By Craig Dunn
Logan Daily News

LOGAN — Columbus Brookhaven boasts one major bullet point on its football resumé that the Logan Chieftains can’t: a state championship.
So in order for the Purple & White to reach the playoff promised land this fall, they’ll have to get past the 2004 state Division II champion Bearcats in a second-round DII contest Friday (7:30 p.m. kickoff) at Hamilton Township High School.

The Chiefs (11-0) are one of only two undefeated DII teams in the state (11-0 Cincinnati Turpin being the other) after previously-undefeated and top Region 7 seed Louisville was upset by visiting Columbus Marion-Franklin (please see “Chieftain Notebook” for more information) last Friday night.

But if there’s such thing as a quality loss, Brookhaven (9-2) has two of them: the Bearcats’ only setbacks are to 11-0 Dublin Coffman and 9-1 Hilliard Davidson, a pair of Division I powers who may collide for the DI Region 3 title next week — and that one Davidson loss was to Dublin Coffman.

“Each level (of the playoffs) gets more intense, the stakes are higher and the prizes better,” said Logan coach Dale Amyx. “Only two other (Logan) teams in the history of the school have been (in the second round of the playoffs), and only one team (the 2000 squad) has made the third round. It’s a great feeling and an exciting time.”

Much has been made of the Chiefs’ goal of going 15-0 and winning a state DII championship, which would be the first-ever state team title in any sport in LHS history.

They’ve set their goal bar as high as it can be set, and there’s no turning back now. But they also know looking past any particular playoff opponent could prove disastrous — particularly when your next opponent is a former state champion and perennial playoff power.

“I’ve had so many people ask me if (Brookhaven) is any good… and I say (to those people), ‘are you kidding?’ You have to be darn good to get this far,” Amyx said. “Each week the team you play gets better.”

With all due respect to Canal Winchester, which stayed with the Chiefs for a little more than a half before the Purple & White emerged with a 30-7 opening-round playoff win last week, Brookhaven possesses something the Indians didn’t have — nor, for that matter, any other team the Chiefs have faced this season:

“They’ll come at us with total team speed,” Amyx revealed. “Teams we’ve played may have one or two players, but not with the total speed Brookhaven has. They’re fast, with fast receivers and a running back (5-foot-7, 170-pound junior Donivan Lipsey) who we really have to watch.”

Amyx said the Chiefs watched three Brookhaven game films, including last week’s 27-20 overtime win over Columbus Walnut Ridge and the Bearcats’ 33-0 week-three loss to Dublin Coffman.

“They’ve thrown the ball more in the games we’ve seen, but I think they’re probably a little more of a running team,” said Amyx, pointing out Brookhaven quarterback Tajuan Green, a 6-0, 170-pound sophomore, throws the ball well.

The Chiefs can combat Brookhaven’s athleticism with several outstanding athletes of their own, and the outcome may very well hinge on how Brookhaven’s athletes can match up with Logan receivers Mason Mays, Zach McDaniel and Jordan Rutter.

Logan will be without one of its top defenders, junior nose guard Tyler Dement, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in practice late last week and is out for the season.

“It will take some time to heal, but he’ll be back for us next season,” Amyx said. “He did a really good job for us this season. You may not have seen it as much during a game, but when you watch him on film you see how effective he was.

“When we started the season we had no idea how we would be at nose guard,” the Logan coach continued, “but he started and played very well against Lancaster… and from then on we had a lot of confidence in him.”

The Chiefs also have confidence in junior Nathan Chandler, who had eight tackles and three first hits in taking Dement’s place full-time last week against Canal Winchester.

“Chandler is very good, too, and will be even better once he gets more confidence in himself, which he is doing,” Amyx said. “Where it hurts us is with our depth.”

Although eight Chiefs start on both offense and defense, “at this point of the season not too many kids want to come out of games,” the veteran Logan coach added. “But there are times where we need to get them some rest.”

The Bearcats, whose defensive front four averages 225 pounds per man, won’t be as big as some teams the Chiefs have faced this season… but they’re very quick, strong and athletic.

But the Chieftain coaching staff has the utmost of confidence in an offensive line that, as Amyx said after last week’s game, has been the team’s unsung heroes this season.

Center Bobby Russell anchors a line that includes tackles Brock Thompson and Tim King and guards Ralph Robinson and Jeff Murphy - seniors all, with the exception of King, a junior. They average a not-too-shabby 225 pounds across the front as well.

“I can’t talk enough about what they’ve done this season,” Amyx praised. “All the completions Pat (Angle) has, all the receptions our receivers have made, have been because our offensive line has given time to throw the ball.

“Everyone knows we’re going to throw the ball, but our running game has gotten better and they’re a big reason why,” he added. “We weren’t very good (run-blocking) early in the season, and we’re still not where we want to be now, but they’ve really gotten better. They’re firing out now, moving their feet well, and they’re doing everything from a two-point (stance) the last couple weeks.”

Russell, a three-year starter at center, is the mainstay of the O-line.

“He’s one of our team captains for a reason,” Amyx noted. “He calls out a lot of the other team’s defenses and he’s a team leader.

“I can’t think of a game when watching the films this season when I felt bad about the overall job our line did,” he added. “You can’t play on the offensive line and be dumb these days: other teams throw too many defenses (at the offense) and you have to be able to make adjustments during the course of a game, especially early on. You can’t wait for halftime or even during a break in the game.

“You have to make adjustments, and you have to make them quick.”

The Chiefs will be playing in familiar surroundings Friday night. They’ve played each of the last two seasons at Hamilton Township and won in convincing 49-7 fashion in week three this fall.

It will mark the first time the Chiefs have ever played an away playoff game on a field on which they also played during the regular season. While last year’s second-round game was at Zanesville, they played the Blue Devils at home last fall.

“We’re going back to a place where we’ve played well,” Amyx said, “and I do think that leads to a feeling of confidence on that field. But how much difference it will actually make is hard to tell.”

Confidence is the buzzword for the Chiefs as they continue along the playoff trail, which has been vacated by Louisville, the 800-pound gorilla that had been in their way since last November.

“(The Chiefs) are confident they can beat any team,” Amyx said, “and with Louisville losing, the region is wide open.”