No. 1-ranked Spartans will take advantage of bye week

Exira-EHK has run the gauntlet, will open playoffs next week at home with No. 1 seed

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 25, 2013

EXIRA – With the regular season already behind them, and it’s hard to find fault or weakness in anything Exira-EHK has done so far.

The Spartans, ranked No. 1 in the state by most media outlets including the Associated Press, closed out the schedule last week at Ar-We-Va with a tidy 56-6 victory over the Rockets. Exira-EHK now heads into a bye week with a jumpstart on the playoffs.

“I really like where we are at,” Exira-EHK head coach Tom Petersen said this week. “When I look at how we played last week at Ar-We-Va, and the week before that against Southwest Valley…I feel like our team is playing its best football of the year, on both sides of the ball.

“We are right where we want to be heading into the playoffs.”

Exira-EHK rolled up an 8-0 record and repeated as District 7 champions in compelling fashion. Residing in what might be the most competitive district in 8-Man Football, the Spartans dominated the field, dispatching ranked teams Glidden-Ralston (47-7) and Coon Rapids-Bayard (49-12) in what were supposed to be stiff challenges. Moreover, the Spartans stepped out of the district and hammered Southwest Valley (68-13), who appears to be on its way towards locking up District 8.

Practices have been short and intense for the Spartans, who will spend the time afforded them working on fundamentals and communication, not to mention adding new wrinkles to the playbook. 

Also, coach Petersen is looking to the practice sessions as an opportunity to polish up the passing attack as quarterback Drew Peppers works back to becoming completely healthy after being somewhat limited previously with a sore shoulder.

“We have not done a lot of pass routes in practice,” coach Petersen says. “But Drew is back to 100 percent, and we’ve spent the last five or six days giving him a lot of reps. And, you can tell it’s paying off, just in the little amount of time he’s been given.”

Furthermore, the Spartans will revisit their attempt earlier in the season of speeding things up offensively. In August, Exira-EHK had envisioned an offense that could run plays a mere four seconds after the ball was set. Injuries and other circumstances have forced the Spartans to table those plans, but now, Exira-EHK is back at full strength, and is ready to plug-in the hurry-up offense again.

“We’re going to utilize it a little more,” coach Petersen says of the no-huddle. 

“We haven’t been able to try it really since Week 1 because our personnel hasn’t allowed us to do it. It’s something different, and a change every once in a while is a good thing. It’s refreshing to do something different.”

Forced to do with what it had that was healthy, the Spartans certainly have found success so far.

Drew Peppers leads the team with 1,360 yards and 27 touchdowns on 154 carries, and the return of senior Trey Sander has been a big plus. Sander is averaging 10.2 yards-per-carry with 653 yards and 11 TDs while running the ball, not to mention his efforts through the air (seven catches for 72 yards and 2 TDs) and on special teams, where he’s returned four punts for scores.

Plug Nick Peppers and Tate Simpson into that offense, amongst others, and the Spartans have choices.

“We’ve got more than one weapon,” coach Petersen says. “We’ve got better receivers on the outside than we’ve had in year’s past, not to mention that we have three skill position players back there who can turn things in at any time. And that feeds into everything else.”

Coach Petersen says he will spend the rare Friday night off scouting the game in Anita between CAM and Sidney, who are battling for a third seed in District 8. The loser of that game will travel to Exira to face the Spartans in the playoff opener on Oct. 30 in a match-up of No. 1 and No. 4 seeds.

“It’s a good opportunity because you can only get so much off film, you don’t get a realistic feel for the speed of the game,” coach Petersen says. 

“And, I am not going to lie, it’s going to be nice to have a Friday night off to go watch somebody else rather than be so stressed out.”

CAM hosts Sidney in crucial Week 9 showdown

Cougars have won three in a row, will face Sidney with third and fourth seed in tow

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 25, 2013

ANITA – CAM is coming off a bye week, and that break has helped the Cougars in a number of ways.

It has allowed the blue-and-silver to heal up a bit physically, rework the schemes on both sides of the ball, and lastly, it’s given Cumberland-Anita-Massena two weeks to prepare for what is now the most important game of the season.

With a playoff spot already locked up, Week 9’s bout with Sidney brings with it a playoff-like atmosphere one week early, serving as a bit of a trial run before the high stakes of the postseason arrive.

“We’ve gone through all the scenarios,” CAM head coach Joe Wollum said this week. “Now it just comes down to us needing to win to get that (No.) 3 seed, instead of worrying about (points differential). We will approach this like a playoff game, a third seed or a fourth is what we are playing for.”

