The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
South hopeful, stacked with skill, experience
Sometimes things just click for a young football team.
In the world of the South Rebels, that time was the week of Sept. 18 last year.
The then-youthful Rebels were coming off an 0-3 start in which they were outscored, 109-14.
Granted, those three losses came to Riverside, Chardon and Mayfield — a triumvirate of league foes that had a combined record of 23-4 last season.
But try as they might, the Rebels weren’t competitive in those games.
Then came Week 4, a 34-8 win over Madison, which turned the tide.
Things clicked.
South went 3-2 over the final five games and averaged 26 points per game over that span.
A vast majority of those starters return this year. The experience of last season and the burning desire to get back in the thick of the Western Reserve Conference race has Coach Matt Duffy’s squad thinking big.
“I’m very excited for this year — we all are,” junior running back Tyrone Singleton said.
“I feel like we can have a great season and make a run in the playoffs. Last year, we had a lot of first-year guys. We were young. This year it’s going to be different. It’s going to be better.”
Over the past six seasons, the Rebels have a total record of 21-38, with a WRC record of 15-30.
The last time South won a league championship was 2014 — the final year of the Premier Athletic Conference before it morphed into the WRC.
Is this the year the Rebels hang their first WRC championship banner in football? No one in the blue and gray is making promises, except one.
“Last year set the bar for us,” said Colin Quinlan, who returns for another year as the starting quarterback. “How we finished set an example of what Rebel football should be.” This much IS for certain. The Rebels certainly have the experience, speed and athleticism to scare the bejeebers out of the opposition. Talk to any coach in the rugged WRC — where two state champions (Kenston in 2018 and Chardon in 2020) have been crowned in the last three years — and everyone is leery about that skill set Duffy & Co. will run out onto the field on Friday nights.
Not only is Quinlan back at quarterback after throwing for more than 1,000 yards last year, but so is the thunder-and-lightning backfield duo of Ira Sampson (thunder with a spark of lightning) and Singleton (with his 4.45 clocking in the 40). On top of that, all four starting receivers from last year’s team are back in the fold this year as well, a quartet of seniors consisting of David McClain, Josh Owens, Ryan Dondrea and Carson VonSeggern.
“We know we have skill — it just has to all come together,” Duffy said. “We’re not as consistent as we’d like yet, but on paper we’ve got some kids who can do some things. We’ve got some kids that can make big plays.”
All of which make the eyes of quarterback Quinlan light up. “Yeah, we’ve got a ton of weapons,” the 6-foot, 180-pound senior said. “We’ve got guys who can run the ball, get in space and make plays … it’s a great group of players to be around. They make me a better quarterback, and I make them better players, too.”
Sampson will likely get most of his time on defense at linebacker, where his 6-foot, 205-pound frame packs a wallop. But he’s also very much in the mix at running back to spell Singleton or to join him in the backfield in two-back sets.
Sampson has a ton of college feelers, including an offer from Division I Iowa State. “I’m looking forward to have a great season with my teammates,” Sampson said.
As stacked as the skill positions are, that means a big key to the South team this year is the productivity of the offensive line. Four starters return there, including the Vittori brothers (6-foot, 205-pound Alec at left tackle and 6-foot, 215-pound Dom at right tackle). Guards Michael Scanlon (5-10, 205) and Alex Azre (6-0, 290) are back as well. The lone newbie on the line is center Brody Sherman (6-0, 205).
“We’re not huge up front, but we’re not tiny,” Duffy said. “The thing is, we’re very athletic up front. The kids have done a nice job in the weight room. The Vittori kids are around 210, but they’re strong like 270- or 280-pound kids.”
Defensively, South returns eight starters as well.
It all adds up to an aura of optimism as an opening night against NDCL looms. The game with NDCL is interesting in that South boasts a speedy, deep skill set on offense while NDCL has one of the top defensive backfields in The NewsHerald coverage area. The Rebels are believing — and that’s all that matters.
“They’re excited about the season. They have confidence in what they’re doing,” Duffy said. “They’re confident and they should be. They practice hard, do all we as them to do, and they’ve got talent. We have that trust in our kids.”