Sheridan’s defense leading the way to 5-0 start

THORNVILLE, OH- The Sheridan Generals are off to their first 5-0 start since 2020. The defense has contributed to a lot of the success through the first five weeks. Head coach Paul Culver III knows how to get his guys ready.

“This group has taken it to another level. They buy in and they make plays when you really need something. Someone has to go above and beyond like what senior safety Brandon Weber did the other night causing a fumble on a crucial drive. The kids are making plays.”

Last Friday two undefeated teams clashed when the 4-0 John Glenn Muskies came to town. The Generals walked away with a close 14-0 win. A key moment in the game was a goal line stand made by Sheridan. The Muskies had five unsuccessful tries before turning the ball over on downs. “When we say that our nickname is the Red Rage it’s the nickname of the defense. It’s the way our defense plays, angry and flying to the ball.” Said Culver. “We try not to change it, we coach it the same way. We spend an awful lot of time on it each week and that was a great example of it. While it was fortunate in that sense, it’s also execution. We practice that goal line front a lot.”

The team replaced a lot of starters, but giving underclassmen Friday night coaching at a young age makes them ready to play. Every detail must be accounted for. “Teams don’t line up in funny ways for no reason. Every formation has a design to it and it’s the same thing offensively. We really focus on formation recognition as a defense because we don’t want to get caught off guard.” Culver said.

The Generals haven’t allowed more than 19 points in a game. That success can help any quarterback, especially the Generals signal caller Caden Sheridan. “If I make a mistake or the offense makes a mistake, we know the defense is going to pick us up. They have been big all year and have picked us up a couple times last week. It takes pressure off the hands of the offense when we know we have a defense that is going to ball out.” Said Sheridan.

Last year the Generals won two playoff games before losing 17-7 in the third round to Bloom-Carroll. With the 5-0 start to this season, those expectations remain high. “At this point you think second and third round advancement is a basic goal. If we are knocked out in the first or second round, we’re disappointed on some levels. We want to get to that third and fourth round consistently. Those are our baseline goals, but this group has bigger goals in mind.” Culver said.

For now, the Generals will take it week-by-week and prepare for the 0-5 River View Black Bears on Friday at 7 p.m.