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Week 6 Vermilion Valley football wrapup

Posted by: Fred Kroner

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 3:33 PM

Six of the eight football playing teams in the Vermilion Valley Conference enter the seventh week of action still in full control of their playoff destinies.
Wins in the final three weeks will guarantee those schools a berth in the postseason. Of course, not all six teams can meet that goal, since several of the games are against one another.
For three squads — Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac, Milford/Cissna Park and Salt Fork — the extra caveat is that three more victories would go a long way to securing a first-round playoff home game. O/A-P, MCP and Salt Fork are each 5-1 for the season.
A review of Week 6 action and a look ahead to seventh-week matchups:

BISMARCK-HENNING (2-4)

Traditionally, teams which finish the regular season with 5-4 records are considered on the bubble when it comes to earning a postseason bid from the IHSA. However, that will not apply to coach Mark Dodd’s team this year.
The Blue Devils are guaranteed of a minimum of 42 playoff points (combined wins by a school’s opponents) and could wind up with as many as 48.
Their future is set — if they can get to the five-win mark. B-H’s first six opponents have a cumulative 29-7 record. Two of the Blue Devils’ losses (as well as one win) have been in games settled by no more than six points, including last week’s 39-33 loss to VVC leader Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac.
The latest setback came in a contest where B-H dominated several statistical areas, holding a 32:33 to 15:27 edge in time of possession, a 73-39 advantage in non-punting plays from scrimmage and the ability to fight back from an 11-point deficit in the final 41/2 minutes.
The Blue Devils’ comeback started with Ian Park’s fourth field goal of the season (with 4:09 remaining), to trim the O/A-P lead to 33-25. Park (who has made every extra-point attempt he has tried) then executed an onsides kick, which Matt LeCleir recovered, and B-H marched down and scored when workhorse Reed Collins (career-high 32 carries) ran in from the 3 with 1:50 left. Collins ran in the two-point coversion to create a 33-33 tie.
Dodd picks up the story from there.
“We have them fourth down at midfield and had two guys on their quarterback (Trace McClintock), but couldn’t bring him down,” Dodd said, “and he ran to the 15.”
Had the Blue Devils held, “we would have had the ball on their 40 with under a minute to go,” Dodd said.
Instead, O/A-P converted on its red zone opportunity, with McClintock hooking up with Doug Pierce for a game-winning 15-yard scoring strike with 42 seconds remaining.
“It’s exciting football to watch and we’re definitely going in the right direction,” Dodd said. “We played well enough to win Friday, but the way we’ve been going is an up week and a down week. The week before, against Salt Fork, we were terrible.
“We’re looking to get a good, consistent effort now the last three weeks in a row.”
Besides Park, whom Dodd said, is “really stepping up and becoming a force,” quarterback Michael Grant was praised for his late-game performance.
“The last part of the fourth quarter, he kept his head and managed the team very well,” Dodd said.
Collins rushed for a season-high 182 yards last week and also had two receptions for 28 yards. Another sophomore, Tyler Russell, gained 52 yards on the ground. Defensively, Grant intercepted a pass and the tackling leaders were Collins (10), Dakota Patton (eight) and Ross Darby (six).
B-H, looking to end a two-game losing streak, plays its homecoming game on Friday against Hoopeston Area.

