Photo by Nick Henthorn St. Clairsville’s Sam McLean throws a pass to Luke Schafer during a regular-season game against Bellaire.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — St. Clairsville is no stranger to long bus rides. Heck, the Red Devils traveled nearly half a day over the course of a three-week period, so Friday night’s nearly two-and-a-half hour trip to Portage County should be familiar.

The No. 5 Red Devils (8-3) will meet the No. 4 Garrettsville Garfield (8-2) at JAG Stadium in an Ohio Division VI, Region 17 quarterfinal playoff contest. Kickoff is set for 7. The winner advances to the regional semifinals on Friday, Nov. 14 against the winner of No. 1 Cardinal Mooney (7-2) and No. 8 South Range (7-4) at the higher remaining seed.

“The only bad thing is it feels like it was three years ago instead of the first two weeks of the season,” McLean said with a chuckle. “We traveled an hour-and-a-half for our second scrimmage and then went on the road for two long trips to start the season. We put 12 hours on a bus to open the season, so I’ve already talked with the kids about that and I’ll have another talk with them.

“If any of that made sense, it was for situations just like this,” he continued. “There’s a lot to go into how you travel. Do you travel with class? Do you focus on the way there or do you sleep on the way there? Those are the things that the fans don’t get to see like the coaches do.”

St. Clairsville dispatched Pymatuning Valley 35-13 in its first-round game last Friday at Red Devil Stadium with a balanced offensive attack that combined for 282 total yards — 119 rushing and 163 passing — while the defense limited the Lakers to a meager 25 yards on the ground on 15 carries.

Meanwhile, the G-Men (8-2) had a first-round bye. They last played on Oct. 24 in a 49-14 triumph over Brookfield (5-5). They lost a double-overtime shootout at Edgewood (51-43) in the season-opener before rattling off seven consecutive victories against opponents with a combined 33-40 record before falling 42-20 to undefeated Crestview.

“This is the interesting part. You get in these games against somebody you know nothing about. You’re trying to find out as much as possible in a short period of time,” McLean said. “It’s fun for me because I like to break down films as much as I can. Playing teams outside the Ohio Valley is the neat thing because you see all kinds of different styles of offenses and defenses.

“The thing I like about being in week 12 is the more chances we get to work with our kids,” he added. “All these practices pay big dividends if you handle them the right way. You have to approach them with the attitude of continuing to learn and stay hungry.”

Garrettsville Garfield is a ground-and-pound team that has run for 3,683 yards and 49 touchdowns while passing for just 721 and eight scores. Sophomore running back Ryder Cain had run for 1,349 yards and 21 TDs on 140 carries, while seniors Bradyn Bogucki (58-694-8) and Devin Bates (64-520-7) are also threats. Quarterback Jack Niekirk has completed 46 of 73 attempts for 690 yards, eight touchdowns and only one interception. Bogucki is also the leading receiver with 24 catches for 345 yards and four more scores. Cole Miller has three touchdowns among his eight receptions.

“Some people call it a wing-T. It definitely has a wing aspect to it,” McLean described the G-Men’s offense. “They are run-oriented, but they can throw it as we’ve seen in different films. They’ve got a lot more yards statistically than passing and that’s a sign of teams that are still around in the playoffs, teams that can run the ball very good.”

In last week’s win, senior quarterback Sam McLean threw three touchdown passes to a trio of receivers. He connected with senior Ollie Muhly (17 yards); sophomore Jaxon Starks (29) and senior Niko Jacob (39) and finished 11-of-15 for 163. Muhly also ran 21 times for 104 yards and two TDs while Jacob led the way with three receptions for 61 yards.

“We need to be balanced on offense and if you look at our season stats, we have been. Every year is different for us. You have to look at your personnel and see what fits. (Assistant) Coach (Eric) Gay has done a good job of keeping us balanced and spreading the wealth,” McLean noted. “We’re throwing to 5 or 6 different kids and we’re having 4 or 5 different kids run it. Some of that is trying to build depth and some of it is trying to stay healthy.”

Allowing McLean to throw and the running backs to run is an offensive line that has grown as the season has progressed. It is led by Ohio State University commit junior Mason Wilt (6-4, 300) at left tackle. He is joined on the left side by sophomore guard Wyatt Tipton (6-2, 270). The center is senior Mason Samaniego (6-2, 215), with juniors Brody Russell (5-10, 200) and Bo Donley (6-0, 240) at right guard and tackle, respectively. Juniors Elijah Jordan (5-11, 300), Evan Baker (6-0, 315) and Carson Van Dyne (6-0, 260) also see time.

“We have some depth there. Only one true returning starter back. They have gelled. Mason is the leader of the group,” Coach McLean said. “That’s a credit to (assistant) coaches (Kevin) Sacco, Coach (Vern) Ridgway and Coach (Chris) Fogle who work with them day-in and day-out.

“With us reaching the regional finals last year, we had an extra month to work with the kids,” the coach added. “We had as much preparation for this season as we did Indian Valley. That’s the mode we’re in now. If you’re a senior and don’t know what we are doing by now.”

St. Clairsville’s defense will definitely get a test against the run where it has been really stingy.

That unit is led by the Florence brothers — senior Colton and sophomore Hudson — at the end.

“Having the Florence brothers at both ends is a true blessing,” Coach McLean stressed. “Colton is a three-year starter for us and he’s been around. He’s having another super season. We lost a great (defensive) end in Brody Saunders who graduated and just made the varsity baseball team at Ashland University, but Hudson has stepped in and filled those big shoes on the other side.

“The down tackles are a rotation of guys but Jordan and Van Dyne have gotten most of the reps, but Wilt plays in there some. Evan Baker plays in there some and Koleton Ferguson has gone in there and given us a great effort this year.”

The linebackers are Dalton Neff, Elijah Hill and Jacob.

“The guys in the trenches, a lot of the time, don’t get the credit they deserve for the end result of the play,” Coach McLean added. “They do the dirty work that makes it easier for the other guys to make the tackles.”

If the game comes down to special teams, Coach McLean is more than confident with his group of specialists.

“We’ve got a good stockpile of kickers. Our two seniors (Parker Gal;loway and Tyler Harris) have helped each other and pushed each other during an injury or times of need,” Coach McLean said. “They have done a phenomenal job of kicking for us, and the kids who play on those units are starters. It takes the coach’s promoting it. We practice them every day during the summer and the season.”

Galloway, the all-time leading scorer for the boys’ soccer program, is 28 of 30 on PATS and has booted four field goals in six tries. Harris is perfect on six PAT attempts, while junior James Parsons has been true on his five kicks.”

It’s no coincidence that they are all soccer players.

“They can do all kinds of things to help us. We have a great relationship with our soccer program,” Coach McLean said. “The kids support each other.”

GAME NOTES

— This will be the first-ever meeting between the schools in football.

— St. Clairsville is 27-20 all-time in playoff competition, reaching the Division IV state championship game in 2012.

— Garrettsville Garfield’s nickname, “G-Men,” originated from the 1935 federal investigation into a train robbery that occurred in Garrettsville.