READY TO GO — The Big Red offense put up big numbers last week and will look to do so again when Steubenville meets Indian Valley in the Region 15 semifinals in St. Clairsville on Friday night. - Andrew Grimm

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A season ago on a frigid November evening, Steubenville and Indian Valley went toe-to-toe inside Red Devil Stadium in a battle for the Division IV, Region 15 championship.

Big Red dominated the Braves 41-7 and advanced to the final four where Reno Saccoccia’s club dropped a heartbreaking 32-20 verdict to Cincinnati Wyoming.

The two teams will return to Belmont County Friday for a Region 15 semifinal bout. The opening kick is set for 7 p.m.

Steubenville, the top seed in the region and winners of 11 straight, advanced via a 50-26 thumping of Newark Licking Valley. In that game, Big Red racked up 516 yards of offense (254 rushing and 262 through the air). The 13th seeded Braves, now 9-3, went on the road and took down No. 3 Columbus Bishop Ready 34-13. Indian Valley started the playoffs by eliminating fourth-seeded Circleville Logan Elm 48-27.

Matt Lancaster’s Braves are just one of three double-digit seeds still alive in the playoffs. The others are Norwalk St. Paul, the 13th seed in Division VII Region 25 and St. Henry, which started as the 14th seed in region 28.

“I am proud of what our group has been able to do in the playoffs so far,” Lancaster said. “We have been undersize all year and our two playoff games were no different.

“We play with a lot of young kids, and I am pleased with how our leaders have brought this group together. We also play a difficult schedule for us, so I believe that helped prepare us for these playoff games as well.

Along the offensive front, Indian Valley starts just one senior (Hayden Rentsch, 6-0, 280), two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman.

Saccoccia agrees the regular season schedule Indian Valley played prepared the Braves for the post-season.

“I’m not sure they have surprised anyone,” said Saccoccia. “Their schedule dictated where they landed in the region. They played a very good, very competitive schedule.

“I think that prepared them for the playoffs. In my opinion, the teams they have beaten in the playoffs were not nearly as good as the teams they played during the regular season.”

During the regular season, the Braves beat Akron Ellet, Meadowbrook, Cambridge, Sandy Valley, Ridgewood, Tuscarawas Valley and Claymont. They fell to Dover, Garaway and St. Clairsville. Big Red recorded a 34-14 victory over Dover.

“They have a really good running game,” Saccoccia said about the Braves. “Grady Kinsey and Kolton Thomas are two players that really get after it. The offensive line does a really good job but 22 (Kinsey) and 7 (Thomas) run with wreck less abandonment and we respect both of them.”

Kinsey, a 5-9, 185-pound sophomore, leads the IV rushing attack with 1,235 yards on 143 carries. He has 26 rushing touchdowns. Thomas (6-1, 180) is a senior who has run for 429 yards on 60 attempts. As a receiver, he leads the team with 64 receptions good for 645 yards and five scores.

Thomas was pressed into action at quarterback last season after Sam Carter went down with an injury. Carter, a 5-9, 170-pound senior, has thrown for 1,433 yards, completing 135 of his 181 passing attempts. He has thrown for 13 touchdowns.

In 12 games, Indian Valley has compiled 2,624 yards on the ground and 1,567 via the air.

“Last year was last year–we were a different team and so were they,” Saccoccia said. “The one difference is their quarterback, No. 2 (Carter) is back and healthy and they have been able to use Thomas in a variety of ways.

“We are two different teams this year with the same names.”

Kinsey was a first-team all-Eastern District Division IV selection along with defensive lineman Jaxon Burcher and linebacker Quake Beatty. Thomas was a first team selection as a defensive back.

In the win over Licking Valley, Big Red senior tailback Savier Faulks collected 190 yards on 21 totes and scored twice. In 10 games, he has 1,136 yards on 153 carries and has scored 19 touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Aydan Manning has now completed 144 of his 215 passing attempts for 1,934 and 17 touchdowns. He threw 248 against Licking Valley.

Isaac Hill, Big Red’s talented senior receiver, leads the team with 69 catches good for 1,044 yards and eight TDs.

Faulks and Manning both were first team all-Eastern District selections while Hill was named co-offensive player of the year and Saccoccia was a co-coach of the year.

Other Big Red first-teamers were junior offensive lineman Ben Burgey, senior lineman Javin Harper, senior defensive lineman Peyton Gorby, senior lineman Santonio Brown, senior linebacker Elijah Mullins, senior linebacker Sabron Felton and junior defensive back Brody Saccoccia, the team’s leading tackler. B. Saccoccia was voted co-defensive player of the year in the district.

“I’m happy our seniors went out with a victory in their last game at Harding Stadium,” Saccoccia said. “We had 516 yards of offense (254 rushing and 262 via the air) but that is not the key to our team.

“The key to our team is protecting the football, having no pre-snap penalties and being real good tacklers.”

“I think this is the best Steubenville team we have played over the years,” Lancaster said.” Certainly, they are by far the best team we have played this season.

“There just aren’t any weaknesses with this team. They do everything right. They are physical, fast, athletic and very well coached.”

Big Red also recorded a playoff victory over Indian Valley in 2013.

When it comes to keys to a Friday night victory, both coaches stressed the need to protect the football.

“We have to protect the football, eliminate pre-snap penalties and be great tacklers,” Saccoccia said. “You can add to that the need to get lined up urgently since Indian Valley runs so many different formations.”

“Our kids are smart football players who watch a lot of films and have played in some very big games over the past two years,” Lancaster said. “So, they know they are the underdog in this matchup, and I’d lose credibility with them if I told them otherwise.

“We are honest with our kids and know at some point in the playoffs the team we play is going to be better than us. So, in order to pull off the upset, we will have to play our best game of the year and win the turnover battle.”

Friday’s survivor will face with either second-seeded Sheridan or number three Columbus Bishop Hartley in the regional title game on Nov. 17. The other semifinal contest will be played at White Field in Newark.