CANFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – In 27-years at South Range, Dan Yeagley’s teams have posted double-digit win seasons ten times, has had undefeated regular seasons ten times and has won two Regional championships (2005, 2017).
Yeagley indicates, “This year’s group must learn to work together, just like past [Raiders] teams did. They must believe in each other. We must be ready to play well early with a tough non-league schedule of Springfield, University School and Canton Central Catholic. The Northeast 8 is a great league filled with great players and very good coaches. We have to be prepared to play our best each week.”
The Raiders lost three All-League linemen (Logan Cormell, Michael Lally and Jacob Brooks) and their featured running back Dylan Dominguez. Number 34 gained 1693 yards and scored 24 touchdowns on the ground in 2021.
However, South Range returns their standout quarterback Billy Skripac is back after enjoying a junior season which saw him complete 71.8% of his throws (107-149) for 2351 yards (27 TDs, 3 INTs). Skripac also used his legs to run for 679 yards and 10 scores.
He’ll have his favorite target back in Shane Lindstrom – who caught 32 passes for 693 yards and 7 touchdowns. Fellow receiver Ayden Leon and tight end JD Crouse will both be welcomed back as well. “All three did such a great job for us last year,” says Yeagley. “We expect big things again this season. Brady Crumbacher saw some time last year as well. We’ll get a lot of help from multiple [other] players as well.”
The Raiders’ starting center Chris Colucci is one of twenty-nine returning letter winners. Coach Yeagley must replace four starters up front on offense. “Our line has some holes to fill with only one returning starters. We had some players see significant time (Kyle Blough, Ryan Bartholow and Caleb Agee) but others will need to step up for us to be successful. They had a good winter and have worked hard [all off-season].”
The defense lost a pair of All-League players (LB Connor Jones and DB Cory Penick).
The defensive unit does return defensive linemen JD Crouse (37 tackles, 10 TFL) and Bailey Ryan (53 tackles, 11 TFL) as starters. The other spot could be filled by Kameron Aquisto, Braxton Bergman, Caleb Agee or Luke Gehring. The coaching staff has high hopes for this group in 2022.
At Linebacker, Tyler Remish (92 tackles, 18 TFL) and Jake Starkey will be back in the mix as starters. It should be no surprise to see Dean DePizzo, Blake Ewert, Gus Valentine and Kayden Wilcox all see their playing time increase this fall.
In the defensive backfield, seniors Shane Lindstrom and Joey Plunkett will provide experience and leadership. Look for Barry Pitzer, Brady Crumbacher and Landon Moore to compete this summer for lots of playing time in the secondary.
Sophomore Luke Starkey will resume his kicking duties this coming season.
South Range has won 20 straight regular season games dating back to October 4, 2019 (loss to Niles in overtime). The Raiders will look to continue their winning ways when they play host to Springfield on Thursday, August 18.
South Range Raiders
Fast Facts
Head Coach: Dan Yeagley, 28th season (232-75)
2021 Record: 13-1 (7-0), 1st place in Northeast 8
Last 5 Years: 47-13 (78.3%)
Home Field: Raiders Stadium
League: Northeastern 8 Conference
Base Offense: Spread
Base Defense: 4-3
Returning Starters
Offense: 5
Defense: 6
2021 Team Stats
Scoring Offense: 40.5 (5th in Area)
Scoring Defense: 15.0 (9th in Area)
Total Offense: 410.2
Rushing Offense: 238.3
Passing Offense: 171.9
2021 Individual Leaders
Passing: Billy Skripac – 2351 yards, 71.8% (107-149), 27 TDs
Rushing: Dylan Dominguez – 1693 yards, 8.7 avg, 24 TDs
Receiving: Shane Lindstrom – 693 yards, 21.6 avg, 7 TDs
Tackles: Tyler Remish – 92
Quarterback Sacks: Ryan Bailey – 4
Interceptions: Dylan Dominguez – 3
2021 Results
Kirtland 38 Raiders 15*
Raiders 15 Garaway 12*
Raiders 49 Crestwood 6*
Raiders 45 Rootstown 0*
Raiders 34 Hubbard 0
Raiders 49 Lakeview 10
Raiders 63 Jefferson 21
Raiders 41 Niles 0
Raiders 41 Girard 14
Raiders 42 Poland 34
Raiders 50 Struthers 13
Raiders 42 Canton CC 20
Raiders 40 University School 21
Raiders 41 Springfield 21
-playoff
2021 Northeast 8 Standings
South Range – 7-0 (13-1)
Hubbard – 6-1 (10-2)
Poland – 5-2 (8-4)
Girard – 4-3 (7-5)
Niles – 2-4 (4-5)
Struthers – 2-5 (4-6)
Jefferson – 1-5 (4-6)
Lakeview – 0-7 (0-10)
2022 Schedule
Aug. 18 – Springfield
Aug. 26 – at University School
Sept. 2 – at Canton Central Catholic
Sept. 9 – Struthers
Sept. 16 – Poland
Sept. 23 – at Girard
Sept. 30 – Niles
Oct. 7 – at Jefferson
Oct. 14 – Lakeview
Oct. 21 – at Hubbard
