Defense drives Trojans past Clarinda and onward to 1-0 start

Atlantic perseveres to 7-3 victory on road over Cardinals

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 30, 2013

CLARINDA – There wasn’t anything the least bit flashy about the Trojans’ collective performance Friday night.

But at the end of four grueling quarters, Atlantic finished the game on its own terms and extinguished Clarinda’s hopes with a six-minute offensive drive that prevented the Cardinals from ever getting a shot to stage a late rally.

The reward…a 7-3 victory to kickoff the 2013 season and push the Trojans’ record to 1-0.

“It was ugly, but we got a win and I am happy for the kids,” Atlantic head coach Nick Ross said afterwards. 

“They put in a lot of work, a lot of conditioning, and a lot of things that really aren’t a whole lot of fun. But they grinded through, and it think it showed tonight when we were able to put together that final drive of the game. It showed how in tune physically and mentally we were when it mattered the most.”

The only touchdown of the game waited until midway through the third quarter, when Trojans’ quarterback Joe Walker connected with sophomore receiver Brendan Holmes on a quick strike that Holmes took 25-yards for pay dirt and the game’s decisive score.

Atlantic’s defense put a lid on Clarinda for the better part of the second half, and that one touchdown would hold up.

Clarinda, under its new head coach Mark Schlib, threw a totally unique offense at the Trojans that tested Atlantic’s ability to stay disciplined and play assignment football.

The Cardinals didn’t attempt to put the ball in the air until they fell behind in the second half, and even then, they finished 0-for-2 in their passing attack. Instead, Clarinda’s single-wing offense featured a spinner back instead of a quarterback, and every play brought misdirection and deception.

The break of the huddle and the moving pieces brought mass confusion to the line of scrimmage, but eventually Atlantic’s defense got a handle on things, and despite allowing one long play that set up a Clarinda field goal late in the first quarter, the Trojans stuck to their guns.

It’s something that did not catch the Trojans’ coaching staff completely off-guard, but seeing it or understanding it is not always conducive to stopping it.

“It’s a little bit scary, when you watch it on film, you think ‘what the heck is this?’ I haven’t seen it before personally, I’ve only heard about it,” coach Ross said afterwards. “What ever you do scheme-wise, you need to have players who are able to stop it and get penetration on the defensive line. And you need to have linebackers who are able to sort through all that misdirection and make plays.”

Defending against the single wing takes a special kind of defensive concentration.

“We told our guys to be disciplined, and make them earn every single yard they got,” coach Ross says. “Eventually, they’d get a penalty or we would record a tackle for loss, and (Clarinda) would end up in a position where they didn’t want to be.”

Atlantic ran 64 offensive plays to Clarinda’s 43, and staked out 22 first downs to Clarinda’s 16.

Walker finished 6-of-14 for 81 yards for Atlantic, and the Trojans hashed out 156 yards on the ground to outgain the Cards 238 yards to 155.

With temperatures soaring near triple digits at kickoff, the heat took its toll on both sides, and the officiating crew issued multiple water breaks in the first half. As the game wore on, the Trojans appeared to be in better condition than Clarinda, and perhaps it proved decisive in permitting Atlantic to maintain it’s lengthy, clocking-killing drive that locked down the victory.

“Any time you have success running the ball and can maintain a six-minute drive, you are getting consistent yardage,” coach Ross says. “The guys up front were taking care of their schemes and they were moving people. That was a big key for us.”

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Trojans Football heads to Clarinda eager to test its mettle

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 30, 2013

ATLANTIC – After months of toil in the weight room, off-season workouts, summer 7-on-7 drills, preseason camp and fall practice, the Trojans enter this week’s season opener starving to play live competition.

That opportunity will present itself Friday night at Clarinda, and Atlantic head coach Nick Ross says the Trojans are itching to play under the lights.

“We are to the point right now where we’ve grown tired of hitting each other, and we’re looking forward to facing the competition Friday night,” coach Ross says. “Friday night is going to be a good test for us of where we are, and where we need to continue to go.”

