His passion for the game makes him seem much larger than his stature.

“Heart over anything,” Talley said. “Height don’t mean nothing. You got to go out there and do what you got to do.”

Talley’s teammates felt the same after he was carried off of the Rayen Stadium field on Saturday afternoon, celebrating a 63-6 win over Perry (Pa.) Traditional Academy.

It didn’t take the junior defensive back long to make his mark against a Perry team that came in 2-0 to Youngstown, leaving 2-1.

Staff photo / John Vargo Reuben Talley (11) of East runs away from Pittsburgh Perry defender Timothy Henderson (7) during the Golden Bears’ win on Saturday.

Talley focused on the errant pass thrown toward the East sideline. No one was in his way as he returned the Perry pass 37 yards for a touchdown with 11:12 left in the first quarter.

“I kept telling him, ‘Those tall guys are going to go after you,'” East coach Brian Marrow said. “He looked at me and said, ‘I want them to come after me.’ He set the tone with the Pick 6.”

East’s defense set the standard by holding its opponents to 14 points in its first two games — beating Liberty 48-8 in Week 1.

Saturday, the Golden Bears (2-0) held the Commodores to nine yards on 16 carries. It would’ve been negative yardage if not for a few positive yardage plays late in the game.

Perry committed six turnovers — three interceptions and three fumbles.

Staff photo / John Vargo East's Reuben Talley, left, runs away from Pittsburgh Perry's Kareem Adams, right. East's Zion Rushton, center, looks to make a block on Adams.

East defensive coordinator Kevin Cylar said the Golden Bears’ performance is reflective of the team’s upbringing.

“It’s a reflection of the way these kids grow up,” Cylar said. “They’re a tough, rugged group. We work hard, great shape. They’re assignment sound.”

Of course, this is a very confident East team coming off of two stellar performances.

“I feel like we’ve got the best defense in the state,” said an exuberant Talley. “I don’t think nobody can do nothing on our defense. We just lock down on them and everything.”

Offensively, the Golden Bears ran roughshod over Perry with 39 carries for 314 yards, led by Maleek McIntosh’s 16 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Isiah McBride was 10-for-12 passing for 145 yards and two scores.

East has to clean up its penalties with 11 penalties for 102 yards at the half and 13 for 117 in all.

“I told those guys at halftime, ‘I love the intensity, but we have to be a lot smarter,'” Marrow said.

Marrow knows his team is in for a battle this Friday at Bo Rein Stadium. He said his coaches made the trip to Mount Union Stadium to see Niles rally to beat a good Alliance team and improve to 2-0.

“I was highly impressed with the way they played hard,” Marrow said.

Cylar, who is East’s basketball coach, said Talley has a 37-inch vertical. Cylar said his point guard can almost dunk.

“He’s like a pogo stick,” Cylar said. “He just leaps up.”

He went on about Talley, saying he was non-assuming, mild mannered, going out and making plays. He comes from a great family.

Talley came by during the conversation and put a finger to his lips. He’s not about the praise, just getting things done for East.

“He’s an inspiration to us,” Marrow said. “He’s the shortest guy, but I don’t know if anyone has a bigger heart than him. That shows.

“He’s just a great athlete. It doesn’t matter about your size. You can’t measure a man’s heart. That just, today, shows what he’s all about right there.”