SHADYSIDE – Starting the season with a sophomore quarterback replacing an All-Ohio signalcaller from a season ago, East Palestine head coach Michael Demster wasn’t sure what to expect in Thursday night’s season-opener at Shadyside.

It didn’t take long for Demster to figure out everything may just be alright.

Clark Rutledge threw for 196 yards and four touchdowns, junior RJ May had a trio of scores and the Bulldogs’ defense was stellar in an unexpected 40-7 victory over the Tigers at Fleming Field.

“We lost five offensive lineman and an all-state quarterback from last year, so with a different team we honestly didn’t know what to expect,” Demster commented. “But we got to town early, we got loose and everything else took care of itself.”

Things didn’t start out great for the ‘Dogs, howe

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