Correspondent photo / Lowell Spencer Second-year East Palestine head football coach Michael Demster speaks to his team during a practice this offseason. Demster is heading into his second season at the head of the program and says he thinks the Bulldogs can build off the momentum they built up last year.

EAST PALESTINE — The East Palestine Bulldogs may not have shown vast improvement last year in Micheal Demster’s first season at the helm, but they are surely headed in the right direction.

They knocked off Leetonia in Week 4 to snap a 16-game losing streak, lost one game by just a touchdown and also only trailed league contender United by a touchdown at halftime. Lack of depth and injuries led to a few misleading scores as games got away from them in the second half.

“Winning is a process and it is learned,” Demster said. “So, for us last year, we just weren’t there. We weren’t ready to compete both physically and mentally for four quarters.”

This year, the players, coaches, and support staff are focused on making even bigger strides. They are also motivated to show community pride following the train derailment that occurred in the community this past spring.

It all began in the offseason as they enjoyed almost full capacity in the weight room this winter, including some junior-high participants. They were concentrating on improving both their athleticism and speed.

“The way the season ended, the kids were very positive,” Demster said. “We didn’t get as many wins as we wanted, but we played a lot of teams very hard that maybe didn’t expect that, and we came out and punched them in the mouth a little bit. It didn’t translate on the scoreboard at the end of the fourth quarter, but that momentum did carry on into the offseason.”

One key ingredient that the Bulldogs can count on to continue their progress is the guys in the trenches. The Bulldogs have the luxury of enjoying all five starting linemen returning this season.

“They are our heart and soul,” Demster stated. “They are leaders, and we expect an awful lot from them, and they know that. They have embraced that challenge, and they have done a great job of not only performing up to this point but in being leaders and being good examples with their work ethic.”

According to Demster, the success of the Bulldogs team this year will be self-determined. The players will need to put in the effort and dedication to enjoy whatever success they enjoy.

“That’s on them. I don’t make any plays. I don’t score any touchdowns or make any tackles or any of the coaching staff,” Demster said. “If you ask me if the pieces are there for us to have success, then yes. Now again, success is measured differently everywhere, but I feel that we have enough pieces that if we have that belief and we play together with what they are capable of doing I feel that we can surprise some people.”

OFFENSE

The Bulldogs return five of six starters on the offensive line, so coach Demster is going to rely heavily on his front-line players to pave the way to be successful. The Bulldogs finished the 2022 season as one of the top three rushing attacks in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference, so 2023 should provide the Bulldogs with even more success running the ball.

Junior center Dalton Johnson leads the group with sophomore guard Ethan Reed and junior Logen Guy at the other guard spot. Juniors Tommy Beaty and Anthony Lehman will man the tackle positions. Two promising freshmen in Lucas Inman and Cody Nahar may provide some depth up front.

Senior Shane Richardson will be the starting tight end with sophomore Ayvre Klingensmith serving as a backup.

“Offensively, we return our entire offensive line and our tight end, so we look for them to be our foundation,” Demster said. “Center Dalton Johnson, guards Ethan Reed and Logen Guy, along with tackle Anthony Lehman all had a tremendous offseason, and we look for them to set the tone.”

Another key component of the Bulldogs’ offense will be two returning two-year starters in junior quarterback Owen Jurjavcic and senior running back Jesse Lipp.

Jurjavcic threw for over 500 yards while Lipp ran for over 700 yards as they combined to score nine of East Palestine’s touchdowns. Talented freshman RJ May will serve as a backup to Jurjavcic. Senior Zac Hostetter and sophomore Zach Schnelle will also be in the backfield carrying the ball.

The receiving corps is where the Bulldogs are very young. Senior Noah McKay returns, but after him, the squad consists of sophomore Drew Bycroft, along with freshmen RJ May and Tanner Morrow. Junior Jeremiah Oldaker will also be in the rotation.

DEFENSE

The same group of linemen that Demster is counting on to lead the offense will also be heavily relied upon on the defensive side of the ball. Johnson, Beatty, Lehman and Reed will see a lot of action up front with the addition of Ayvre Klingensmith helping in the rotation. With six of their front seven returning, the defensive line should be the key to their defense in 2023.

The defense will be centered around Richardson at the middle linebacker position along with Jurjavcic at free safety. Demster is relying on the pair to have the Bulldogs’ defense lined up correctly and be the two leaders. McKay, who was a first-team All-EOAC performer last season, along with sophomore Zach Schnelle will return as starters at the outside linebacker position. Lipp and Guy will provide depth as inside linebackers.

“Owen and I are best friends,” Richardson stated. “We spend a lot of time together both on and off the field. Our chemistry on offense and defense is pretty good.”

The Bulldogs will be young in the secondary as they will count on May and Morrow or Bycroft to start at the cornerback positions. Jurjavcic will move to free safety after playing at linebacker last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Bulldogs lose the consistent performance of Ryan Rosen due to graduation, so they will turn to promising sophomore Mason Haldman to handle the kicking chores. Jurjavcic and Tommy Beatty will share the punting duties. The Bulldogs will rely on one or two of their running backs or receivers to step up by the start of the season to take over the punt and kickoff duties.

2023 Schedule

Aug. 18 at Newton Falls 7 p.m.

Aug. 25 vs. Toronto 7 p.m.

Sept. 1 at Bridgeport 7 p.m.

Sept. 8 vs. Lisbon 7 p.m.

Sept. 15 vs. Valley Christian* 7 p.m.

Sept. 22 at Southern* 7 p.m.

Sept. 29 vs. Wellsville* 7 p.m.

Oct. 6 vs. Columbiana* 7 p.m.

Oct. 13 at Leetonia* 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 at United* 7 p.m.

*Conference game

2022 Results (14-1)

vs. Malvern (8-3) 14-31

at Toronto (6-5) 7-42

vs. Campbell Memorial (2-8) 14-21

vs. Leetonia (0-10) 34-0

at Wellsville (4-6) 14-46

vs. Lisbon (5-6) 0-34

vs. United (9-3) 6-42

at Columbiana (3-7) 14-46

at Southern (11-2) 0-45

Coaching staff

Head coach: Michael Demster, 2nd season, 1-8; 11-28 overall

Staff: Jim Young, John Jurjavcic, Brock Jurjavcic, Levi Kunselman, JD McBride, Mike Cope, Dan Kibler, Rick Hostetter, Mike Loyd, Dominic Posey

Team facts

Division VI, Region 21

Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference

Players on roster: 33

Returning letterwinners (14): Noah McKay, Drew Bycroft, Owen Jurjavcic, Jesse Lipp, Zac Hostetter, Logen Guy, Ethan Reed, Tommy Beatty, Dalton Johnson, Aiden Zombeck, Anthony Lehman, Jeremiah Oldaker, Ayvre Klingensmith, Shane Richardson.

2022 Season: The Bulldogs snapped a 16-game regular-season losing streak and a 20-game EOAC losing streak when they knocked off league rival Leetonia 34-0 in Week 4. The Bulldogs were more competitive in the 2022 season and look to make more strides going into the 2023 campaign.