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(Statistical Information Courtesy of Professor Briggs' archives)

SHARON TIGERS 2021 FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Head Coach: Jason McElhaney, 3rd season (11-9 at Sharon, 47-38 in seven years as a head coach)
Last Year: 2-5 overall

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SHARON -- The unusual 2020 football season finished in an unusual manner for the Sharon High School football team -- out of the District 10 playoffs. After winning three consecutive district titles, Sharon finished 2-5 last year.

However, optimism is high for the Tigers as they look to return to the postseason in 2021. Third-year head coach Jason McElhaney welcomes back several key contributors on both sides of the ball, including four All-Region performers.

Senior wide receiver/defensive back Ja'on Phillips earned All-Region on offense and defense while fellow senior Bryce Carroll earned All-Region at guard. The Tigers also return All-Region linebackers Labrae Norris and Shane Rowe.

Phillips emerged in 2020 as one of the county's most explosive players as he scored on a run, pass reception, kickoff return and punt return during the seven-game season. He also intercepted three passes and led Sharon with 33 catches. The rest of the team's receivers and backs combined for 20 total catches.

That should not be the case this year, according to McElhaney. "When you're talking about our skill positions, obviously it starts with Ja'on," McElhaney said. "I think the big development for us throughout the offseason and summer is that we have developed a good complementary cast to support him and take off some of the pressure."

A number of players are expected to see time at wide receiver, including sophomore Lamont Austin, sophomore C'Angelo Harrison and junior Jayveerh White.

Norris ranked third on the team with 224 rushing yards last year while senior Jaydin Robinson added 207 rushing yards. They are both expected to receive carries in Sharon's spread attack, along with sophomores Cortez Nixon and Labron Wilder.

"I think we have some good depth at the skill positions," McElhaney said.

Sharon also has competition at the quarterback position as junior Mikey Rodriques and sophomore Mister Ham are battling for the starting spot. Rodriques attempted two passes as a reserve last year while Ham went 2 for 3 as a backup to the graduated Brett Salsgiver.

"Mikey has had a good offseason. He is a big, strong kid," McElhaney said. "He is more of a traditional dropback quarterback. He's a good athlete who can move around and is more of a pure passer. Mister has a little different skill set. He is more of a runner. We'll get him involved running the option.

"We have a really good competition going on right now," McElhaney continued. "We have two guys competing with each other, with two different skill sets. I think that's great for our team because it gives us flexibility. We're able to evaluate both guys based upon what they do well and not on the exact same criteria. That's not fair. They're different players."

McElhaney did not rule out using both quarterbacks. "If they're both playing at a high level, then we're going to play them both. We don't have to change personnel or formations, we'll just call different plays for each guy. That presents some issues for teams trying to defend us, I think."

Seniors Connor Krecek and Shane Rowe both return at the tight end/H-back position in Sharon's offense. "Both of those guys turned into really good blockers for us last year," McElhaney said. "They've worked to become reliable pass catchers for us."

The Tigers return two full-time starters on the offensive line in Carroll and junior left tackle Mike Mazurek. Carroll enters his third season as a starter while Mazurek will be a two-year starter.

Senior Colin Price will contend for a full-time starting spot at guard while classmate Dante Currie has an inside track at center. Junior Austin Perlik played center, guard and tackle last year and could start at any of those three positions. Juniors David Beadnall and Ryan Resele are also contenders to start, as is freshman Bryson Roberson.

"I'm excited about the depth we have up front with those guys," McElhaney said. "But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what offense you run or what skill guys you have, that group up front has to come together and play well. That's the key for us. I think that they have great potential."

Under the guidance of veteran defensive coordinator Dave Bodien, Sharon will again use a 4-3 defense that can easily transition into a 4-2-5. "Structurally, it's still a '4-3' but we've made some changes to adapt to the teams that we play," McElhaney noted.

Currie and senior Sy Piccirilli are expected to see extensive time at defensive end. Rowe has moved from linebacker to defensive end and will likely start. "With his skill set, we think (Rowe) is going to flourish there," McElhaney said.

Carroll, Mazurek, Price and senior Melvin Riley are among the candidates at defensive tackle. "We're excited about the depth there. We have some older, mature guys and that's a group that we're going to lean on," McElhaney said. "We like the D-line group a lot."

Krecek will handle the defensive signals at inside linebacker. Norris and Robinson will also play extensively at inside linebacker. Wilder and Nixon are competing for the strongside linebacker position, which also acts as a fifth defensive back in Sharon's scheme.

Austin, Harrison and White are competing for the starting spots at cornerback. Freshman Julius Phillips, sophomore Angelo Fromm and Rodriques are batting for strong safety. Nixon could also play in the secondary.

Ja'on Phillips will be free safety. "We like his ability to get everyone lined up and play over the top. He breaks on the ball really well," McElhaney said.

Soccer player Nick Schimp is working out as the team's place-kicker. Sophomore Santino Piccirilli has the inside track to punt. Carroll returns as long snapper. Ja'on and Julius Phillips will be the return men.

Last season, Sharon played Grove City, Hickory and Slippery Rock in a double round-robin region schedule due to COVID-19. This year, the Tigers will again play those schools, along with Titusville and Conneaut, Ohio.

"It's a meat grinder. It's a tough league. Everybody has guys back," McElhaney said. "Grove City has a ton of guys back. I think they're the favorites, simply because of the experience that group has coming back. They have a great system and they just plug and play. This year, they don't have much to plug.

"Hickory's going to be tremendous again. (Coach) Larry (Wendereusz) has almost his whole team back at Slippery Rock. They're going to be good. Conneaut and Titusville both have some good players but they are still somewhat unknown compared to the other teams that we know so well.

"It's going to be a grind. You could have a league champion with a couple of losses," McElhaney concluded.