Correspondent photo / Michael G. Taylor John F. Kennedy’s Antonio Smith (2) gets set to throw a block as running back Thomas Easton (19) follows him while running for a gain.

WARREN — John F. Kennedy is no stranger to being in this position.

Since Dom Prologo first arrived as an assistant coach in 2015 and then took over as head coach in 2020, the Eagles have been playoff mainstays.

In six out of the past seven years, JFK has advanced to at least the regional semifinals — getting to the regional final five times during that stretch and to the state semifinals three times. In that time, the Eagles have learned a thing or two about success in the postseason.

“We play the schedule we do so that it prepares us for this type of run in the playoffs,” Prologo said. “What we’ve learned over the years is that you have to experiment with things that maybe you wouldn’t normally do if you weren’t planning on making a playoff run, because you have to find out what you can and can’t do. I think we’ve done a really good job of planning for the future and finding out — we’re really good at this, but can we do something else? It may or may not allow us to win a game by 40 points, but it allows us to find out what we can and can’t do.”

This season, JFK is trying to get back to the regional final for a sixth time in eight years.

Like it has been in years past, the Eagles’ success offensively has been based around its run game, especially as the team’s offensive line play has progressively improved throughout the season.

JFK had a one-two punch last season with Antwan Brown and Michael Mauro and this season is no different, as the duo of Antonio Smith and Thomas Easton are putting up similar numbers to what Brown and Mauro duo did last year.

“They run very similarly to each other,” Prologo said of Smith and Easton. “When (Smith) is in there, (defenses) really have to be careful how they’re going to defend him. You’ve got to defend all 53 yards wide on the field. (Easton’s) more downhill, coming at you, but shockingly Tommy has a lot of wiggle to him, too.”

But, the Eagles’ offense has some additional options that have made them more dynamic. Caleb Hadley continues to be a mainstay at the quarterback position, but Aiden Rossi has been an x-factor for JFK as a player who has been able to do a little bit of everything.

Rossi is third on the team in rushing, behind Smith and Easton, but he also leads the team in receiving. He’s also spent time spelling Hadley at quarterback, as well.

“(Rossi) does a lot of things for us,” Prologo said. “He plays pretty much every position we ask him to. He brings a little bit more of an element to our team that (opponents) have to defend.”

The additional weapons just make JFK more “balanced,” according to Prologo, but not balanced in the traditional sense when it comes to offense.

“Some teams think of balance as they have to throw the ball for 200 yards and run the ball for 200 yards,” Prologo said. “We don’t really believe that’s balanced. We think balance comes from (opponents) having to defend everybody on the field. That’s what we try to do is put our playmakers in a position where you have to defend all of them in different ways.”

Prologo was high on the defense’s potential back in the preseason in July and August and that unit has lived up to those expectations — limiting opponents to just 10.6 points per game.

“I thought our defense could be what it is and I think it’s pretty darn good,” Prologo said. “It’s living up to its nickname, ‘The Blue Storm,’ that’s for sure. I thought we could be that defense all summer and we’ve developed into it.”

JFK’s playoff road continues Saturday night in the Division VII regional semifinal against Southern, a team that Prologo calls a “mirror image” of the Eagles.

“Defensively, they’re sound at doing what they do and they do it well,” Prologo said. “Offensively, they’re just like us in that if they have to throw the ball more than five times, it’s a shock.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday night on Bob Dove Field at Canfield.