While the future of the school and program hang in the balance, the Eagles are squarely focused on their District 10 Class A semifinal with West Middlesex at Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie.

Today’s game will tip off at 6 p.m. with the Eisenhower D-10 Class AA boys semifinal with old TCAC rival Rocky Grove following at 7:30 p.m.

Youngsville (12-8, 3-7 Region 2) needs just one win to extend its season by at least two games. A victory today would send Youngsville to Friday’s D-10 Class A championship against Erie First Christian and would secure a berth in the PIAA Class A playoffs beginning next week.

Standing in the way of the Red and White extending their season are the Big Reds of West Middlesex. Middlesex enters the postseason with an 8-14 record overall and a 7-5 mark in Region 1.

Times Observer Photo by Steve Younger In this Feb. 11 file photo, Eisenhower’s Gavin Lindemuth lays up a shot while being guarded by Youngsville’s Rylan Benton, right.

The teams only common opponent this season was Titusville. The Eagles defeated Titusville 57-40 on Dec. 3 while the Rockets beat the Big Reds 57-50 on Feb. 1.

Eagles coach Jesse Benton expects to see a team not unlike his own when the team’s tipoff.

“From what I’ve seen they are scrappy and that’s always dangerous,” said Benton. “It’s tough to base anything off one game, so our win over Titusville and their loss to them isn’t entirely meaningful to us. We need to show up and take care of the ball and if we do, I don’t see any reason we can’t walk out with another win.”

West Middlesex is led by a duo of guards who averaged in double figures this season. Senior John Partridge averaged 15.2 points per game this season with sophomore teammate Roman Golub chipping in an even 12 points per game.

Other key contributors for the Big Reds include senior guard Aiden Puskar (7.0 ppg), sophomore guard Shawn Hoffman (6.0 ppg) and sophomore forward Caleb Koncar (6.0 ppg).

Youngsville has kept its composure during what can only be described as a roller coaster of a season.

The Eagles started hot, winning 10 of their first 11 games. They also had to deal with the Warren County School District’s Jan. 13 decision to close Youngsville and move students to Eisenhower at the end of this school year.

Down the stretch, the Eagles played stout competition in Region 2, including several strong Class AA playoff teams like Mercyhurst Prep, Eisenhower and Union City. Despite the bumps in the road and possible distractions, Benton has been pleased with how well his team has stayed focused on the task at hand.

“We are focused on completing this season before focusing on what the future looks like,” said Benton. “We had a hot start that got us fired up and we were playing the best we have seen in years. Unfortunately, we suffered some illness and injuries that were emotionally tough for all of us. Our mentality as always is ‘next man up’ and these boys keep fighting.”

Sophomore Rylan Benton was among the best scorers in District 10 Class A ball this season with 372 points — an average of 18.6 points per contest.

Fellow sharpshooter junior David Manning actually led the team in 3-pointers from the forward position with 60 and averaged 14.7 points per game. Benton and Manning each had 30-plus point outings this year with Benton scoring 35 against Erie Prep Academy on Jan. 29 and Manning scoring 33 in his last outing against Erie First Christian.

The team will be without junior Braydon Baker who injured his arm late in the season, but coach Benton expects teammates such as Ethan Beers, Rodney Rowland and Cash Moore to step up in Baker’s absence.

“We lost Baker which hurt, but Rodney has done well stepping into his place,” said Benton. “We continue to see the bumps and bruises as well as the flu bug, but we’re tough and will be ready to go.

“I’m proud of every one of these guys for fighting for a winning season while also fighting for their school. They put a lot of work in during the offseason a year ago and this is the time it can really pay off.”