“If you’ve got that desire to show up Monday through Thursday and be serious about your work, but still try to have a good time and make things fun, you’ve got a team that can be special,” McGill said. “So far we’ve had three good weeks of postseason practice. I’m excited to see what these guys can do on Friday.”
The Tigers (11-1) will play Waynesville in a Division V, Region 20 semifinal game at 7 p.m. Friday night at Dayton Welcome Stadium.
West Liberty-Salem’s preparation showed last week in their 62-28 win over Miami East. The Tigers jumped out to a 27-7 first quarter lead and gained 546 yards of total offense.
“I think the offense was really clicking,” McGill said. “The offensive line really did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage. We really shut down their running attack. They’ve got good players and good athletes so they still made a few plays in the pass game, so those are still areas we’re working on. Overall, I was pretty pleased.”
They’ll face a different challenge this week against the Spartans, who have outscored their opponents 97-15 in two postseason wins. They’re led by the Southwest Buckeye League co-Offensive Players of the Year — senior quarterback Alex Amburgey and running back Garrett Lundy. Amburgey is a dual threat QB who has thrown for 2,428 yards and 27 TDs and rushed for 880 yards and 14 TDs. Lundy is a bruising power back who has rushed for 1,068 yards and 18 TDs and caught 63 passes for 1,106 yards and 11 TDs.
“It’s probably the most explosive offense we’ve seen all year,” McGill said. “They have several dynamic playmakers. They’ve got good size up front and they’re well-coached. Offensively, they certainly present some challenges.”
Defensively, the Spartans play man-to-man in the secondary and their defensive line does a great job getting to the quarterback, McGill said.
“They have good athletes that can run with your receivers and their box guys are big and physical,” he said. “They kind of trust their defensive backs on islands and let their box guys pin their ears back and play downhill. It’s been something that’s worked for them this year.”
The game will be played at historic Welcome Stadium, which opened in 1949 and recently received a $33.5 million renovation.
“We’re looking forward to it,” McGill said. “It has a reputation of being a great facility. I know our guys are excited about it.”
The winner will play either Greeneview (12-0) or Indian Lake (10-2) in next week’s Division V, Region 20 final at a site to be determined with a state semifinal berth on the line. The Rams beat both the Spartans and the Tigers earlier this season.
The goal, McGill said, is to keep their group together as long as possible.
“The community is very supportive,” he said. “There’s a general buzz about it all. People are excited and we’re excited.”
About the Author