Spartans Rebound, Topple Oakwood 42 - 21
Oakwood, OH (October 23, 2003) When Valley View fumbled the ball on the second play of their opening drive allowing Oakwood to grab a 7-0 early lead, you could hear a pin drop in the visitors stands. No one spoke it, but everyone was thinking it.
The Spartans erased any doubt however, overcoming five straight quarters of shutout football and rallying in a big way to take second place in the SWBL Southwest Division. It was the first time since 1991 that Valley View had not won or shared the SWBL crown.
It was the Spartan defense that erased much of the doubt as they stopped big plays on third and fourth downs that enabled the offense to do their thing. It was Valley View's own third and fourth down conversions however, that allowed them the breathing room they needed yet failed to experience the week before.
On the Lumberjacks side of the ball it was QB Jack Bonner (17 carries, 124 yards) and RB Gabe Schoenlein (18 carries, 70 yards) that provided a one-two combination that at times frustratedthe Spartan defense, and at one point brought them to within one touchdown at 28-21.
On the next Spartan series however, Teddy Beuhner hit Ryan Clark for a 25-yard TD pass on a 4th and 19 play that solidified a 12th straight playoff berth and broke the game open at 35-21. Clark also scored earlier on a 15-yarder that saw Buehner avoid a near sack before tossing the ball to the wide open receiver. He finished the game with four receptions for 110 yards.
It was mostly a game of executing the basics for the Spartans. Brock Bolen provided 25 carries for 165 yards. Buehner was 9 of 13 for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Clark was able to stay open most of the game.
It was game where execution of the play calling helped the Spartans stay within their game plan. Lucas Kramer came up with two big catches, one for a TD. Branden Lavine came up with back-to-back defensive plays (knocked down a pass, 10-yard QB sack) that forced a 4th and 16.
It was the execution of big plays, both offensively and defensively, and a return to the basics that the Spartans will need to provide to maintain consistency and remain competitive throughout the playoffs.
That, plus work on those wide sweeping plays that seem to be killing the Spartan defensive. It worked for Bellbrook, and Oakwood seemed to take a page from their playbook, as two Lumberjack TDs were orchestrated by huge Bonner runs from the sweep. We're certain Coach Newsock will be working on that in this week's playoff preparations.
As it stands now, the Spartans could be looking at a long road trip to Newark to play Licking Valley. The outlook for the region rests mostly with the CJ-Alter outcome. No matter the winner there, both CJ and Alter have a chance to jump numbers 1 and 2. That pushes Bellbrook to number three for a potential SWBL rematch.
However based on outcomes of some Saturday games, Wyoming has the potential to jump to 6th, moving the Spartans to 7th and a match-up with St. Mary's, Licking Valley, or Bellbrook. Alter, CJ, and Bellbrook could also have their positions changed based on Saturday outcomes.
Enough speculation until later. We'll have unofficial match-ups posted late tonight, with the official pairings posted Sunday afternoon.
