Ginn stands by his critique of Perkins

Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. is standing by remarks he made about Perkins' football program at a pep rally the day before Glenville won its second straight Division IV state championship last year. Perkins reached out to Glenville a couple weeks after the Tarblooders defeated the Pirates in a regional championship game last year. Perkins wanted to play in Week 4 this season. "I've never seen a most disrespectful program in my life. Nobody plays a team that's in your region," Ginn said to a crowd of supporters. "That shows the arrogance of their program. They think, we're not who you think we are. That's the type stuff we deal with. Because we're not Hulu. We're a professional high school football team." Ginn said Tuesday that, "I said what I said and I'm done with it." Perkins coach Jalen Santoro said Ginn's remarks last year were "kind of a shock." "All we wanted to do was play them during the regular season," Santoro said. "He kind of went on to talk about not playing teams in your region but they scrimmaged a St. Ed's team they played in the regular season. It didn't make much sense, but at the end of the day you use it as fuel going into this week." The friction between the programs was intensified by what happened before last year's game, Ginn said. "I would never have my staff come down to the 50-yard line, wearing sunglasses, and stare down people," Ginn said. "Be respectful, be professional. I don't have to receive intimidation. To see the intimidation they did to us before the game, the words I heard, the signs I saw, and they're asking us to play?" Ginn said he will avoid "any type of confrontation" in Friday's state semifinal matchup between the two teams in Clyde. "I want to stay positive and professional and have a good game," he said. "God already knows who's gonna win. I don't want no trouble, for real. All people do is talk." The Pirates ended up hosting Harvest Prep in Week 4 this season, winning 28-22. Glenville shut out John Hay, 34-0, on September 13. "We had a Week 4 opening and so did they," Santoro said. "It made sense to try to get them on the schedule because they're a good team and we wanted some good competition. We reached out to a handful of teams: Glenville, St. Ignatius, some other teams in the Cleveland area. "To make a comment solely based on the fact that we played them in a tight ballgame and wanted to play them again, it's definitely stored in the memory bank." Drive to Clyde Clyde is hosting the Perkins-Glenville game Friday. For the state semifinals, on Thanksgiving week, the OHSAA takes what it can get for hosts. Clyde athletic director Ryan Greenslade was reluctant to host, but he didn't turn down the OHSAA when it called. Perkins plays in Clyde every other season, so the Pirates are familiar with Robert J. Bishop Jr. Stadium. "We don't have to travel too far to play a big game, which is unique," Santoro said. "We obviously have familiarity with the field and the drive. End of the day it's a state semifinal game and our guys don't really care where they play." Glenville will hold a walk-through at Bellevue before heading to Clyde. "It's not a neutral site, but we have to do what they tell us," Ginn said. Santoro thinks the OHSAA should incentivize member schools to host during a holiday week. "OHSAA doesn't really give any incentive to host anymore; they essentially keep all the money from the gate," he said. "When you're asking for volunteers to work on a holiday week it's kind of hard to host. I understand why a lot of people aren't willing to host this week. As a school, you're not making much money off it. "The simple answer is OHSAA has to give the host school some of the profit from the gate. A ticket is 15 bucks. Shave off a few bucks from each ticket and give it to the school. That will open up your options — especially with every game being played on Friday night. It's not the old-school Friday-Saturday deal. That limits your options and you're not giving them anything so it'll be hard to find places to play." McGlashan's impact Junior defensive tackle John McGlashan played the first five games of the regular season before sitting out the next eight, including three playoff games. McGlashan, who was not available to play during his absence, showed up in the locker room last Thursday, ready to go. "Nobody really knew, including us (the coaches)," Santoro said. "It was good to have him back. It was a morale booster for sure." McGlashan went through one practice then started the Pirates' regional final game against Ontario. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound McGlashan made an immediate impact. He looks bigger than his listed 220. "He's a special player; he's one of the best D-linemen in the state of Ohio," Santoro said. "He showed that last week, not having the ability to practice for a long time and getting back out there and doing what he did. "We're extremely happy to have him back. I'm excited to see what he can grow into." Versatile Collier Senior Braylon Collier has left his mark as a wide receiver at Perkins, but he also plays some defensive back, punts, returns kicks and holds for placekicks. "Big games, you'll see him all over the field," Santoro said. Collier has caught 70 passes for 1,176 yards and 22 touchdowns this season, no doubt helping the transition to starter for junior Sam Schweinfurth. Schweinfurth has completed 153 of 232 passes for 2,504 yards, 35 touchdowns and six interceptions. "The timing comes from lots and lots of reps," Santoro said. "Obviously it took some time to build that chemistry, but it goes back to the spring when Sammy and his receivers would go out and throw and get a feel for each other."