The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
EC pumped up to play Chippewa
Perhaps the only thing more exciting for Elyria Catholic than a triple-overtime victory in a regional semifinal is knowing they are one of eight Division III teams still practicing on March 9.
“Everybody is still pumped up and feeling good about it,” Elyria Catholic coach Eric Rothgery said. “We had a good little shootaround today and watched some film and everybody’s pumped up and excited about Saturday.”
And, though the focus remains on the regional final showdown with Doylestown Chippewa (26-0)
at 1:30 p.m. on March 10 at Cuyahoga Falls High School, the fact that the Panthers are on the verge of a state berth only makes thing sweeter.
That’s not to say, though, that the Panthers are overlooking the No. 4-ranked DIII team in the state.
“Honestly, we saw this team on the horizon a long time ago, certainly they’re not surprised to be here and we don’t feel like a surprise to be here either,” Rothgery said. “We had thought at least a couple of months ago that we could be destined for a game against Doylestown Chippewa, so we’ve been keeping an eye on them and watching what they did and we feel good about it. We’re at the game we want to be in and you get to the regional finals and anything can happen.”
Hurdling a difficult opponent in Newton Falls already, Rothgery said his team is going to stick to their style of play that has helped them get this far in the tournament. Leaning on a wealth of tournament experience, if there’s anyone that knows what to do in these playoffs, it’s Rothgery and his staff.
“We feel good where we’re at. We expect to see some zone. But sometimes in high school, you scout a team and expect to see a certain number of things, but when you get there, that’s not how its pans out,” Rothgery said. “We’re going to be ready for everything. They are a balanced team. They can play man or they can play zone. They can get out ahead of people. so we’re going to be ready for everything.”
While a spot in Columbus may be on the line, Rothgery is not thinking solely short-term. He believes that the experience of this playoff run so far will be great for the future of the program, but he also knows that a state berth will continue the development of younger players like Ally and Abby Winnen.
But, just because this is a big game, it does not mean that the Panthers aren’t ready. The heady schedule during the regular season will help ensure Elyria Catholic does not shy away from the moment.
“It’s great for them and it’s great for us as a program in the long haul to get experience in big games like this,” Rothgery said. “We try to schedule as many big games as we can throughout the year, so they’re used to it.
“I feel like when we went down to the Classic in the Country back on Martin Luther King weekend, it felt kind of like this. Like every game was like a regional final down there with a big crowd. So, hopefully some of those experiences will pay off.”