By Lynn Saternow

Herald Sports Editor

THERE’S NOTHING like experience when it comes to high school playoff football. Wilmington and Farrell are both prime examples of that.

Even though both teams only clung to slim 7-0 leads at halftime during their District 10 semifinal victories this past weekend, they didn’t panic and both exploded offensively in the second half. As with all good teams, defense hangs strong until the offense gets rolling.

“You have to be patient,” said veteran Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli after a 35-7 win over Gen. McLane Saturday. “The other team is allowed to be good too. But it’s a sign of maturity. Our defense held us in there.”

Of course some of that maturity comes from the fact that Wilmington is a perennial playoff team and has won 8 District 10 titles. The Hounds have been in the D-10 championship tilt the last three seasons, winning the last two.

Farrell second-year coach Jarrett Samuels has taken his squad to the playoffs both seasons and it’s apparent that the team learned from last year’s loss in the semifinals, when they let a slim lead slip away. This time they buried Saegertown in the second half, leaving nothing to chance.

According to unofficial reports, Wilmington is striving to be the first team ever to make it to the Western Regional Class AA Championship game for three straight years. The Hounds lost to the Tyrell Pryor-led Jeanette the last two seasons in the final step to the state final. Jeannette was ousted from the WPIAL finals this past weekend by Beaver Falls, 35-28.

There’s no doubt that defense wins championships and both Wilmington and Farrell have defenses that can take them far down the playoff road.

With the Wilmington faithful chanting “Hammer, Hammer, Hammer” the defense responded countless times to stop a powerful Gen. McLane club, including a few on key 3rd- and 4th-down plays.

Meanwhile, the speedy Farrell “D” was constantly in the backfield against previously unbeaten Saegertown Friday night in a 31-0 romp that was a sour end to a great season for Saegertown coach Ken Achenbach, former Sharon and Thiel College standout.

While Verrelli refers to the importance of patience, Farrell’s Samuels also knows a little bit about the subject as well. Because of injuries and several disciplinary suspensions — for everything from academics, to violations of school rules to out-of-school problems — Samuels waited all season until last weekend to have his entire team back on the field.

Because of having so much talent on hand, he admitted there weren’t enough footballs to go around. “Everybody’s yelling at me that they want to play,” said Samuels about the sidelines during the game. Of course that’s a good problem to have.

Samuels, a former Farrell and Westminster College linebacking star, has done a tremendous job in trying to instill discipline in his team. The kids go to study table and need to keep up their grades in order to play. He also has team rules that are sometimes stricter than school rules.