SALEM - Tonight is a night not many people could honestly say they saw coming at this time last year. It's a night that many of been waiting all their lives for. It's the night the Salem Quakers play their first ever playoff game. The Quakers will be in Granville to play the Blue Aces in the first round of the Division III Region 11 playoffs.

Granville comes into the game at 9-1 and the champions of the Ohio Division of the Mid-State League. They are making their third straight playoff trip and fourth in school history, however they have yet to taste victory in the second season. This will also be the first time their school has hosted a playoff game.

When you look at the teams on the field, they seem to be mirror images of each other. Granville, much like Salem, runs out of the spread offense. Granville, much like Salem, has great talent and great speed at the skill positions. Granville, much like Salem, has a strong defense that makes life tough on opposing offenses.

"They are a good football team, a fast football team," Salem coach Mike Kopachy said. "They are very dangerous and have good weapons. They're a big play, big strike offense. You gotta contain them or they can score points in a hurry."

"They have a very fast, talented wide receiver that's a Ben Eisel type of guy."

That Ben Eisel type of guy is Josh McKenzie. McKenzie is the go-to-guy in the Granville passing attack catching 38 passes for 822 yards on the season, scoring eight touchdowns.

According to Kopachy, "They have two solid running backs that are a thunder and lighting type of combination."

Thunder would be Graham Rucker. Rucker has carried the ball 96 times this season for 629 yards and nine touchdowns. Lighting maybe the most dangerous weapon in Granville's arsenal. He is Tyler Link. Link is the Blue Ace's workhorse carrying the ball 159 times and amassing 1,358 yards, scoring 19 touchdowns. He also has caught 19 balls for 214 yards and one touchdown.

The quarterback is David Hettler who is 78-for-144 passing on the season for 1,336 yards, throwing 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

The Salem coaching staff has been studying film on Granville all week but according to Kopachy, film can only tell so much.

"It's hard to tell on film how strong some guys are or how fast some guys are," Kopachy said. "I like to see a team live to get a real grasp on who a team is. We'll know in the first series on each side of the ball what we're up against. I can tell though that they're a sound and well coached team."

Speed is a given for Granville and this won't be the first time Salem and Granville have met on a big stage. At last year's state track finals, Salem's championship 4x200 relay team that featured Eisel and Zach Penick saw Granville during the finals. McKenzie and Austen Harrison, a linebacker, were on that Granville relay team.

While Salem may be new to the playoff scene, Kopachy is a seasoned veteran. While head coach at Western Reserve, he guided the Blue Devils to the playoffs in 2006 and '08. According to Salem's coach, the most important thing for his team to know is to stay with what brought them to the dance.

"It's important for the kids to know that we're not going to change who we are in the playoffs," Kopachy said. "We're here for a reason and we gotta keep up with how we got here. We don't need a superhuman effort to advance, we just need to play Salem football."

One of the most challenging aspects to the playoffs Salem may have had to face was the three hour drive to Granville for the game, but Kopachy has found a way to take that out of the equation. He took the whole team down to Granville last night so his team can be at it's freshest on Friday.

"I know when I drive three hours the last thing I want to do is be active," Kopachy said. He believes it's also beneficial to take a break from the hysteria that has surrounded the team around town.

"When we get away from the distractions around town, we have more control," Kopachy said. "It's a better chance to get them focused, relaxed and ready for the game."

No matter what happens on the field, this team has already made Salem history. Now the only thing better then making the first playoff appearance in school history, is to get the first playoff win.