Sidney rolls in with a 7-1 record and 5-1 mark in District 8. The Cowboys currently sit in a three-way tie for first place, along with Fremont-Mills and Southwest Valley. Southwest Valley holds the top standing based on tiebreaker criteria, and should the Timberwolves get past 2-6 Stanton Friday night, will earn the top seed. Fremont-Mills travels to 4-4 Lenox, leaving CAM and Sidney to fight it out for the No. 3 seed or the No. 4 heading into the playoffs.

Sidney has been impressive most of the season, averaging 50 points per game while surrendering on average 25. The Cowboys are coming off a 63-34 win over Stanton last week, and have picked up a signature victory this season over Southwest Valley (30-26) in Week 3.

Sidney has played its last two games without the services of junior quarterback Mitchell Coates, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury he suffered early on during the Cowboys’ loss to Fremont-Mills on Oct. 4.

Whether Coates plays Friday against CAM remains to be seen, but the Cougars will be prepared either way.

The Cowboys are a run-first offense led by senior running back Chris Osborne, whose 1,382 yards and 24 touchdowns put him fifth on the state’s leaderboard.

With an average of 14.4 yards-per-carry, Osborne is going to be a handful for any defense he faces.

“When we talk about what we’ve seen before, like Clayton Plowman (from Adair-Casey). We all know how good of a running back he is, and he’s only at nine or 10 yards a carry. To see what Osborne is doing at 14 yards-per-carry, it’s pretty unbelievable,” coach Wollum said this week.

“We need to do a good job of bumping him at the line of scrimmage to slow him down, and everyone else needs to fly to the football. We need to stay in our lanes and try to bring him down, because he’s a good cutback runner.”

When Coates is in the game, he brings another element to the Sidney offense. Because opposing defenses have to pay so much attention to Osborne, Coates has been able to take the opportunities presented to him with his able passing ability and foot speed.

“They’re a run-first team, but when they do pass, they are effective with it,” coach Wollum says. “They do everything well.”

CAM has played a fast-paced offense all year, but in this game against this opponent, look for the Cougars to perhaps try to slow things down and be deliberate with their drives in an attempt to limit Sidney’s possessions and shorten the game.

On the home front, CAM (4-4) continues to grow with its offense and defense after a rocky start threatened to derail its playoff streak. Now, the Cougars have won three straight games, and are doing it with balance. 

Improvements and adjustments on the defensive side have translated into takeaways and forcing punts, and those things coach Wollum says have helped drive the team forward.

Earlier on, CAM was scrambling to plug players into the right spots. Now, those guys have settled into their roles, and everyone is now executing better and has a better understanding of what the opposing offenses are trying to accomplish.

The CAM offense is coming along as well. The growth can be partly attributed to the development of the reshuffled offensive line, and a big part has to do with the growth and maturation process of junior quarterback Trace Ticknor, who continues to learn under center.

“The first couple games, Trace probably threw the ball a little more than he wanted to,” coach Wollum says. “But he has matured, and now he knows better when to pull it down and run and try to make a play with his feet instead of trying to force passes.”

Ticknor has passed for 1,400 yards and has rushed for another 636 yards on the ground, giving him 2,036 combined yards for the season.

Friday night offers one final week for the Cougars to play at home and weather the turmoil and pressure certain to follow every team as the regular season fades into the playoffs.

“No matter where we go, whether it’s to face Exira-EHK or Glidden-Ralston (in the playoffs), that’s going to be quite an atmosphere considering how well those two teams are playing right now,” coach Wollum says.

Trojans hoping to slow down Glenwood’s option attack

Atlantic heads to Glenwood for final game of 2013 season

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 25, 2013

ATLANTIC – The Trojans hit the road this week for their final game of the 2013 season, hoping to secure a victory and perhaps play spoiler to Glenwood’s chances of breaking into the playoffs.

Atlantic (1-7/0-5) has lost seven straight, and a victory in Week 9 would do the program some good.

“We’re looking forward to another opportunity to send our seniors out with a win,” Atlantic head coach Nick Ross said this week. “They’ve been great leaders for our program, and they do everything the coaching staff asks of them. We really want to send them out on a positive note.

“At the same time, it’s always good to try to build something positive at the end of the year to increase the motivation and excitement for the offseason.”

Glenwood (4-4/2-3) has a shot at clinching a playoff spot, albeit through a complicated series of events. If the Rams do their part with a win over the Trojans (by at least 13 points), Glenwood could fortify the fourth spot with a Creston win over Lewis Central and an ADM victory over Harlan.

Glenwood brings to the table a physical and fast run-oriented team that insists on feeding opposing defenses a steady dose of its option attack.

“They’ll run the same plays over and over and over again and hope that you bust your assignment on the option so that they can hit a big play,” coach Ross says.

Senior running back Spencer Smith leads the Glenwood ground game with 987 yards and 10 touchdowns on 122 attempts, making for an average of 8.1 yards-per-carry.

