Hilliard Davidson High School football coach Brian White said it is questionable whether running backs Spencer Delande (back) and Rico Butler (ankle) will be healthy enough to play against Pickerington Central in a Division I Region 3 semifinal Saturday at Gahanna.

If those players can't compete for a fifth-consecutive game, Jake Trubiano likely will split his time between quarterback and running back, Jimmy Curtis will take several snaps at quarterback and Tyler Talbott will start at tailback.

Last Saturday, Trubiano rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, as Davidson defeated Lancaster 28-7 to improve to 9-1.

That same night, the Tigers nipped Pickerington North 14-12 to improve to 10-1.

Despite missing one game and playing sparingly in another while battling the effects of H1N1 flu, Trubiano has rushed for 846 yards and 13 touchdowns on 124 carries.

Delande has rushed for 423 yards on 52 carries and Butler has gained 318 yards on 57 attempts.

Regardless of who plays in the Wildcats' backfield Saturday, Central coach Jay Sharrett said the Tigers' multiple-front defense will need to quickly and accurately read where Davidson's option offense is going and swarm to the ball.

"We're game-planning for Hilliard Davidson as a team, not for their individual players," Sharrett said. "They're running the ball with a lot of confidence and their offensive line has a size advantage over us in a couple of areas, so we've got to find a way to get some help when they run there. We're studying a lot of film to try to find some tendencies, because they're a really tough team to stop once they get their blocking set."

Although the Wildcats don't throw the ball very often, Sharrett said it's crucial that the Tigers' defensive backfield doesn't abandon its coverage of Davidson's receivers too hastily to provide run support.

"Davidson will pound it and pound it at you, and then they'll hit a big play-action pass," Sharrett said. "We've got to account for all of their guys who can catch the ball."

Led by cornerbacks Malcolm Pannell (two interceptions) and Tamani Carter (five interceptions), free safety Josh Kristoff (two interceptions, fumble recovery) and strong safety Eilar Hardy (three interceptions), the Tigers' defense has made 14 interceptions and surrendered only 676 yards passing as opponents have completed 64 of 165 attempts.

Central has been difficult the run the ball against as well. It has allowed only 961 yards on 397 carries.

Aware that the Tigers typically blitz on nearly every down, Davidson coach Brian White said his quarterbacks must identify where pressure is coming from and distribute the ball in another direction.

"Their defense is the strong point of their team," White said. "They usually try to create as much havoc as possible by lining up and blitzing you. I don't know if they will play us that way, because that style sometimes works to our advantage. When teams blitz us, sometimes they don't leave people in place to fill the gaps. Hopefully, we'll be able to pop a few longs runs in there."

Sharrett said Central's multiple-formation offense will continuously attack different parts of the field against Davidson's 50-defense to try to get the ball to playmakers in space.

Quarterback Grant Hammond is 55-for-93 passing for 845 yards and eight touchdowns. And quarterback Nick Jensen-Clagg is 20-for-39 passing for 299 yards and two touchdowns.

Malcolm Pannell has 22 catches for 502 yards and five touchdowns and Kris Strange has 13 catches for 112 yards.

Tyler Hammond has rushed for 970 yards and 11 touchdowns on 161 carries, Devone Penick has run for 297 yards and a score on 55 carries, and Willie Tatum has 260 yards rushing and seven touchdowns on 44 carries.

Led by linebackers Kenny Klatt and Justin Schick and defensive end Sky Strahler, Davidson's defense has been good all season, giving up an average of 8.5 points per game.

The Wildcats limited Lancaster to 119 total yards.

Strahler missed Davidson's last two games with a sprained ankle, but is expected to return against Central.

White is counting on Davidson's linemen to control the line of scrimmage and allow his linebackers to fill gaps and make tackles. He said his backs must be weary of Central's play-action passing as well.

"Their offense is really diverse," White said. "They do some power running and they spread you out and throw the ball, too. Their run-pass ratio is pretty balanced, too. We have to maintain our discipline.

"If we get sucked into their play-action passing, they're capable of hitting big plays."