NEW WILMINGTON — If any of the Farrell football players have superstitions, somebody forgot to tell them they were playing their first game in the District 10 playoffs on Friday the 13^th.

Playing all aspects of the game and playing them very well, the Steelers scored early, often and in many different ways as they overwhelmed the Eisenhower Knights, 53-0, to advance to the District 10 Class A semifinals.

“That is one thing we stressed in camp as well as all season,” said Farrell head coach Jarrett Samuels about a well-balanced attack. “Our special teams have been coming up big for us, especially in our close games. I learned those things right here in this town where I played my college ball at Westminster College.”

The Steelers will face the Linesville Lions in the semis, a team they defeated 40-0 in the regular season. Linesville advanced to the district semis with a lopsided 47-6 win over Cambridge Springs.

If there was a negative in the Farrell win, it came in the penalty department where the Steelers were flagged no less than a dozen times for a total of 91 yards.

“Too many penalties and the missed extra points,” grumbled Samuels. “We talked about the penalties and worked on the extra points because you can’t have those things at this stage of the season,” said Samuels. “But the defense really got after them and it was just an overall team effort and I am really proud of the guys right now.”

The Steelers spread the scoring wealth around as five different players got into the scoring act, led by Kevin Brodie with three touchdowns.

Brodie posted his three scores in three different ways as he returned a punt for 42 yards to the house, scampered in from 18 yards out for a rushing TD, and later hauled in a 28-yard pass from quarterback Danny Odem to complete his “hat” trick.

Joining Brodie in the scoring parade were Jamar Whitman with a 1-yard run, Dion Eilam with a 53-yard pass-and-run from Odem plus a 73-yard punt return, Devonte Goudy with a blocked punt and recovery in the end zone and Malcolm Hailstock with a 4-yard run.

Although the Steelers won many regular season games by wide margins, they also found themselves in a few close encounters that could help them down the road as they get deeper into the playoffs.

“We got challenged in the Sharpsville game and we had a bad performance against Lakeview,” said Samuels. “But I told the guys to stay focused and stay healthy so that we can execute our game plan every time we come out. The only team that is going to beat Farrell right now is Farrell if we stay focused like this.”

Looking ahead to meeting Linesville in the semifinal round, Samuels says he likes where his team is right now because his players know what to expect from the Lions.

“We are injury free and pretty healthy right now,” he said. “Stage one is over and we have to continue to take it game by game. Hopefully our guys are focused enough to stay on our mission. If we stay focused and play Farrell football, we’ll be fine.”

Key Offensive Performers: Jamar Whitman (57) and Malcolm Hailstock (40) combined to rush for 97 yards, while quarterback Danny Odem only completed two passes for 81 yards, but both hookups resulted in Farrell touchdowns.

Key Defensive Performers: Kevin Brodie and Danny Odem each intercepted a pass, while defensive lineman Devonte Goudy blocked an Eisenhower punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.

Key Plays: The Steelers scored three of their eight touchdowns as a direct result of special teams play. Devonte Goudy blocked a punt for a touchdown, while Brodie and Dion Eilam each returned an Eisenhower punt for a score. Eilam also hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Odem.

It Was Over When: Farrell racked up 34 points in the second period to take a 47-0 lead at halftime and put the Mercy Rule into effect.

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