Containing Smith will become a priority for the Trojans’ defense, a unit that has been good at stopping the run at times.

“You need to stop him before he gets started,” coach Ross says of Smith. “If he gets out in the open field, then he’s tough to catch him and get a hold of him. With him, we definitely need to be assignment sound, and get a good fit on him right from the start.”

Another target for the Trojans’ defense is senior quarterback Corey Bertini, an athletic back who is as much of a dual threat as can be expected from an offense that runs the option almost exclusively.

As a runner, Bertini has 553 yards and 12 TDs on 132 carries (4.2 YPC). As a passer, he is completing 51 percent of his attempts (62-of-121) for 808 yards.

Whether he runs or whether he throws, he’s another player the Trojans need to keep an eye on.

“If he was in a different style of offense, he’d be a heck of a passing quarterback, he’s a very good athlete,” coach Ross says of Bertini. “He’s tough to deal with.”

Glenwood snapped a three-game losing streak with a 28-17 victory last week over Lewis Central. The Rams are averaging 30 points-per-game, and is surrendering 28.5.

Atlantic is coming off a 42-7 loss at Harlan last week.

After breaking down film from that game, the Trojans will try to draw on the positives they saw, and try to carry them over into this week. Coach Ross says the Trojans were fairly sound assignment wise, and didn’t do much to hurt themselves through penalties and mistakes.

That’s something the team will look to continue against the option-orientated Glenwood offense.

“I think we are becoming more assignment sound, and that’s very important for us to have against an opponent like Glenwood,” coach Ross says. “To beat these guys, you need to play good, sound, option-defense, and hopefully that will lead us to some success this week.”

Atlantic is averaging just 8.6 points-per-game, while surrendering on average 33.6.

Offensively for the Trojans, senior running backs Logan Steffens and Jake Dvorak lead the ground game, combining for 675 yards on four touchdowns on 157 attempts. Quarterback Joe Walker has completed 47 percent of his pass attempts for 779 yards.

The Trojans talk about it every week, and this one is no different. Atlantic will look to run the ball and stop the run.

“More than any other week, we need to be able to stop the run,” coach Ross says. “And we need to be able to run the ball whenever our offense gets going. That will open up our play action pass, and a lot of other things.”

#iahsfb    #atlantictrojans

VB PLAYOFFS: Griswold sweeps away Exira-EHK

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

ELK HORN – Of all the sports throughout the school year, perhaps no other team game is as fickle to the changes of momentum than is volleyball.

That’s how it played out Tuesday night in Elk Horn.

Griswold fought back from down to game point in the opening set and rallied off a five-point run to take the first game 26-24. That spell proved to be a harbinger in the match, as Griswold seized an Class 1A opening-round playoff victory from Exira-EHK in straight sets 26-24, 25-16 and 25-16.

After failing to close out the Tigers in the opening game with a 24-21 lead, Exira-EHK unraveled slowly the rest of the way.

“That was the turning point,” Griswold coach Jody Rossell says of the late charge in Game 1.

“The girls were able to build some momentum, and volleyball is such a game of psychology and emotion…I think we were able to get inside the head of our opponents a little bit.”

Tigers’ junior Marlia Rossell closed out the first set, serving on a 5-0 run, and it kick started Griswold’s efficiency from the service line the following two sets.

Rossell finished the match with four serving aces, and junior Kayla Kirchhoff added three.

In Game 2, a 15-15 knot was broken with a 9-0 run from the Tigers, and Griswold would eventually take that set as well, via 25-16 final.

As things started clicking for Griswold, they became stronger in their attack up front, and with their defense.

At the net, Griswold’s Candice Howell finished with a match-high 11 kills, and teammate Kinzey Nicklaus added 10 as the Tigers had two players finish in double-digit figures. The duo accounted for 21 of the team’s 30 kills on the night.

Serving as been a strength for the Tigers this season, but the strong play at the net against a team with some height and blocking ability was an encouraging sign, says coach Rossell.

“They’ve got some big blockers, and we were prepared for that,” she says. “We worked on hitting around the block, and that worked out pretty well for us.”

As Griswold flared, the Spartans struggled. Tuesday night was clearly not Exira-EHK’s best effort.

“The girls have handled being down before, and they’ve been able to chip away,” Spartans coach Conni Wyatt says. “Tonight, the intensity just wasn’t there.

“It’s a very disappointing loss, especially for the seniors. They are a better team than they showed tonight, and they don’t deserve to have their final game go out this way.”

The Spartans finish the season with a 15-20 record.

With the first round victory, Griswold advances to the second round, which the team will host next Tuesday (Oct. 29) against the winner of Essex/South Page.

