Spartans head into final regular season test with sense of focus

Top-ranked Exira-EHK travels to Ar-We-Va

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 18, 2013

EXIRA – In most every way, the Spartans took a step forward in last week’s 68-13 thrashing of a talented and deep Southwest Valley team.

The top-ranked Spartans ran at will, needing just 31 attempts to roll up 317 yards with its rush.

On defense, Exira-EHK completely shut down a Timberwolves team that was averaging 51 points per-game through its 6-1 start. The Spartans returned an interception for a touchdown, won the turnover battle again (2-0), and kept Southwest Valley out of the end zone until long after the running clock kicked in and the E-EHK starters dropped out.

On special teams, the Spartans scored twice on punt returns from Trey Sander, and nearly found the end zone again on a kick return.

Sitting atop the district, as well as the 8-Man state rankings according to the Associated Press, Radio Iowa, The Des Moines Register and the Omaha World-Herald, the Spartans look to be in as good a shape as anyone in late October.

Based on the body of work, it’s hard to poke holes in much of anything the Spartans have shown this far.

“I do like the way the kids are playing,” Exira-EHK coach Tom Petersen concedes. “But obviously we want to be playing our best football towards the end of the season, and it seems like a lot of the puzzle pieces are coming together in regards to us being almost healthy.”

Senior Nick Peppers appears to be back at full strength after missing some injury time, and the Spartans also had to do without Sander for the first two weeks.  Having them both back and operating effectively has made the Exira-EHK offense hard to stop.

Now coach Petersen gets full use of his offense in one final test before a bye and two weeks to prepare for the playoffs. There is no better practice than what comes on Friday nights, and the Spartans might want to break out a new wrinkle or two.

“We’re going to spread it out and get Nick more involved in the offense,” coach Petersen says. “That takes more pressure off Drew (Peppers), and it takes more pressure off Trey. We want to give him his carries, so he can get a feel for it again. He’s only got 16 carries on the year.”

Having won a string of highly competitive games against top 10 teams, the Spartans now face an opponent struggling with its 1-6 record. Ar-We-Va is out of the playoff race and is clearly in rebuilding mode. Still, Ar-We-Va is not without its means to move the ball.

For the Rockets, that means the pass, and constructing a defense conducive to stopping that has the Spartans’ coaches excited.

“It’s a different challenge for us because it’s something we haven’t seen,” coach Petersen says. “Last week, (Ar-We-Va) threw the ball 58 times. In practice, we’re working on things we’re not normally geared for. At the same time, that’s a good change, and something we need to work on.”

Ar-We-Va relies heavily on its underclassmen with only one senior starter. Freshman Jake Danner has taken over at quarterback, and will start his third game Friday against the top-ranked Spartans. Danner is completing 48 percent of his pass attempts (61-of-126) for 756 yards and six touchdowns to nine picks.

“He’s a freshman, and we want to pressure him as much as possible,” coach Petersen says. “We can’t allow him to be comfortable back there.”

The defensive preparation ought to do the Spartans some good, as somewhere along the playoff path, a team that favors a passing attack over its rush will present itself. Working on that now will hopefully make the E-EHK defense a bit more complete in November.

Also, getting the team motivated to execute at its own level and not play down to its competition after a 50-minute bus ride could be a concern for most teams. Petersen dismisses any notion his team won’t be prepped for Ar-We-Va despite its 1-6 record.

He says the team sets specific goals from week to week, and for Friday, the emphasis is heavy on the Spartans’ defense.

“This is the last regular season these seniors get to play, and that should be enough said,” coach Petersen says. “I expect us to play our best game this Friday night.” 

The Spartans have won the District for a second straight time, with a perfect regular season on the line Friday. Exira-EHK has a bye week during Week 9 because Heartland Christian Academy disbanded its team mid-district-cycle. The playoffs begin on Wednesday, October 30, and Exira-EHK is expecting to host.

#iahsfb    #exira-ehk