Correspondent file photo / David Dermer Springfield’s Brayden Baird rolls out to pass during the first half of their game vs. Western Reserve in Berlin Center on Oct. 4.

Three weeks into the high school football season, the Springfield Tigers were 1-2 and about to begin league play.

A less experienced team may have found themselves searching for answers.

A coaching staff who hadn’t rebounded from tough losses and tough times in the past might have been tempted to revamp the playbook.

Not Springfield. Not with a veteran coach in Sean Guerriero who has 18 years and 130 wins under his belt with the Tigers. And not with a veteran team which includes 16 seniors, most of whom have already been on the field or the sidelines for nine playoff games during their high school football careers.

“We felt really good about ourselves after three games,” senior lineman Thomas Sheely said. “I mean, we weren’t happy with ourselves for losing those two games, but at the same time, we knew what we were capable of. I think our biggest thing was that we all knew that every player on this team was willing to put in the work to get better each week.

“Going into Week 4, we just kind of felt that if we stuck to our plan, we’d be okay. Our coaches always do a great job of putting together game plans. If we just kept pushing hard, we’d achieve our goal of winning a league title and making the playoffs.”

Indeed, the Tigers did just that, reeling off seven straight wins to capture the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier crown while earning the right to potentially host a pair of playoff games. The Tigers finished second in Division VI, Region 21, behind only Kirtland.

Tonight, Springfield (8-2) will host Black River (4-6) in a first-round game.

“We’re excited because we know what football means to this community and we know the tradition that was established in previous years,” Sheely said. “It was huge to win a league title because those games were against a lot of our rivals. Now it’s great to be in the playoffs and we feel like we’re still getting better as a team.”

Springfield opened its season with a 42-14 loss to South Range (10-0). That was followed by a win over Brookfield, then the Tigers fell 21-14 to Geneva (9-1).

The Tigers outscored seven league opponents 255-62.

Guerriero echoed the comments made by Sheely, saying he felt “comfortable” with his team following the 1-2 start.

“We played up with our non-conference schedule, and we came out of that Geneva game knowing that this senior class was going to keep everyone focused and on track,” Guerriero said. “I felt like we showed a lot of promise even in a loss, and I knew the potential was there to string together some wins.”

“At that point, it’s just a matter of working hard and focusing on improving as a team from week to week. Give these kids credit for doing just that.”

Springfield began conference play with lopsided wins over Waterloo, Campbell Memorial and Jackson-Milton. In Week 7, the Tigers earned a hard-fought 12-0 road win over Western Reserve (9-1), handing the Blue Devils their only setback of the season. That was followed by a 34-27 win at Mineral Ridge in a game that was decided in the final moments. The Tigers closed the regular season with comfortable home wins against McDonald and Lowellville.

“The Mineral Ridge game was a bit of a wake-up call in that we got into a shootout and we had to work extremely hard to earn that win,” Guerriero said. “We put ourselves into a situation where we had to run sort of a 2-minute offense, which we don’t do that often. Our guys executed and they made plays when they had to.”

Against the Rams, Tigers senior running back Dante Gentile led the way, rushing for 232 yards and four touchdowns. A Brayden Baird-to-Carson Cunningham 11-yard touchdown pass sealed the victory.

Through 10 games, Gentile has rushed for 1,714 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Cunningham leads the team in receptions (16) and receiving yards (227), while Baird has thrown for 495 yards and eight touchdowns.

And while Gentile has carried the load throughout the season, the Tigers have often benefited from big plays in big moments from his teammates.

In last week’s 43-12 win over Lowellville, Gentile rushed for 135 yards, but as a team, Springfield churned out 315 yards on the ground. Six different players scored touchdowns.

“I give our seniors a ton of credit,” Guerriero said. “They are extremely unselfish, they have all bought into what we are doing. Some of these kids know that they can probably get more touches, but they understand the game plan.

“We’ve truly been playing very well in all three phases of the game, and you don’t do that without a total team effort.”

Guerriero gave extra praise to the offensive line, which includes Sheely, Matthew Garcia, Donovan Tydings, Russell Lyda and Vinny Kinsey.

“I can’t say enough about the job this group has done,” Guerriero said. “There are so many times when Dante goes through a hole untouched. Those guys up front really are the spark plug to our offense. They get things started and then the skilled players follow their lead. Again, it’s an example of how everyone on the field works together for the same cause.”

Playing in Week 11 is nothing new to Springfield, which is making its sixth consecutive playoff appearance. Guerriero believes the experience will pay dividends this November.

“This group of seniors have played nine extra games, they’ve had nine extra weeks of practice over the past three years,” Guerriero said. “The players know how to approach the playoffs, the coaching staff understands how to handle the routine.

“When we went out and practiced (Monday), you would have thought we were gearing up for Week 1. We’re tough on our kids, our kids are getting after it, we’re pushing them and they welcome the challenge. This group knows that they are playing well right now, but, more importantly, they know that there is room for improvement, they know they can still get better.”

Tonight’s kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The winner will advance to play either Toronto or Wickliffe in a regional quarterfinal game.