The Trojans are coming off a 5-4 season a year ago, but will need to replace the bulk of their starting lineup on both sides of the ball.

Atlantic held its annual preseason scrimmage last week at the Trojan Bowl, and it allowed the coaching staff another chance to evaluate what it has, and what it needs.

Some positives that the Trojans took away from the scrimmage was ball security, and generally sound implementation with their blocking schemes. An area to work on, Ross says, is better execution on defense.

With so many new players to varsity, starting roles are still a bit fluid, and competition for spots at many positions could roll into the district season.

At the beginning of the week, Atlantic set its depth chart, but the coaching staff emphasized that those names in those starting roles are merely penciled in, rather than set in stone.

“It’s still going to be an audition for many of our guys and positions on our team,” coach Ross says. “I anticipate we will have position battles going on for at least the first couple weeks of the season. We really need to see who is going to take the field Friday night and take care of business when the other team wants to win just as bad as you do.”

On offense, coach Ross says ball security will continue to be a top priority for a unit that is young and inexperienced as a whole. On top of that, Ross says he is counting on the offense to ensure they do the little things right. The little things that can go wrong during the first game of the season, problems like lining up incorrectly, proper hand-offs, meshes, and firing off on the correct snap counts.

“I’m looking for a real clean game as far as handling those areas,” coach Ross says. “Outside of that, we need to execute our schemes. We’re trying to keep it simple because we are young. The guys should have a good idea of what our schemes are, now it’s just a matter of doing it when the bullets are flying.”

Clarinda is coming off a 1-8 season a year ago, but the program has been energized by the arrival of a new coach. Mark Schlib, a 1991 graduate of CHS and former Cardinals quarterback, returns to his alma mater, having had significant success coaching at the prep level. Schlib most recently coached at Oskaloosa with head coaching jobs at Sigourney and Perry before that.

That might mean one can disregard what the Cards did last year, and ponder what they might do this season.

“Clarinda is a scary team for a number of reasons,” coach Ross says. “They’ve got a new coach who has had a lot of success and he has taken teams deep into the playoffs before. I am sure they are going to have new schemes, and we don’t know entirely what they are going to run. There are adjustments that are going to have to be made during the course of the game.

“Outside of that, they’ve got some very big kids who can block and move. Up front, they are going to present some very real challenges.”

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CAM looking to rebound after Week Zero loss to AC and break through with home victory

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 30, 2013

ANITA – There is enduring belief in football that the greatest improvement over the course of the season takes place during the period from the first game to the second.

Although last week’s 55-40 loss to Adair-Casey brought its share of bright spots, the Cougars are counting on breaking through with a victory Friday night before its home crowd.

“We had a great week of practice, the guys were ready to get back on the field again,” CAM head coach Joe Wollum says. “We know that we are still a good football team despite coming up a little short against Adair-Casey, and we will keep working on the little things that will help us get better.”

Last week in Adair, CAM fell into an 18-0 hole and fought back from multiple three-touchdown deficits to make it a one-possession game twice. The Cougars were never able to tip the scales in their favor, but will take and apply the lessons learned against a very good AC team.

After watching game film, the Cougars think they’ve got a decent handle on what they are, and what it is they want to fix.

“It came down to four or five plays, we made four or five big mistakes that cost us that game,” coach Wollum says. “Those are all things that are very correctable, and we will learn from them. We feel like we’ve already gotten better, and we are ready to show we’ve made big improvements from Week 1 to Week 2.”

Offensive line play is priority No. 1 on the “Needs Improvement” list for CAM, perhaps something that was to be expected as the Cougars ran out an entirely new group as they rebuild the front line due to heavy losses to graduation from a year ago.

Better communication, cohesion and line calls are all areas CAM looks to work on moving forward.

