No. 1-ranked Spartans ready to make another run at the UNI-Dome
By Drew Herron- NT Sports Editor / Oct. 30, 2013
EXIRA – Last week’s bye allowed most of the Spartans and the coaching staff an opportunity to scout first-hand the opposition for Wednesday night’s playoff opener.
What they saw from the CAM Cougars last Friday night in Anita was a team equally capable of running the ball and throwing it. And in 8-Man Football, that’s a rare amenity that can cause opposing defenses fits.
That balance is cause for concern, says Exira-EHK head coach Tom Petersen.
“The one thing that stands out about CAM is they are not one-dimensional,” he says. “They’re able to pass the ball and run it very efficiently. And they give you a ton of different looks with multiple formations, so our kids have to be well prepared and ready to go.”
Exira-EHK rolls into the postseason riding a wave of confidence. The top-ranked team in the state, the Spartans have yet to be truly tested for four quarters, and EEHK has impressive wins over Glidden-Ralston, Coon Rapids-Bayard and Southwest Valley on its resume.
Averaging close to 52 points per week while allowing 12, the Spartans have played almost flawlessly en amassing their 8-0 record.
The Spartans now are healthy with everyone back, and that has allowed the team to get everything rolling once again in terms of its offense and defensive schematics.
Junior quarterback Drew Peppers enters Wednesday with 1,360 yards rushing and 27 TDs on the ground, with another 508 yards passing and nine TDs with his arm.
Moreover, senior Trey Sander has been a force on all sides of the ball, averaging 10.1 yards-per-carry on offense and 51 tackles on defense. On special teams, he’s returned four punts for touchdowns.
Wednesday’s weather forecast is predicting wet conditions, and which team that affects more remains to be seen. Coach Petersen says limiting turnovers is a point of emphasis every week, so this is no different.
“It’s going to be the same for both sides, and that’s something you can’t control,” coach Petersen says. “At this time of the year, perhaps the main focus is that you make sure you take care of the football…and so, you just have to focus a little harder when it’s wet.”
CAM comes into Wednesday’s game with a 4-5 record and the No. 4 seed in District 8 after losing last week’s season finale to Sidney.
One thing the Cougars haven’t lacked this season is offensive production, having averaged 45 points per week. It’s going to take more than just showing up, says coach Petersen, to contain what CAM brings.
“Against an offense that is averaging that many points, we need to rely on assignment football, and our kids need to make sure they communicate extremely well.”
Exira-EHK reached the state semifinals last season, and has grand ambitions of returning to the UNI-Dome to see if they can’t push things a step farther. The goals for this team are great, but coach Petersen says this Spartans group is focused on taking one assignment at a time.
“This is the beginning, this is the second season,” he says. “It doesn’t matter any more what your record was. If you have a four seed or a one seed, it doesn’t matter, because if you don’t come ready to play, and you turn the football over, it can come back to haunt you. The kids understand that, we’ve been here before. It’s the playoffs, you come ready to go, or you go home.”
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