Shady Spring – Shady Spring linebacker Bryson Pinardo said it best following the Tigers’ 40-26 win over PikeView in their season finale.
“The season started rough for us,” the senior said. “Everybody kind of looked down on us. Throughout the school, throughout the community everybody was like ‘Are you guys really that good?’ So the rest of the year we wanted to prove to everybody that we could go to the playoffs and we are a playoff team.”
The doubts were justified as the team started 1-2 with a pair of blowout losses to playoff teams Nicholas County and Independence.
But as fate would have it the stars were aligning for the Tigers. After a loss that was eventually overturned and ruled a forfeit win following a ruling that Westside used ineligible players, the Tigers won six of their last seven games, to secure the No. 15 seed in the Class AA playoffs.
At the end of the day it’s a testament to the program Shady Spring head coach Vince Culicerto has built as the Tigers head to the postseason for the third time in four years.
“I tell ya, early we played some tougher teams in Nicholas County and Independence and we had a couple of injuries,” Culicerto said. “We’ve just kind of been hanging in there and when you come back in some games – the Wyoming East game was unfortunate and what happened six players were ejected). But we kind of rallied. We had a few players that were starters go out and everybody else rallied and we got the win. It was a hard win to get but we got it and that kind of gelled us a bit.
“We lost those players the next week, but once everybody came back we pretty much won. We got on a roll here which has been great.”
If the Tigers hope to stay on that roll they’ll have to solve a question they once had the answer to – how do you stop Independence?
Led by all-state running back Atticus Goodson, the Patriots have terrorized the Tigers for two years. After Goodson was held to 34 yards – the lowest output of his career – when the two teams met in 2019, a 34-0 Shady win, he’s since made up for the dud with 300-yard rushing performances in each of his last two games against the Tigers.
The good news for Shady is that Goodson, who’s dealing with a leg injury, may not suit up for the Patriots. The bad news is it’s hardly mattered yet. While Goodson is one of the state’s best players his teammates have proven more than capable in his absence, scoring 60 points in each of the two games he’s missed.
In their matchup earlier this season, Patriots QB Logan Phalin threw for 189 yards, connecting with receiver Cyrus Goodson four times for 113 of them.
The final result was a lopsided 50-17 decision, but it doesn’t have Culicerto and Co. deterred. If anything they feel as though the pressure’s off.
“It can be tough because they did beat us so decisively,” Culicerto said. “But on their end it’s kind of tough too because they could overlook us easily. That’s kind of what we talked about and kids can’t help it sometimes. They just think after they beat somebody that bad that they can overlook you but we’re no pressure. That’s what I’ve told them. We just need to play loose. Like ‘hey guys, we’re supposed to lose.’ If we just go in and play loose and play ball like we’ve kind of done the last little bit, hopefully it’s a better outcome.”
Speaking of the last little bit, the manner in which the Tigers have won should aid them provided they can keep the game close. Three of their seven wins have come by a single possession with their latest, the 40-26 win at PikeView, the result of a second-half comeback after trailing 20-7.
While winning one-score games isn’t a skill and statistically speaking evens out in the long run, it’s provided the Tigers with crucial situational experience, something they hope aids them Friday as they face their Goliath.
“It’s been a rollercoaster ride and it’s about killed all of us coaches,” Culicerto chuckled. “We’ve came back a couple times and that’s good that they don’t give up. That’s always a good sign that they don’t but it’s hard on the heart. They’ve kept at it though. The Liberty game was a real big win for us. That was one some folks didn’t expect us to go down there and hang with them and we did. And played well at times. We got down and still came back. They’re a resilient bunch and that’s what I’ve preached to them and that’s what we’ve hung our hat on.
“We don’t give up and we keep playing. We’ve done some things where we can score on you at any time and we work on it. We keep plugging and try to get what they’re giving us.”
The Tigers will open the postseason Friday when they travel to Independence. Kickoff is se for 7:30 p.m.
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