On the other side of the ball, Wollum says AC wore down the Cougars defensive line, and that’s another area the team will work to improve upon, perhaps by rotating more players into the mix. Better tackling and wrapping up are also priorities.

One big bright spot for CAM was the play of its new quarterback, Trace Ticknor. Ticknor, also a middle linebacker, brings a physical presence to the position, and his bruising running style has the team excited about what the Cougars offense might become.

Last week, Ticknor ran for 97 yards and two TDs, and completed 10 of 23 pass attempts for 234 yards and three passing TDs.

His performance against a top tier team has the CAM coaching staff excited.

“We expect his progression to be off the charts, he’s a kid that is only going to get better,” coach Wollum says. “He’s really only played two whole games at quarterback, and as he becomes more familiar, he’s going to become more effective. We are developing receivers that can go up and get the ball from him, and when he runs, he is more like a fullback than a quarterback. Trace is very coachable, so we feel like the sky is the limit for him.”

Another bright spot was the versatility shown by senior running back Dylan Amdor, who finished with 79 yards on the ground (4.9 YPC), and hauled in six catches for 137 yards through the air.

Wollum says after watching film from last year’s game that AC was not spending much attention or energy to stop Amdor out of the backfield on the pass plays, and that was something they had hoped to exploit. That year old scouting report worked pretty well last week, and getting Amdor the ball through the air is something the Cougars want to make a regular part of their offense.

“Dylan keeps getting better and better catching the ball out of the backfield,” coach Wollum says. “As a sophomore, he wasn’t too great at catching the ball, and last year he got better. This year, he’s much better already, and we are expecting a lot of improvement out of him in that regard.

“It makes us less predictable, and it will make Dylan a more explosive player. When he gets the ball out in space, he’s going to have less traffic to go through. And it’s going to take some pressure off our offensive line as well.”

Coming to Anita this week is River Valley, a playoff team from a year ago.

For the Wolverines, it all starts and ends with their senior quarterback Brennan Riedemann, who threw for nearly 2,000 yards last season, and ran for 1,825 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground.

Keying in on Riedemann is going to be a top priority for CAM as they hope to contain the quarterback and try to make the Wolverines predictable.

“They like to throw the ball, and they like to run it with their quarterback, so we really need to focus on him,” coach Wollum says. “On the pass plays, we need to spy on him and make sure he doesn’t get out of the pocket and keep contain on him.”

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FOOTBALL: Bombers survive fiery clash with CAM

 Adair-Casey prevails 55-40, Plowman rushes for 241 yards and three TDs

 By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 23, 2013

ADAIR – If Friday night’s Week Zero clash between Adair-Casey and CAM is any precursor to what will constitute the 2013 football season, 8-Man Football in these parts might be in for quite a pageant.

Adair-Casey survived a four-quarter brawl with rival Cumberland-Anita-Massena, seizing victory in the “White Pole Road Rivalry” via a 55-40 final that drug on for over three hours and included 29 total penalties.

Bombers’ All-State running back Clayton Plowman carried the ball 35 times for 241 yards and three touchdowns, and newly-minted quarterback Traeton Jensen ran for 106 yards on 18 carries to lift AC past a resilient CAM team that refused to be put away.

“It’s a Week Zero game, and we played a very good team,” Adair-Casey head coach Wade Anderson said afterwards. “We learned a lot about ourselves. We are not quite in tip-top shape, and we need to work on that, we need to fix a lot of things. But fortunately, we were able to scratch out a win here, and now we are 1-0.”

After AC struck first, a little more than four minutes into the first quarter, the Bombers held on to the lead the rest of the way, though CAM never submitted to being put away. The Bombers’ lead swelled to 18 points, then waned to two, but victory for AC was never certain until the final minute when junior Emmitt Wheatley ended CAM’s final push with an interception.

First game wrinkles surfaced early and often, as 15 penalties slowed the Bombers and 14 afflicted CAM. Both sides spent the better part of four quarter hammering on each other at the line of scrimmage, and the heat and humidity took its toll as well.

