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Warriors struggle to contain Vikings in 44-16 loss

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Central blockers pave the way for a Nick Deitchler rushing attempt in the Warriors’ Sept. 17 loss to Ed-Co. (Photos by Bev Hamann)

Evan Schroeder surveys the Viking defense.

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

 

“As a team, we are only focusing on ourselves…we want to focus on what we’re good at and keep moving forward. As far as stats go, they are cool to look at, but at the end of the day, we can’t focus on just making sure that we look better on paper. We need to make sure we can walk the walk. Ed-Co is a good team, they have great history and have proven this year that they can score points. We will treat them with the same amount of respect as we should any team. I am very excited for this week’s game.” 

 

Those were the words of Central head coach Joe Koehn prior to the Sept. 17 football game against Edgewood-Colesburg. It was a match-up that statistically favored the Warriors, but as Koehn alluded to, football games aren’t won on paper. They are won on the field. 

 

On that field, the Vikings had speed, threw the ball around and played a physical style, meaning the Warriors had to continue to set the edge, stick to assignments and keep everything in the middle of the field when on defense. 

 

On paper, the Warriors had the advantage, but on the field, the Vikings scored quickly, putting the Warriors into an early hole they could not dig out of. By halftime, the Vikings led 38-0, using a combination of run stuffing defense—which limited the Warrior rushing attack—and a passing game that found open receivers aided by poor Central tackling. 

 

“They were flying to the ball and winning the line of scrimmage, blocking up front and running crisper routes. We need to finish our blocks up front and continue to stay on the defensive line,” Koehn said. 

 

Koehn also addressed the tackling issues, stating, “During our tackling, a good majority of the kids weren’t stepping into their tackles. They were doing a lot of reaching and not flying through the tackle. The term ‘through it, not to it,’ comes to mind. Meaning you have to run through the tackle instead of stopping at the point of contact. And our pass coverage needs to get better, in a sense of understanding where we are at on the field and what adjustments we need to make to stay in good position.”

 

Even though Central was down early, Koehn said the team remained positive. The Warriors battled back as the game went on, holding the Vikings to just six points in the third quarter, while adding a few touchdowns of their own in the fourth after switching primarily to the “pro formation.” 

 

Although the Warriors lost 44-16, Koehn remained upbeat. 

 

“We’ve been down like before, so it was nothing new, but we just needed to dig deep to try and push forward. I’m proud of the kids. I’m not too upset about this loss; while it stings, they kept battling forward,” he said. 

 

On the field, the Warriors’ vaunted rushing attack finished with 140 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Evan Schroeder led the team with 95 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while Elliot Kelly put up 37 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. 

 

In the passing game, the Warriors continued to struggle, as Kelly and Schroeder combined to go 2-11 for 45 yards and one interception. The two receptions were caught by Kelly for 13 yards and Nate Shirbroun for 32 yards. 

 

The defense, as previously noted by Koehn, struggled to put pressure on the Viking quarterback and missed tackles in key moments. They managed one sack from Brandon Whittle and recorded just 25.5 tackles, with Whittle leading the team with nine. Schroeder finished with four tackles, as did Noah Diersen, and Kelly had two. 

 

The Warrior defense produced 4.5 tackles for a loss, with Whittle getting three of them and Diersen grabbing the other. 

 

On special teams, the Warriors had seven kick returns for 72 total yards, averaging 10.3 yards per return. 

 

Koehn said Central needs to forget about the loss and move on. 

 

“There’s a reason the rear view mirror in a car is so small and the windshield is so big. Got to keep our eye on the next prize and keep moving forward. I know I sound redundant,” he said, “but confidence is huge. Last year, there were a lot of big changes being made and mindsets were getting changed. All the losses and victories we had have helped mold this team and better prepare them for the future, and it is showing. Every week is a learning experience for this team and myself as a coach, which will only make us stronger for the future.”

 

Central’s next game will be Friday, Sept. 24, against the 4-0 Kee Hawks. The game will start at 7 p.m.

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