The Tigers improve 10-14 on the season with this most recent victory, and despite a sub-.500 record, Griswold is playing with a lot of confidence as it rolls into the second round of the tournament.

“We’ve been talking about this point in the season for months,” coach Rossell says. “We know we’ve got a very difficult schedule with our conference, but the positive side of that is it really prepares us for now, when it counts.”

#iahsvb    #griswoldtigers  #exira-ehkspartans

Harlan too much for Trojans

No. 5-ranked Harlan defeats Atlantic 42-7

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 19, 2013

HARLAN – No. 5-ranked Harlan scored on its first three possessions and found the end zone five times in the first half to carve out a business-like victory over Atlantic Friday night at Merrill Field.

HCHS topped the Trojans 42-7 to move its record to 5-0 (7-1 overall) and maintain its grip atop District 1.

“Harlan is a very good team, and they are well coached,” Atlantic head coach Nick Ross said afterwards. “I would have liked to see us play a little better, I think we are capable of that. But they are good at exploiting your weaknesses, and they did a good job of that tonight.”

The loss is the seventh in a row for the Trojans, who drop to 1-7 and 0-5 in District 1.

Harlan led from the onset, taking the opening drive 73 yards on 10 plays to strike first when Cyclones’ QB Adam Juhl hit senior Allan Hopp on a nine-yard touchdown reception just a little less than four minutes in.

Juhl completed two more touchdown passes and Harlan scored two more on the ground in the opening half to build a 35-point lead before the halftime break. Juhl finished the first half 16-of-23 for 215 yards, and HCHS added another 75 yards on the ground through the first two quarters.

With Atlantic geared up to shut down the middle of the field, Harlan moved the ball effectively along the sidelines and the flats, and took what the Trojans’ defense gave them.

“Their quarterback did a good job of hurting us on the edges,” coach Ross says. 

“That’s something we need to improve, it’s definitely something we will work on.”

Late in the third quarter, Juhl hit sophomore wide out Sam McLaughlin on a 17-yard strike that drove Harlan ahead 42-0 and capped off the Cyclones’ scoring for the night.

With 7:53 remaining, Atlantic broke the shutout when senior tailback Jake Dvorak scored a touchdown from one yard out for the Trojans.

Trojans’ junior quarterback Joe Walker competed 7-of-15 pass attempts for 146 yards, and threw no interceptions. On the ground, Dvorak carried the ball 13 times for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Walker’s seven completions went to four different receivers. 

Dvorak caught three passes for 31 yards, and Tristen Benn hauled in two for 44 yards. Matthew Mills and Zen Gross each also caught a pass each.

Atlantic will close out the season next week at Glenwood. The Rams are coming off a 28-17 victory over Lewis Central Friday.

#iahsfb    #atlantictrojans

8-MAN: Top-ranked Exira-EHK uses one blistering quarter to bury Ar-We-Va

Spartans put up 41 points in first quarter, cruise to 56-6 win

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Oct. 19, 2013

WESTSIDE – Top-ranked Exira-EHK didn’t need a whole lot of time to put struggling Ar-We-Va in its place Friday night.

The Spartans raced out to a 41-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, then let its junior varsity coast the rest of the way for a 56-6 victory that wraps up a perfect regular season for Exira-EHK.

E-EHK will have a bye during Week 9, and having clinched back-to-back district championships, will shift its focus now to the playoffs.

Against overmatched Ar-We-Va Friday, the Spartans threw everything at the Rockets for one quarter.

“Our varsity came out and played exceptionally well again, in all facets of the game,” Exira-EHK head coach Tom Petersen says. “Everything was clicking on all cylinders. The first group came in focused and ready to play, and that’s something we are going to need headed into the playoffs.”

Spartans senior Trey Sander returned another punt for a score after taking two to the house last week in Corning, and senior Nick Peppers got back into the mix offensively, though he saw just a splash of action, taking his one handoff in for a touchdown.

Exira-EHK scored with its run, through the air, on special teams and with its defense as the Spartans overwhelmed the struggling Rockets, who fall to 1-7.

The victory finishes the Spartans season with a perfect 8-0 record, and the team will spend the next two weeks prepping for its playoff run.

“We’re going to use this time to prepare,” coach Petersen says. “We still have a lot to clean up on the offensive side, especially with our line and our passing game.”

The Spartans will likely spend next Friday night in Anita, watching CAM and Sidney fight for playoff position. The loser of that game will likely face Exira-EHK in the opening round of the playoffs.

“It gives us an opportunity to get completely healthy, and we should be, going into the playoffs,” coach Petersen says. “The bye comes at a good time in that regard, but at the same time, it’s kind of unfortunate because I feel like our kids are playing their best football right now…it’s kind of a double-edged sword.”

#iahsfb   #exira-ehk

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