What AC lacks in numbers this fall (the Bombers have just 18 players on their roster), they seem intent on making up for with a dynamic offense intended to take the pressure off of Plowman, who has carried a target on his back for four years now.

Wheatley, Jensen, and junior running back Charlie Terry all became viable weapons for the Bombers, who creatively ran multiple sets like the I-formation and the wild cat, while also showing a firm willingness to throw the ball.

CAM, for its part, also showed a bit for variety and flash on offense, interchanging quarterbacks, and displaying an almost equal desire to throw the ball to Dylan Amdor, as they are to hand it off to him.

Amdor scored four touchdowns for the Cougars, and had a fifth TD nullified in the final two minutes on a holding call that erased ostensibly a 28-yard touchdown reception.

CAM found itself trailing 24-6 in the first half before fighting back to draw within two points at 24-22 early in the second half.
When AC’s rolling thunder ground attack threatened to take CAM out of the game late in the third quarter, after Plowman scored on a 12-yard run inside of three minutes to go, the Bombers went ahead by three scores again (40-22). Still, the Cougars refused to go quietly and answered in kind.

“I’m proud of the effort,” CAM head coach Joe Wollum says. “For putting in a new offense and being where we are, I think we are a little ahead of schedule, even for where I hoped we would be. Our guys fought.”

After falling behind 47-28 with 9:57 left in regulation, CAM would score the next two touchdowns, one set up by a long kick return from Brady Runyan that he nearly took to the house, and another on a 59-yard strike through the air from QB Trace Ticknor to Amdor with 6:10 remaining. That drew the Cougars to within a touchdown at 47-40.

After Amdor’s final touchdown, the Cougars recovered a fumble on the return that set them up at the AC 15-yard-line. However, the Bombers forced a turnover on downs, and as they went about killing the clock, Plowman shed two tackles and broke loose for a 28-yard touchdown run.

This time, CAM could not answer.

“That’s one thing we can hang our hat on right now,” coach Anderson said of the late stand. “We did have our backs against the wall (up by seven points) with them inside our 10 yard line. But we showed a little resiliency by putting a stop to them and then taking it downfield to score. That’s the kind of effort it’s going to take all year long.”

Both sides agree, Friday night’s season opener lived up to the hype, and both teams will walk away with a better idea of its identity.

“A game like this is good for us, it’s a good trial run before Districts,” coach Anderson said. “And it’s always a fun atmosphere when we play against CAM, no matter who is the better team. Those guys played their tails of, and they played a great game. I expect them to make a lot of noise over in (District 8); they’re going to be one of the favorites. And who knows…maybe we will see them again later on at the Dome.”

Coach Wollum agrees.

“Playing in front of a big crowd like this in a playoff-like atmosphere is going to help our team in the long run.”

#iahsfb   #camcougars   #adair-casey

CAM Football: Cougars committed to containing Plowman and piece together four strong quarters

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 22, 2013

ANITA – CAM Cougars head coach Joe Wollum said it best this week when asked about the opportunity to start another season against his program’s chief adversary.

“We’re definitely excited, it’s been a long couple weeks of camp hitting each other,” he said. “The guys are eager to strap on the pads and hit someone else, and you can’t start the season off any better than hitting one of your biggest rivals.”

For the second straight season, all eyes turn to the “White Pole Road” rivalry as the area’s marquee Week Zero matchup.

Still residing in different districts this season in the second year of the district assignment cycle, Friday night offers the schools at least one opportunity to face each other during the season.

The matchup also puts on display two of the top running backs in 8-Man football, with CAM’s Dylan Amdor set to return, along with the Bombers’ Clayton Plowman, who needs just 976 yards this fall to become the state’s all-time leading rusher in the class.

Plowman, a powerful force listed at 6-foot and 205-pounds, rushed for 2,141 yards last year with 38 touchdowns as a junior.

