By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Fri. Sept 13, 2013
ANITA – Prior to last week’s game at Nishnabotna, CAM head coach Joe Wollum stressed the need for his team to start fast.
The Cougars were 0-2 and starving for a victory. A season of high expectations was teetering on disaster and Cumberland-Anita-Massena desperately needed a victory to right the ship and build some confidence before entering the thick of the ultra-high stakes of District play.
It didn’t take too long after taking the field in Hamburg that the Cougars displayed they had taken the message to heart, scoring touchdowns on all but one first half possessions en route to a 78-48 whipping of the Blue Devils on their home field.
The impressive offensive output has done much to hit the reset button, so to speak, not to mention gives the team a shot of energy and momentum as it enters the meat of its schedule.
“It’s been great to get back to work, getting that first win and getting the monkey off our back,” CAM head coach Joe Wollum says of last week’s victory. “It’s made things fun, and it seems like it made our guys more hungry to keep winning.”
Trace Ticknor, the junior quarterback in his first year under center, took another step forward last week, scoring seven touchdowns (four on the ground and three passing) against Nishnabotna.
His development seems to go hand-and-hand with how the Cougars go. Coach Wollum has described Ticknor as a player he expects to improve significantly each week, and praises his growing ability to manage the game for the Cougars’ offense.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Trace Ticknor also plays linebacker on the other side of the ball, and at quarterback, he brings a physical presence to the position that sees him running more like a fullback.
As he gets more and more comfortable making his reads and passing the ball, the Cougars are excited about the versatility he brings to the backfield.
“Teams have to respect his ability to run, and he’s getting better at throwing the ball,” coach Wollum says. “He really is a dual threat quarterback and a great asset to our team.”
On Deck for CAM this Friday is another bus trip to a Corner Conference school, this time to Tabor to face Fremont-Mills.
FM placed second in District 8 last season (8-1), and returns many of the components that made them perhaps the biggest and most physical team in 8-Man last year.
“When you watch them on film, the first thing that stands out is how big they are,” coach Wollum says. “We thought all those big guys graduated, but evidently they have more than a few of them back.”
The Knights, through the first two weeks of the season, have been employing a two-quarterback system where both Sam Phillips (10) and Jason Rusten (7) have been receiving about an equal amount of snaps. Statistically, their numbers are pretty similar, having combined to go 11/20 passing for 152 yards.
FM is coming off a 59-6 victory last week over Whiting, and fell 62-12 to West Harrison in Week Zero.
Only the second week of District play, Friday night already brings a pivotal game for the Cougars as they chase another playoff berth. Fremont-Mills finished last season second in District 8, one spot ahead of CAM, and the Knights are again considered to be in the pack competing for the District title.
“It’s early, but this game already has huge implications for us as far as the playoffs,” coach Wollum says. “You hate to use the phrase ‘must-win,’ but this is one of those games you would really be nice to win and take care of yourself in the District race, rather than asking for favors from other teams down the road.”
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