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GIRARD -- Off to a perfect start and blowing past opponents with relative ease, the talk surrounding the Girard football team is about its high-powered offense.
Quarterback Mark Waid has been phenomenal, with ridiculous numbers that are impressive even for the Indians' high-scoring standards. And he's just one of several weapons.
That's nothing new for Girard though. The biggest reason the Indians are 5-0 (matching their win total for the last two years) is on the other side of the ball. Girard has allowed just seven points and around 150 yards over their last 14 quarters. They've outscored their last two opponents, 104-0, and -- maybe most important to coach Pat Pearson -- they've embraced a defensive mentality.
"We're known for offense, and we should be, we've had a great offense here the last 20 years," said Pearson, whose work as an assistant has been as a defensive coach. "We take a lot of pride in being hard-nosed kids and being aggressive.
"We know that when you look through the history of Girard football, the years that we've been good are the years that we've been good on defense. We know that if we can get the kids to buy into that mentality and buy into that system, and then to carry that along with what we do on offense, that'll give us a good chance for success."
It's been a long time coming for this particular group.
A junior- and senior-laden team endured some difficult losses over the last two years, in large part because of defensive lapses. The Indians gave up an average of 36 points per game last season, a 3-7 campaign in which they lost three games by a touchdown or less.
Their ability to make a change started with a steady offseason lifting program that Pearson said was the most well-attended he has seen in his coaching career. The attitude of the defense also took on a different emphasis.
"They've taken their lumps, and as a unit, they've made the choice that they're going to commit to this thing," Pearson said. "We've played great team defense. We have a couple individual all-stars on this unit, don't get me wrong, but I could name 15 guys that play and contribute. They've bought into the system and bought into doing it the way they've been coached to do.
"And they've had something to prove. With everything they've heard the last two years, they've been on a mission."
Leading the charge is a front that has owned the line of scrimmage. Junior defensive end/tackle Jack DelGarbino, third on the team with 37 tackles, is the catalyst. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound DelGarbino, who also has three tackles for loss, one sack and five quarterback hurries, anchors a group that blends size, speed, depth and strength.
"They've come the furthest," Pearson said of DelGarbino, Hayden Gump, Daryl Smith, Nino Mayle and Andrew Mohn. "Really, that group busted their butt in the weight room all year -- in the offseason and in the summer running. They play with a lot of fire, a lot of energy, and when they go, it allows the rest of our kids behind them, who are really good athletes, to run around and make plays."
Linebackers Jamil Bannister and Carlos Bach are two of the more athletic players Pearson was referring to, with Bannister leading Girard with 58 tackles and Bach with a team-high four sacks. They're in front of an experienced secondary that already has six interceptions. Aidan Warga (38 tackles), Anthony Backus (two interceptions), Terrance Davis (23 stops), Michael Belcik (also a star receiver) and Devin Wilson (five passes defensed) put the finishing touches on a unit allowing 11.8 points per game.
Pearson hopes it's part of what returns Girard to the success it's used to.
"We knew we had something special brewing," he said. "I've been pleased with our mentality and our approach to this point, but our kids will tell you, and we've said it 100 times, we haven't done anything yet. We haven't accomplished our goals yet.
"The mentality of the defense is you're only as good as your next play, you're only as good as your next day."