East Dragons Blowing More Than Smoke | East CLC Counting on Defense to Slow Down Powerful CVCA

By Ralph N. Paulk, APS Storyteller

Get your tickets for Round 3 here!

The East Dragons celebrated only briefly after securing the first 10-win season in school history last Friday, an impressive 36-16 thumping of host Gates Mills Hawken in a Division III playoff game.

The Dragons (10-2) shifted their gears of emotions quickly to focus on the business of preparing for unbeaten Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (10-0) in a Region 9 semifinal matchup at Royals Stadium in Hudson at 7 p.m.

The Dragons, a well-coached, well-disciplined team, positioned themselves to become only the third City Series team to advance to the third week of the postseason in the past 40 years. Only Buchtel and Garfield have matched what East has ascended to – a bona fide state championship contender.

“We've been pretty consistent for the better part of about a decade now as we keep building our program brick by brick,” said coach Marques Hayes, a native of Flint, Mich. “We had a solid foundation and our young men are committed to maximizing our team’s potential.

“It’s helped that some of the guys from those earlier teams still come around to encourage the team. We’re grateful for them because it tells us they had a good experience here.”

For those players who helped usher in a culture of excellence soon after Hayes assumed command of the Dragons 14 years ago, it’s beyond joy to watch their alma mater dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage, particularly in the opening rounds of the OHSAA-sanctioned state playoffs.

Hayes isn’t worried too much about the strengths and weaknesses of CVCA. Instead, he has implored the City Series champions to take care of their own business and focus on the task at hand.

And the job will be a big one, considering CVCA has gone undefeated and largely unchallenged for much of the season. In fact, the Royals dusted off Geneva as they sprinted to a 42-0 lead at halftime before turning their attention to East.

Again, the defense will have to deliver against another potent offense.

“Our guys have been coming up and making solid tackles,” Hayes said. “We haven't had to play many T-formation type teams, but the football field doesn't change. We're a gap-sound defense, so we're going to have to make sure we're doing our jobs.

“We’ll go about our business and do the things we’ve been talking about when we started preparing for the season in January. We were building chemistry with each other in the weight room, on the indoor soccer field, doing whatever it takes to get better. When you're doing that, you're putting yourself one up on the competition.

“So, we're consistent in the way that we're putting in our work. The off-season is huge for us, and it’s showing right now; it’s the fruit of our labor. We’ve been a staple in the playoffs the past seven or eight years, but we have greater ambitions.”

The Dragons are riding a tidal wave of momentum following back-to-back impressive playoff wins over Hawken and Cleveland Benedictine. Hayes has put together a confident defensive unit that continues to set the tone by defusing some high-octane offenses.

The Dragons have surrendered only 63 points in their last eight games. They’ve held six opponents to eight points or less, mostly with a stout run defense that stymied every ground game it faced this season.

The Royals, though, present the Dragons with their greatest challenge. The region’s No. 2 seed has two explosive runners in Joey Kopec and Zac Anderson. Last Friday, they combined for 120 rushing yards on just 10 carries – including a 61-yard scoring run by Kopec, who also caught a 62-yard touchdown pass.

The Dragons have been in this position before, having to face one of the state’s championship favorites. And they’ve been giant killers before, knocking off then-No.1 and undefeated Marlington during their first state playoff appearance in 2016. Two years later, they handed two-time state champion Chardon its first home loss in nearly three years.

“It isn't easy, but I think all of those tough games have prepared us for where we are right now,” Hayes said.

The Dragons have become championship contenders without much hype. They weren’t deterred even when they had to scramble to find a place to practice. In fact, they had to use Hoban’s side practice field, run through drills at a nearby reservoir and stage agility drills on an indoor soccer field.

“We were displaced this summer because they were building an asphalt track on our field,” Hayes said. “We couldn't even practice on our field until July, but that kind of adversity made our guys want it more.

“We have to try to find places where we can go and train, and sometimes that ends up being on Sunday morning. And our guys show up, and put in the work.”

The defense is spectacular, and could hold the keys to success against a CVCA offense that rarely has been challenged all season.

“They're definitely a tough team,” Hayes said. “We brought the team in (Monday) to have a full team film session, so the guys can see what the coaches are seeing. Maybe, there’s a weakness we can attack.

“Our defense has been powering us throughout the season, from week one until now. We're not perfect, but they are going out to play some ball that can be remembered.”

Defensive tackle Marcus Henderson II, a Youngstown State commit, is the heart of a defensive unit that’s gaining more confidence with each playoff victory. With Henderson controlling the trenches, linebackers Tarrell Robinson and Jon Jeffries are sure tacklers who use their speed to patrol the boundaries.

Robinson, who leads East in tackles, missed the past two games with an ankle injury. There’s a chance he might return to face one of Northeast Ohio’s top rushing offenses. 

Henderson is the only senior on the defensive line. And he’s leading by example – forcing fumbles, chasing down quarterbacks and keeping overzealous offensive linemen from tying up East’s linebackers, who have tallied the bulk of the team’s tackles.

The Royals, of course, are watching the film, too. They figure they’ll need to counter the Dragons’ speed with a power run game that methodically wears down the opposition.

“Our defense definitely has played well since week one, and we've been leading the way for our team,” said Henderson. “The offense has kind of just piggy backed off the momentum it's been given.

“We're not that surprised at all by our success in the playoffs. It’s just a product of all our hard work. And we know hard work is going to be required against CVCA.”

The Dragons are a team with few weaknesses. They aren’t spectacular, yet solid on offense. It’s a balanced attack with several explosive playmakers – including running backs Lawrence Cherry Jr., and Lavance Bratton; receivers Emmanuel Jefferson and Terrell Wharton Jr., and quarterback Marlin Engram.

“You're going to see at least five guys that are going to be touching the ball on offense throughout the game,” Hayes said. “So you can't really just look at one person and say, if we stop this person, then we’ve got them.”