IN 2008, St. Paul quarterback Eric Schweiterman was named the Division VI Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 1,778 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing 60 times for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Under Schweiterman’s direction the Flyers advanced to the regional final, falling to Hopewell-Loudon, 42-21.

When the Flyers square off with Berlin Center Western Reserve Saturday at Whitney Field in Norwalk, this season’s Division VI Offensive Player of the Year might be on the other sideline.

Senior quarterback Shane Ewing has put up Schweiterman-like numbers for the Blue Devils this season. He has completed 139 of 212 passes for 2,156 yards and 24 touchdowns (against just five interceptions) to lead Western Reserve to a 9-1 record, with its only loss coming to McDonald, the fifth-ranked D-VI team in the state.

Ewing’s passer rating was a gaudy 127.0

Ewing, at 6-foot-3, 192 pounds, also rushed 116 times for 760 yards and 12 touchdowns, but was the only Blue Devil with more than 250 rushing yards.

During the regular season Ewing’s favorite target was 6-3 senior receiver Clayton Hull. The speedster caught 57 passes for 1,059 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Western Reserve’s offense was explosive all season, averaging 402.8 yards per game (232.8 in the air, 170.4 on the ground).

St. Paul coach John Livengood, who is in his 19th season at the helm of the program, thinks Ewing is the real deal.

“He’s very impressive, he has a great arm and very good speed,” Livengood said. “Defensively we’ll have to do two things — first we’ll have to cover their receivers, because they have great athletes, and second we’ll have to contain the quarterback.

“We can’t allow him to break off big plays and pick up big chunks of yardage on broken plays.”

The Flyers have the defense to accomplish those goals, led by linebackers Mitchell Gross, Adam Smith and Griffin, who combined for 238 tackles and 11 sacks. Junior defensive lineman Joel Boose led St. Paul with eight sacks.

Overall, the St. Paul defense was one of the stingiest in the state, allowing just 122.1 yards per contest (73.1 rushing, 49.0 passing) and pitching five shutouts.

The Flyers out-scored their regular season opponents, 481-50.

Schweiterman, was unable to replicate his big 2008 numbers. He missed the Flyers’ first five games with an injured throwing hand, meaning Dan Tracht — St. Paul’s leading receiver last season – had to move under center for the first half of the season. Tracht responded by leading the Flyers to a 5-0 record, completing 24 of 46 passes for 460 yards and seven touchdowns against just one interception.

When Schweiterman came back from injury he lit up the Firelands Conference, completing 43 of 59 passes (72.9 percent) for 687 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions — an eye-popping 150.9 passer rating.

The Flyers ran the football as well, led by senior running back Brian Griffin’s 1,058 yards on 146 carries (7.2 yards per carry) with 19 rushing touchdowns. Zach Service added 511 rushing yards on 76 attempts (6.7 ypc) with eight touchdowns.

“We feel good because we finally have all our weapons back,” Livengood said. “We feel now like we have everyone where we wanted them to be at the beginning of the season. Dan Tracht did a great job filling in when Eric was down and everyone picked up for Brian Griffin when he was hurt.

“We had some adversity this season, and I think adversity makes you stronger. That’s what I’m the most proud of about this group — that they were able to overcome everything they faced, didn’t make any excuses, kept working hard and focused on their goals.”

The Blue Devils defense has been up to the test all season. They gave up an average of 191.7 yards per game (125.6 rushing and 66.1 passing) while outscoring their opponents 364-72 this season. Their only loss of the season came on Oct. 16 when they lost to McDonald, 24-11.

Western Reserve will hope to set an early tone. St. Paul dominated its opponents in the first two quarters this season, outscoring them 146-17 in the first period and 177-14 in the second (a combined 320-31 before halftime). The Flyers’ defense was at its best in the third quarter, where it allowed just six points all season.

Livengood wants his Flyers to come out and set the tone early.

“That’s really important,” he said. “We have to come out and start the game strong to put some doubt in their minds. You don’t want a team to hang around because they start believing they can play with you.”

One thing is certain … St. Paul will not be overwhelmed by playing in the post season. The Flyers will be playing in the 36th playoff game in school history and have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.

Twenty current Flyers lettered on the team that advanced to the regional championship game last year, and this year’s senior class has never known a season that did not include playoff football. The Flyers have won 22 of their last 23 games and 33 of their last 36. St. Paul is 6-1 all-time in home playoff games.

All told, St. Paul has made 12 trips to the playoffs since 1995.

The Blue Devils’ playoff history is brief. In 1989, as a Division V school, they defeated Mingo Junction, 7-6, in the first round before falling to McDonald, 21-7. In 2006 they knocked off Ledgmont, 28-0, in the first round before falling to Columbiana, 14-9.

Last season they lost in the first round, 21-7, to McDonald.

Livengood doesn’t think Western Reserve’s thin playoff resume means anything.

“Every year is a new beginning,” Livengood said. “Our kids, especially our seniors, have a lot of playoff experience and they know what to expect, but once you kick the ball off and start hitting the past doesn’t matter.

“We have to focus on the things we do and not worry about anything else. We’ll look to come out and play the best game we’ve played all season.”