finished league play at 4-2.

"I'm really disappointed," said Johnson. "They beat us in every phase and they're a good football team. We didn't play very well. All we wanted to do was to come out and play a good, hard second half and I think we played a hard second half which was all we could try and do."

With Friday's triumph, West Branch now leads the 55-year-old series with the Quakers 33-22 and has won seven straight games against Salem.

"That (winning a seventh straight outright EBC title) was the cherry on top tonight," said Cooper.

West Branch's offense scored on four of its six first-half possessions. The Warriors marched 51 yards in seven plays on their first offensive possession, capped by a one-yard scoring sneak by Hirst. Cruz Leone added the PAT kick and the Warriors led 7-0 at the 7:54 mark of the first quarter.

On Salem's ensuing possession Ramsey picked off a Salem pass along the left sideline and set sail on a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown. Cruz added the PAT and West Branch quickly led 14-0.

Before the first quarter was done, West Branch found the end zone again when Gavin Marshall raced 63 yards to score. Cruz again added the PAT to make it 21-0.

"I think we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football," said Cooper. "And then our physicality and our pursuit to the football was elite and that's what it's going to take to win playoff games."

The Warriors added three second-quarter scores on a 43-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Hirst, a 72-yard aerial from Hirst to Drake Stryffeler and a Hirst one-yard scoring plunge. Stryffeler also added a conversion run in the second quarter.

"(Coach) Alazaus instills in our minds that we've got to be the hammer and not the nail," said Hirst of the Warriors' strong defensive effort. "So it's really great for us."

It all added up to a 42-0 halftime lead by West Branch and started a running clock throughout the second half.

West Branch closed the scoring in the third quarter when Hirst connected with Drake Stryffeler on a 42-yard scoring pass. 

Salem running back Zander Kinsey led the Quakers' offense with 47 yards on eight carries.


GAME NOTES

• West Branch and Salem both earned first-round byes and will host playoff games on Friday, Nov. 6, against opponents to be determined.

"It (making the playoffs again) is really good and maybe getting a bye to rest our bodies, it's a really good feeling," said Hirst. "We're just ready to get back to work and take it one week at a time."

Salem will try to use the week off to get healthy.

"Maybe we can get healed up and get some guys back," Johnson said.

Salem's 8-2 regular-season record is its best since the 2019 campaign when the Quakers also went 8-2 during the regular season and advanced to the postseason.

• With West Branch's 9-1 regular-season record, the Warriors have won nine or more regular-season games for the sixth consecutive year.

"We had a great crowd, they had a great crowd and we were anticipating a big game -- a playoff-type game, so our kids were juiced up, we've got a couple guys who have been in some big games like that, so I'm really proud of them and ready to continue to get better," said Cooper.

• Next season will be the final time the Salem-West Branch game will be played in Week 10. Starting in 2028, when the Quakers and Warriors begin play in what will then be called the Eastern Buckeye Football League, the Salem-West Branch game will be played in Week 9. The West Branch-Alliance game will become West Branch's new Week 10 league contest.


SCORING

SA: 0-0-0-0-- 0

WB: 21-21-8-0--50

SCORING

WB--Grady Hirst, 4 run (Cruz Leone kick)

WB --Jeremy Ramsey, 72 interception return (Cruz Leone kick)

WB -- Gavin Marshall, 63 run (Cruz Leone kick) 

WB -- Grady Hirst 43 fumble return (Kick failed)

WB -- Drake Stryffeler, 72 pass from Grady Hirst (Cruz Leone kick)

WB-- Grady Hirst, 1 run (Cruz Leone kick)

WB -- Drake Stryffeler, 42 pass from Grady Hirst (Drake Stryffeler run)

TEAM STATS

Salem

First downs: 7; Total yards:  76; Rushes-yards: 26-55; Passing: 21; Comp-Att-Int. 4-13-21-0-1; Punts 4-29; Fumbles-Lost 2-1; Penalties-Yards 4-35.

West Branch

First downs: 9, Total yards 321, Rushes-yards 30-171, Passing 160 Comp-Att-Int. 5-10-0, Punts 2-38, Fumbles-Lost 0-0, Penalties-Yards 6-75.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING —  Salem, Bairon Exline, 10-27, Zander Kinsey, 8-47, Adrian Gelonese, 4-minus 23, Brandon Kana, 7-22; West Branch, Grady Hirst, 10-65, Gavin Marshall, 6-71, Damon Edwards, 8-31.

PASSING -- Salem, Adrian Gelonese, 4-13-47-0-1; West Branch, Grady Hirst, 5-11-114-2-0.

RECEIVING --  Bairon Exline, 6-10, Jaxson Douglas 1-14; West Branch, Drake Stryffeler 2-114, Jeremy Ramsey, 1-13, Damon Edwards, 1-22, Gavin Marshall, 1-0.