He’s not one to stop entirely, says coach Wollum, just one you hope to contain. That said, committing all your resources to focus on Plowman could be a mistake as well.

“As much as we want to key on Plowman, we can’t totally do that because then one of the other guys will run right by us,” coach Wollum says. “They’ve got a ton of speed.”

Aside from Plowman, the Bombers also have means to move the ball with Emmitt Wheatley and quarterback Traeton Jensen, all of whom are fleet of foot.

“Clayton Plowman is going to go down in the history books as probably the all-time leading rusher in 8-Man football,” coach Wollum says. “We have to give him his respect, but they’ve also got plenty of other weapons on offense. They’re probably going to be the fastest team we will see all year.”

CAM, of course, is not without its own weapons, most notably Amdor, who rushed for 960 yards and 13 touchdowns on 158 carries, marking an average of 6.0 yards-per-tote. Brady Runyan added another 717 yards and 11 TDs while averaging 5.8 YPC with 123 touches.

The Cougars will lean heavily on Amdor as a senior.

“We kind of go how he goes,” coach Wollum says. “If he has a good night, we score points and we tend to have a lot of fun. When teams shut him down, then we struggle. He’s very important for our offense, and as our football team as a whole.”

Both teams will begin the season looking to rebuild their line play from a year ago.

The Cougars will put Keegan Hosfelt at center, with Austin Williamson and Trent Jessen and/or Levi Lank at guards. Logan Dinkla and Michael Holste are expected to anchor the line on the ends. Size is also an issue for the Cougars, as Hosfelt is the only member on the line that weighs over 200 pounds, with the other guys ranging around 160.

CAM is going to need the line to step up right way and play beyond its experience.

“They are going to have to set the tone for us,” coach Wollum says. “We’ve got some great running backs, and if the offensive line can step up and make some holes to run through, then it creates some chances for us to move the chains and score some points.”

At quarterback, CAM will use Trace Ticknor for the majority of the snaps, though Drew Ticknor is expected to see some action there as well.

CAM finished the season 7-4 last year with a first-round playoff loss at Glidden-Ralston. This is the fourth straight year the Cougars kick off the season with a Week Zero matchup.

In last year’s opener in Anita, the Bombers, after a tight first half, broke loose in the final two quarters and buried CAM via 52-26 final.

The Cougars are committed not to let that happen again, and the bullet points to securing a victory are laid out before them.

“We’ve got to limit Plowman, we can’t let him run for 200 yards against us,” coach Wollum says. “That’s priority No. 1, we can’t let him have a big game. And No. 2, we need to put some points on the board. Traditionally, we’ve struggled to score points, especially in the second half against Adair. We need to do a better job of scoring points in all four quarters.”

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VOLLEYBALL: Trojans working hard to put together a competitive product on the floor for 2013

Squad eager to put disappointing 2012 season behind them

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 21, 2013

ATLANTIC – A new day for Trojans Volleyball is about to begin.

One year after the program muddled through a winless season, this group of Trojans is hard at work under the direction of a new head coach as Atlantic looks to make great strides forward in 2013.

Now at the helm of the ship is head coach Bonnie Clinch, a 2007 graduate from Lewis Central who played collegiately at Nebraska Christian College, where she was a two-time captain.

Clinch says the girls and the program didn’t waste much time turning the page from last year, and embracing the new attitude of Trojans Volleyball.

“We’ve talked a lot about mental toughness,” coach Clinch said this week. “What it means to fight back when you fall behind. When you make a mistake, you can’t let that bring you down, you have to move on. Mental toughness is something we talk about every day.”

Atlantic struggled in nearly all facets of the game last year. The Trojans finished last in the Hawkeye 10 not just in the standings, but also in nearly every statistical category. On offense, their 260 kills accounts for about a quarter of the totals posted by the top three teams in Lewis Central (1,103), Kuemper (1,089) and Red Oak (1,062). 