HOOPESTON AREA (1-5)
Coach Jeff Ohlemeyer believes the schedule will help his squad stay inspired for the final three weeks of a season in which the playoffs are no longer within reach.
“We have a natural rivalry game this week (at Bismarck-Henning), then Westville comes in for our Senior Night, and the kids will be up for that, and then we have Milford (on the road), another natural rivalry,” he said.
Beyond that, Ohlemeyer said, the motivation will be to continue the progress which has taken place this fall.
“We feel like we’ve got some unfinished business,” Ohlemeyer said. “We had a couple games in our grasp that we let slip away. These guys feel like they’ve turned the corner and we’d like to prove to some people we’re no longer the same Hoopeston team, but a team to be reckoned with in the not-too-distance future.”
The Cornjerkers suffered a 41-13 loss to Salt Fork last week, though Ohlemeyer said the margin is somewhat deceptive.
“We played fairly well defensively the first half and held them to zero yards rushing, but had a couple breakdowns in the secondary and that led to their three scores (all on passes from Joe Pratt to Rileigh Darnell),” Ohlemeyer said. “In the second half, we stopped them three-and-out and went down and scored (on a 1-yard run by quarterback Tate Compton).”
Nick Grant’s conversion cut the margin to 21-7, but Hoopeston could not draw any closer.
“They wore us down with their size and it went downhill from there,” Ohlemeyer said.
Compton completed 11 of 23 passes against the Storm for 158 yards. Robbie Irvin had 53 yards on his four catches and Cody Eells had 50 receiving yards.
In the three games he has played, Irvin has helped shore up the linebacker position. He has been in double figures in tackling all three weeks and had a team-high 11 stops against Salt Fork.
“Our linebacker play has been greatly improved and most of those guys are young,” Ohlemeyer said. “We’re excited about their potential.”
Irvin is a sophomore as is Matt Watson, who had seven tackles last week. The other defensive leader, with nine stops, was senior Andrew Vaughn.
Zach Thrasher, the team’s rushing leader (with a 5.7 per-carry average), may be limited to defense this week while recovering from a deep leg bruise.

SALT FORK (5-1)
The Storm can officially clinch a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive year when they play their homecoming game at Jamaica on Friday against Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Chrisman.
Salt Fork and Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac are the top scoring teams in the VVC (201 points apiece) and the Storm has the best defensive average, allowing 78 points in its first six games.
Offensively, Salt Fork has scored at least one touchdown for 15 consecutive quarters. Last week, the running game was held in check (131 yards) against Hoopeston Area, but quarterback Joe Pratt had his best performance as a passer, throwing for 270 yards while completing 14 of 20 attempts.
“Teams have been doing a nice job stopping our running attack and it’s a case where we’ve had to diversify,” Salt Fork coach Brian Plotner said. “This is something where we’ve gotten progressively better and it’s nice to be able to throw a little more. We’ve gotten our passing game on track.”
Rileigh Darnell and Lance Hubbard each hauled in four passes. Sean Cox had three receptions.
Darnell turned three of his four catches into touchdowns and, Plotner said, “Rileigh is emerging as a kid who is getting more and more looks from Joe.”
Darnell also had an interception. Last week’s top tackler was sophomore David Sacre, who is getting comfortable in his role as a starting outside linebacker.
He had nine stops. “He’s a pretty sound tackler and did a nice job covering passes,” Plotner said.
Lance Hubbard and Connor Plotner each had seven tackles.
Brian Plotner expects a supreme challenge this week against the Buffaloes’ Alex Pratt.
“There are a lot of talented running backs in the conference, but there’s not a kid who runs as hard as he does,” the coach said. “We will have to contain him, but they have other great athletes who can make plays.”
Salt Fork’s Brandon Dixon (ankle sprain) is questionable for this week’s game. He has a 6.2 per-carry average and is third on the team in rushing. If he is unable to play, more underclassmen, such as Grant Ford, will receive additional carries.
“We’ve had some sophomores step up and play, and we’ll have to ask more of them to step up,” Brian Plotner said.

