Monroeville eyes outright title, playoff bye

The whole sequence felt like a culmination. After three weeks, the Monroeville football team was 1-2. The Eagles were still finding their way after graduating a record-breaking senior class that had produced one of the best seasons in program history. But six weeks later, the Eagles (7-2, 6-0) are ranked in the state, have earned at least a share of the Firelands Conference title for a second straight year, and could play their way into a first-round bye in the state playoffs. That payoff came last week when Monroeville won a wild, back-and-forth game at Crestview. The 28-26 win saw the Eagles overcome a 14-0 deficit, only to allow an 87-yard touchdown pass after grabbing the lead. Monroeville then blocked an extra point and denied a game-tying 2-point conversion by less than a foot to remain the only unbeaten team in the FC. Now, the Eagles head to Norwalk Friday night for their annual rivalry clash with host St. Paul (5-4, 4-2) at Contractors Stadium. "The ups and downs of the season and even the Western Reserve game (a 27-20 win on Sept. 26) were also high-intensity and had a lot on the line as well," Monroeville head coach Tylor Nester said. "We were able to use what we learned from that game to overcome a lot of adversity. "Our kids in general, but especially our senior captains, have shown a ton of leadership to put us in this position." Ranked No. 14 in the latest Division VII Associated Press state poll, the Eagles are currently the No. 4 seed in Region 25. New this season, the top four teams in each region earn a first-round bye. Already assured a home playoff game at Marsh Field, the Eagles may not have to host that game until the second round — even if they lose this Friday. A win, however, removes any doubt. "It's uncharted territory from that aspect, and it already feels like the season has gone so fast," Nester said. "I don't know if it's the weather, because it just now feels like fall, and it's Week 10. But the situation is what it is, whether we get a bye week or if we don't. "It sounds like we're home either way (in the playoffs), and that's awesome to know given all the hard work that went into the revitalization of Marsh Field," he added. "We're excited, but at the same time we're focused on this week and trying to get another win more than anything else." To lock up a bye and the FC title outright, the Eagles need to beat a St. Paul team that has been up-and-down this season. St. Paul enters Friday as the No. 8 seed in Region 25. A win assures the Flyers to play at Contractors Stadium again in the playoffs next week, while a loss puts things out of their control. Quarterback Grant Kuhnle is 96-of-170 passing for 1,445 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions for the Flyers. His top targets include Landon Fries with 31 catches for 443 yards and 2 TDs and Levi Rospert with 30 catches for 453 yards and 3 TDs. Connor Lindenberger adds 22 catches for 375 yards and 4 TDs, while Nick Pocos leads the rushing with 569 yards and 8 TDs on 84 attempts. Casey Fries adds 435 yards and 8 TDs on 45 attempts, while Landon Fries has 351 yards and 9 TDs on 57 attempts. "At the core of what Coach (Chris) Doughty is doing, they are still a physical, run-oriented team," Nester said of St. Paul. "But with Kuhnle back there, they can spread it out with Rospert and Lindenberger, and they move (Landon) Fries kind of all over the place. "But they really have that core ability similar to us where they like to run the ball, but they can spread you out with Kuhnle's arm and ability to extend plays." On defense, Rafael Gross leads the team with 106 tackles (Sr. for loss), two sacks, and a forced fumble. Nate Sandor has 69 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups. Kade Houck has 43 tackles and four sacks, while Landon Fries has 44 tackles with a sack, two interceptions, and six pass breakups, and Rospert has 39 tackles with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. "Gross definitely stands out with a high motor," Nester said. "I know him well through the wrestling world, and that translates on the football field where he's able to play sideline-to-sideline. "But everyone else around him makes it a typical St. Paul team. They fly around and make hits and will be technically sound on both sides, but especially on defense." The Eagles are paced by junior quarterback Colt Clark and senior running back Connor Bores. Clark has rushed for 886 yards and 13 touchdowns on 103 attempts, while Bores has 796 yards and 12 TDs on 96 attempts. Clark has also completed 56 of 100 pass attempts for 860 yards with 12 TDs and seven interceptions. Also for the Eagles, fullback Cooper Cleary has 358 yards and 6 TDs on 39 attempts. Clark's top targets include Chase Horn with 14 catches for 269 yards and 3 TDs, and Derek Ackerman with 13 catches for 225 yards and 3 TDs. Colton Koch adds 115 yards and a TD on 11 catches. Defensively for the Eagles, Clark leads the team in tackles (77) and has one sack. Reid Wasserman has 67 tackles with an interception and a fumble recovery, while Thomas Platte has 61 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and a fumble recovery. Cleary adds 60 tackles and an interception, and Maverick Myers has 45 tackles with eight sacks. Krueger has 48 tackles and four sacks, and Alec Schafer has 32 tackles, four sacks, and a fumble recovery.