Linsly released its football schedule earlier this week, and part of it raised more than a few eyebrows online.
The schedule’s difficulty is quite daunting to put it plainly. It’s filled with a number of Ohio blue bloods and other particularly strong teams.
Keep in mind, Linsly is not some Class AAA consolidation with 1,000-plus boys to pull from. You wouldn’t know it looking at the list of opponents.
Under normal circumstances, head coach B.J. Depew may privately steam over the schedule’s difficulty, wanting to do unspeakable things to his athletics director.
Except, he IS ALSO the athletics director.
“I’ve been asking for him to be fired for a little while now,” Depew said with a laugh. “It’s an interesting situation to be in obviously, being both the AD and head football coach. I suppose in a way it’s easier when trying to put all the schedules together. Obviously, you have to consult the head coach because their opinion matters, but I don’t have to go through that here.”
What Depew, his staff, and players do have to go through is an arduous journey that begins on August 27 with Martins Ferry and ends on October 29 at Holidaysburg, a non-WPIAL affiliated team near Altoona, Pa.
Only four teams from last season’s schedule—Martins Ferry, Steubenville, McGuffey, and Dover—return. The game with Dover was canceled last season, so the Cadets’ trip to Crater Stadium on Oct. 15 will be a first.
The schedule, and its difficulty are not something Depew sprung on his players all at once. He’s kept abreast of the evolving parade of teams lining the schedule, and with each increase in difficulty, the Cadets’ players became more and more excited.
Safe to say, for a coach, that’s a good sign.
“We’ve kept them informed as we’ve added teams, game by game,” Depew said. “They’ve been excited all the way through.
“The past few years we’ve been able to play some bigger schools with great traditions, and every time, we’d go through the group of seniors to ask them how they’d feel taking on that kind of challenge, and every single time it was met with great enthusiasm.
“The kids love being in big games, and I truly think they embrace the underdog role. It’s an opportunity to get out there and prove themselves against big time programs to prove they can compete.”
Best of the Best
Any schedule with Steubenville Big Red, Dover, and Martins Ferry on it, especially for a school the size of Linsly, is impressive on its own.
Those three teams also make up the entirety of the Cadets’ OVAC Schedule. It gives Linsly the minimum conference opponents required to play for an OVAC team championship.
Only two West Virginia schools found their way onto the schedule. Both are new additions, and both will provide significant challenges.
After Linsly kicks off the season at Martins Ferry, the Cadets return for their home opener against defending Class AA champion Fairmont Senior. The Polar Bears may have lost Kennedy Award runner-up Gage Michael, but they return a boatload of skill talent as well as big, fast linemen on both sides of the ball.
The other W.Va. team on the schedule? That would be the Class AAA Princeton Tigers, led by one of the top returning quarterbacks in the state in junior Grant Cochran.
Three new Ohio teams join the schedule, including the homecoming game against Louisville on October 23. The other Buckeye State teams need no introduction in Canton Central Catholic and Cardinal Mooney out of Youngstown.
Safe to say, there’s not a gimme to be found on this schedule.
“There are no easy weeks to take a deep breath, and there’s certainly not a single team to overlook,” Depew said. “Every program on our schedule is good enough to beat us. I don’t think I’ve ever thought that or said it before. I’m not sure many others can go into the season and say the same. The reality is, we have 10 good programs on the schedule.
The Cadets also face said schedule while breaking in a new quarterback. 2021 graduate Hunter Kelley picked up his diploma and is off to collegiate pastures.
Depew noted he has two promising youngsters battling it out for the starting job. But no matter who wins it, the rookie under center will likely face one of the more difficult slates for a new varsity starter.
“It’ll be a tough way to start your varsity QB career,” Depew said. “Whoever it is that starts on Aug. 27 will be taking the first as a varsity starter for the first time.”
No Playoffs, No Problem
Not being a member of the WVSSAC, Linsly is not eligible for the postseason. So, the danger of overscheduling and missing the playoffs is not there.
That being said, Depew isn’t scheduling a difficult schedule just to pile up losses simply to say, “Hey, we played them.
“You do run the risk of your record maybe not being what you’d like it to be,” Depew said. “Your goals are to make the playoffs or have the best possible record, but we also want to make sure our kids have the best possible experience.
“A lot of them are looking to play college football, and they are out there not afraid to compete. That’s a credit to our kids. That’s not the AD talking or the coach, but they do love to compete. We are not afraid to lose. That doesn’t mean we like it, but we’re not afraid to risk it.”
A difficult schedule against top competition could also help in bringing more interested students into the Linsly fold.
“If you want to bring your program to the next level, you have to challenge yourself, and I believe we’ve done that,” Depew said.