GEORGETOWN-RIDGE FARM/CHRISMAN (3-3)
The Buffaloes are looking to snap a two-game losing streak this week. G-RF/C fell to Milford/Cissna Park 28-20 last Friday.
That game marked the third loss — all in home games — in which the Buffaloes have led either at halftime or after the first quarter. G-RF/C led MCP 20-14 at intermission.
“We played an extremely good first half, and parts of the third quarter looked good,” coach Jason Baccadutre said. “Penalties and turnovers killed us. A lot of that has to do with inexperience.
“The second half, we never stepped up and finished.”
Three MCP players intercepted passes last week.
Alex Pratt had a banner game for the Buffaloes. He led the team in rushing (132 yards), pass receiving (four catches) and tackling (18). He scored three touchdowns, two by rushing and the other on an interception return.
“Pratt had an extremely good game,” Baccadutre said.
Other noteworthy performances were by kick-return specialist Tyler Dill and defensive players Korie Vire (17 tackles) and A.J. Pitmon (11 tackles).
“We’ve proven we can at least compete with anybody,” Baccadutre said. “Now, we have to come through with four full quarters. There have been glimpses of brilliance, but we have to put a full game together.”
Against the Bearcats, sophomore quarterback Ryan Dieu had his fifth 100-yard passing performance and fourth in a row. He completed 9 of 19 attempts for 122 yards and made use of five receivers, including Vire and Derrick McCormick, the only Buffaloes with receptions in each of the team’s games.
The Buffaloes play Salt Fork this week in a homecoming game at Jamaica High School.

OAKWOOD/ARMSTRONG-POTOMAC (5-1)

Coach Gary Denhart likes the way the Comets’ schedule was set up this year.
“Our schedule just keeps getting harder,” Denhart said.
O/A-P will follow up last week’s homecoming win over Bismarck-Henning with a road trip to Westville.
“We are jumping into the Tigers’ den,” Denhart said. “What better way to test yourself? I love our schedule.”
Sophomore Ryan Strange continues to be the Comets’ featured back. After carrying just seven times (for 87 yards) in the season’s first two games, he has scored 11 TDs the past four weeks and strung together three consecutive 200-yard rushing performances.
That outburst has enabled Strange to become the No. 1 rusher in the VVC. He needs 59 yards this week to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Among all area athletes, he is fourth in rushing while averaging 9.9 yards per carry.
Senior Douglas Pierce was one of the catalysts in O/A-P’s triumph over the Blue Devils.
After B-H had pulled within 25-22 early in the fourth period, Pierce returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a TD. After B-H created a 33-33 tie in the final 2 minutes, Pierce was on the receiving end of a 15-yard pass from Trace McClintock which provided the decisive score.
“He played an all-around good game,” Denhart said. “He had more tackles than he has ever had (seven solos). He had quite a game.”
McClintock showed his versatility. He ran for 110 yards on nine carries from scrimmage and also returned two interceptions for an additional 110 yards.
The outcome was significant besides making the Comets playoff-eligible with five wins.
“We needed to know we could play a good tight game and win it,” Denhart said.
O/A-P was able to survive despite four turnovers. Though he didn’t welcome the miscues, Denhart was pleased by the way his squad responded to the adversity.
“We made some mental mistakes, but there was never any arguing, never any getting down,” Denhart said. “That’s what you teach: ‘We screwed up. Let’s move on.’ Nobody dwelled on it.”
O/A-P’s season record includes wins by one and six points.

WESTVILLE (4-2)

For the second week in a row, the Tigers started strong. A week after putting 40 first-half points on the board against Milford/Cissna Park, Westville built a 31-0 halftime lead over Schlarman.
“We’re back on track and playing some good football,” coach Guy Goodlove said.
He sees one reason for the turnabout following a 2-2 start.
“We are also having good practices during the week,” he said. “The kids are focused, and it showed.”
Brendon Severado rushed for 123 yards against Schlarman and Justin Moore had his best varsity game, with a 91-yard rushing effort.
“Moore is deceptively fast and deceptively quick,” Goodlove said, “and he’s an even better receiver, but we’ve needed him in the backfield. No matter where we’ve put him, he has made good things happen.”
Quarterback Matt Maser had six carries, but reached the end zone on four of them. He also completed three passes, hooking up with Severado for gains of 34 yards.
“He has had quality time since he was a freshman and we’re seeing that experience pay off,” Goodlove said. “It’s hard enough to stop a passing quarterback, but it is extremely difficult to stop a quarterback who can drop back to pass and tuck it away and run. That’s hard to defend at any level.
“He can not only throw, he can scramble.”
All of the Tigers’ runners are benefitting from the improved level of play from the front line.
“Our offensive line has put together two really good games back-to-back,” Goodlove said.
The player who has stood out with his development, Goodlove said, is sophomore Cody Pratt.
“He always seems to be around the football, always seems to be making something happen,” Goodlove said. “If I had to pick one guy who has shown great improvement since the beginning, it’s Cody.”
Pratt recovered a fumble last week and also had a team-high six tackles. Jeremy Ottino had five stops.