Defensively, the team fared slightly better in some areas, where they were a bit more competitive in blocks-per-set (1.88), total blocks (130) and digs-per-set (7.57).

Amongst the changes Clinch has implemented so far with the Trojans is a strong emphasis on defense, stressing fundamentals and technique, especially with passing.

“Back to the basics, really,” she said. “The small aspects of passing, like where the feet go and where the arms are angled. We will build up to the fancier stuff, but right now, we are simplifying.”

The Trojans don’t open the regular season until the day after Labor Day (Sept. 3) at home against Glenwood, but they have their annual Trojans Night scrimmage Friday evening, followed with the IGHSAU Volleyball Clinic Saturday at AHS. 

Returning for Atlantic is its top two offensive threats from a season ago in Meghan Reilly and Bailey Walter, who combined for 105 kills. Defensively, the two also led the team in blocks with Reilly topping the team with 43, and Walter finishing tied for second at 25 blocks. Walter is expected to take on the role of setter, where she saw significant time a year ago behind then-senior Shelby Worth.

Competing in the Hawkeye 10 Conference is going to be tough as usual, as three teams (Harlan, Red Oak, Kuemper) reached the State Tournament last season. Increase that total to four if you count Council Bluffs St. Albert, this year’s new addition to the conference.

Clinch says last season is the past, and the Trojans enter this season with expectations to become a far more competitive team.

“What I’ve seen is the girls just don’t know how to win, it’s just not something they are used to. That’s something we are working on, we are doing a lot of competitive drills and things where they have to compete and have to win,” she said.

“There is definitely some talent. I am really excited about what we have. I have a feeling we are going to be really good.”

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Young Trojans squad sorting things out as start of 2013 season nears

Atlantic hosts inter-squad scrimmage Friday, opens up at Clarinda next week

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Aug. 21, 2013

ATLANTIC – School is back in session, and that means gridiron football is not far behind.

Atlantic opened fall practice last week, and is working towards its inter-squad scrimmage Friday night at the Trojan Bowl. The black-and-gold begin the regular season the following week (Aug. 30) at Clarinda to kick off the 2013 season.

Second-year head coach Nick Ross is encouraged by the effort in practice as the team looks to build upon its 5-4 record from a year ago.

“We’ve got a good group of kids who are working hard and embracing the challenges we are throwing at them,” he said this week. “It’s exciting to see them work hard, and it’s exciting to see the improvement. We are young, so there is a lot of room for improvement, but we are improving, and that is encouraging.”

One challenge facing the Trojans this fall is a large amount of turnover due to graduation from a senior-dominated squad last year.

Five starters return, leaving a chunk of starting spots open for the taking.

With a wide-open roster comes the chance for many new and younger players to carve out their roles on the varsity squad.

“There is a ton of opportunity,” Ross says. “As a coach, part of that makes me a little nervous because in some spots we haven’t had guys step up yet and grasp those positions. But at the at the same time, a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’ve got guys working hard and competing against each other, and it’s just not clear who the best is yet.”

Perhaps the most experienced unit for the Trojans is its offensive line, where it will build around veterans Tyler Christianson, Skylar Svoboda and Jez Phippen, all of whom have seen significant action in the past.

Many of the other positions are still up for grabs, and leading up to opening night at Clarinda, Ross expects some players to separate themselves from the pack and elevate themselves into a starting role.

“I want to see some of these guys really step up and take ownership at some of these positions,” coach Ross says. “The way to do that is to practice hard the rest of this week, and the competition will go into next week, and maybe even into the season to be honest.”

But before the Trojans face live bullets at Clarinda, the program hosts its annual inter-squad scrimmage Friday night at the Trojan Bowl. Action begins at 6:45 p.m. with the freshman team taking the field first, followed by the varsity.

The public is encouraged to attend and catch a glimpse of the 2013 team.

“I really feel we’ve got a good group of kids who are working hard, and we should put a product on the field that is going to make the community proud,” coach Ross says.

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