Correspondent file photo / David Dermer South Range defensive back Gavin Hiscox (21) celebrates during a game against Struthers on Sept. 20 in Beaver Township.

Asking if there are high hopes for South Range’s football program is about as rhetorical a question as there can be.

The Raiders have not simply been the best team in the Northeast 8 Conference since its inception; it has dominated the NE8. Aside from the league’s inaugural season, South Range has been perfect against its conference rivals.

Back on Oct. 4, 2019, the Raiders suffered a 35-34 overtime loss to Niles, their second defeat in three games in the league. The following week, South Range crushed then-conference foe Jefferson 57-6 for an emphatic first win in a now 38-game win streak against the NE8 that is nearing its sixth anniversary.

“There’s excitement around our program all the time,” Raiders head coach Dave Rach said. “I just think our community loves high school football. Our kids love playing football. Our coaches are excited. So I think there’s energy in that respect. I think our guys also understand that every year is a new year, and we have to earn it and get it as our works deserve.”

Since taking over the program for Dan Yeagley in 2023, Rach has successfully picked up where his legendary predecessor left off.

Yeagley, Rach’s coach when he attended South Range, led the Raiders to 248 wins, three regional titles, and in the final season of his 28-year career, a 16-0 record and Division V state championship.

While the state crown has eluded Rach so far, if South Range continues the trend established in his first two seasons at the helm, it will only be a matter of time.

In 2023, the Raiders went 12-2 and reached the regional final before losing to Perry. Last season, they overcame Poland, their toughest regular-season opponent, for a second time in dramatic fashion to capture the regional championship. The following week, Liberty Center handed South Range its only loss of the year in the state semifinal.

Despite the win streak and the expectation that the season will last well past 10 weeks, Rach insists his team is not overlooking anyone.

“Every team in the conference has a unique skill set and identity, where it seems like every week we’re preparing for a championship game because we know that we’re going to get something that’s really challenging with each one of our opponents,” Rach said of the NE8.

“So for us, we don’t really pay a whole lot of attention to our past record against any of our opponents – certainly not in that league – because we know that any given week, they can jump up and get you.”

OFFENSE

The face might not be familiar, but the name sure is.

Sophomore Nick Toy takes over as the Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2025, succeeding cousin Tristan Toy, whose versatility proved invaluable in his two years as the starter.

And while some coaches might be concerned about a new quarterback, particularly an underclassman, Rach maintains he is confident in the younger Toy.

“I think it’ll be a really smooth transition for him, I’m going to be honest with you,” Rach said. “I don’t think we’re really concerned about that. He’s been in huge athletic environments his whole career, so I don’t worry about him in any kind of moments or any kind of situations and how he’ll handle himself. We really think the world of him as a leader and as a competitor. He played some for us last year on the varsity team in football. He had a great basketball season with the varsity. So, he’s no stranger to big environments.”

Instead, Rach stressed the importance of a complete effort offensively to maintain what was a consistently potent attack a year ago, one that scored no fewer than 35 points in a game until the week of Thanksgiving.

“It doesn’t matter, you have to have 11 pieces working together, whether it’s offense or defense or special teams. No one guy or no two guys are going to make or break us,” Rach said. “It’s a matter of how good we can get, really, as an offense. And we obviously will break down, and we’ll grade each position, position by position. But at the end of the day, those guys have to develop some chemistry and make sure they’re all on the same page and communicating at a high level and rallying together.”

In addition to Tristan Toy, starting running back Aidan Dominguez graduated this past spring, which, combined with Nick Toy’s more passer-oriented style, should open up a lot of carries for the Raiders’ three-headed rushing attack.

Jason Vorshak, Jimmy Hagan and Drew Starkey will comprise the running back trio for South Range this season, and Rach said each of them could be equally vital to the rushing attack, which had relied heavily on Tristan Toy’s dynamism the last two years.

“Maybe if somebody separates themselves as a bell cow, we’ll stick with that. Otherwise, we’ll kind of keep on rolling all three of them. … They all bring something different, unique and, I think, special to the table. So I would expect us to kind of use those guys interchangeably and try to put all three in the best position possible,” Rach said.

Up front, South Range boasts a senior-laden offensive line, which Rach said the Raiders will lean on, particularly early in the season, as the younger, less experienced position players learn on the job.

Cody Ewert, Kellen Pitzer and Adam Albaugh, the lone returning starter O-lineman, are expected to be among the key contributors in protecting the evolving backfield.

The wide receivers are made up of several “unique” players, including returning starter Gavin Hiscox, senior Frank Slaina, sophomore Collin Kay, junior Vincent Pulido and regional title game hero Tommy Titus, all of whom Rach said will see varsity time as the staff finds ways to utilize each of them.

James Dysert and Guido Miller are expected to be the team’s top tight ends, while Tommy Valentine, Demetri Gonatas and Daniel Landis will be working at wing back.

DEFENSE

Even more so than its offense, South Range will have to overcome youth on defense.

Only Hiscox, part of the defensive backfield, started for South Range last season, when the Raiders pitched four shutouts and kept 10 opponents under 17 points.

“As far as defensively, I think for us, only returning one starter, it’s gonna continue to be a work in progress,” Rach said. “But we’ve had a lot of guys that have been in the mix and played a ton for us last year.”

Many of the prospective offensive linemen are in contention to start on the defensive line as well, according to Rach. Among them is Ewert, who the coach said will help ” tremendously” on both sides of the ball.

Starkey, who saw plenty of playing time a year ago, could very well “anchor” the Raiders’ defense, Rach said. He will be joined in the linebacker corps by Pitzer, Landis and Hagan.

And in the secondary will be Hiscox, who had a standout sophomore season, and many of his fellow wide receivers. Vorshak, Titus, Kay, Pulido and Slaina are expected to see time as defensive backs, a position of apparent confidence for South Range.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Unlike many other groups, South Range will enjoy some consistency in the special teams department.

Vorshak, a second-team All-NE8 selection, returns as the Raiders’ punter. Rach said he will likely do the placekicking as well with the departure of Luke Starkey.

South Range also returns its long snapper, Valentine, who has started the previous two years. He will be snapping to either Titus or Hagan.

“As far as the holding goes, they’ve both done a great job,” Rach said.