MILFORD/CISSNA PARK (5-1)
The Bearcats return home — where they’ve won all three of their games thus far — to face Schlarman. MCP is coming off a 28-20 win last week at Georgetown.
“We survived a disastrous first half in which we had two fumbles, and an interception returned for a touchdown,” head coach Nate Albaugh said. “Those things changed the momentum quickly.
“In the second half, the kids played well and we controlled the football.”
Justin Flinkman, the VVC’s top receiver, had all of Kristopher Evans’ pass completions and turned them into gains of 100 yards. When MCP scored to take the lead, he kept a drive going, running a slant route over the middle on a fourth-and-7 play.
“This was a good thing for our kids to experience,” Albaugh said. “In the postseason, there will come a point we’ll be behind, and it’s good for the kids to understand the game is still winnable.”
MCP’s offensive line as a unit functioned well, but Albaugh side in particular Brandon Hasselbring (right guard), Travis McKay (right tackle) and Cole Muench (left guard) excelled.
“Those three stood out a little bit,” Albaugh said.
Defensively, senior Beau Fitzgerald snared one of the team’s three interceptions.
“He’s one of the guys we’ve been waiting to come around,” Albaugh said. “We’re excited for him.”
Kyle Evans, who had a season-high 27 carries on offense, and Flinkman, who amassed a team-high 11 tackles, had the other interceptions for MCP.
The Bearcats can clinch their first playoff berth in 12 years with one more win.
“That’s something that has eluded our community for a long time,” Albaugh said. “We know it’s in our hands. If we win one (more game), we won’t stop there. We want to get as many as we can.”
This week’s game will mark the first varsity start for MCP freshman Alex Rabe at wingback.
“We think his time has come,” Albaugh said. “He could be the ‘X’ factor. If he is able to be a contributor, it will open things up.”
Inserting Rabe in the lineup will enable Reed Anderson to return to receiver and “that helps us a lot,” Albaugh said. “We’re excited with what this presents our team with.”

SCHLARMAN (0-6)

Despite what was shown on the scoreboard last week — Westville 45, Schlarman 7 — Hilltoppers’ coach Mike High said the game wasn’t a step backwards for his squad which is searching for its first win.
“The score looked pretty bad, but we found some good things to build on,” High said. “We competed well.”
Westville’s first TD was on an interception return and its last score came after it lost possession on downs at the Westville 4 before “we fumbled it back to them,” High said.
“Overall, our defense played respectably,” he said. “Maser’s four TDs were all on quarterback sneaks. Earlier in the year, we weren’t slowing teams down a lot to get into goal-line situations.”
High said an emphasis will be placed on getting the offense back to where it was the first four weeks when Schlarman scored 10 TDs. In the past two games, the team has been held to one touchdown each week.
Against Westville, Schlarman turned the ball over six times, including one interception in the end zone.
“I want to see us put the offense and the defense together and see what we can do,” High said. “The last two games, the defense has played much, much better, but offensively, we’ve been shut down.”
He has appealed to seniors Anthony Drake, Kyle Golden and Michael Bateman to help the team finish strong.
“I’ve told the seniors in three weeks, they’ll be retired from football, so play these three games as hard as you can,” High said.
He had a message for the underclassmen, as well, to use these final games as preparation and a tuneup for the 2010 season.
“Our attitude is good, we’re working hard and we have a little bit of hope,” High said.
Skylar Dodge was the top rusher against Westville with 33 yards. Blake Watson caught two passes for 13 yards. In all, the offense managed 88 total yards.
Defensively, the tackling leaders were Dodge (a junior with nine), Casey Hahne (a sophomore with seven) and Tyler Mangum (a freshman with seven).