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Various Articles on CW that I found
Canal Winchester steps up to the challenge
By CHRIS MILES
Published: Monday, October 26, 2009 11:15 AM EDT
When the Canal Winchester football team went to the locker room down 20-10 at halftime in its Mid-State League Buckeye Division tilt with host Logan Elm Friday, Oct. 23, Indians coach Phil Mauro laid it on the line.
"I challenged them," Mauro said. "I told them we had 24 minutes to get this straightened out."
The pep talked apparently worked. The Indians rallied in the second half to score the game's final 13 points and steal an important 23-20 victory, which kept Winchester very much in the state playoff picture.
"It really was a game of two halves," Mauro said. "We didn't tackle very well in the first half, we had a punt blocked and just didn't play all that well. But in the second half we tackled much, much better; we forced three turnovers and we had some guys make some big plays."
With the win the Indians (7-2, 5-1) moved a step closer to securing a D-II state playoff berth. They know the only thing they can do is go out and win a Week 10 matchup against host Teays Valley Friday, Oct. 30 (7:30 p.m.), and let the rest play out around it.
"There are so many scenarios," the coach said. "The bottom line is we have to win. The only thing we can control is how well we play. We need to be focused on what we can control and then wait and see what happens.
"We're going to go out and treat it like it's our last game of the season, hoping it's not. The only thing that's guaranteed is a game in Week 10; if we're 8-2 and don't get in there's nothing we can do about it."
The one other game the Indians will have their eye on in the final week of the regular season is a matchup between St. Charles (6-3) and host Jonathan Alder (6-3).
St. Charles is a team ahead of the Indians in the D-II, Region 7 playoff standings. Alder is a team the Indians defeated in the non-league portion of the schedule. Winchester fans will be rooting for the Pioneers to pull out the victory.
"There are a lot of scenarios," Mauro said, "but Jonathan Alder is playing well right now. They were a little banged up when we played them, but they've played well lately."
In the CW win over Logan Elm, Mike Mainella scored on a 46-yard first-quarter run and Tyler Shryock connected on a 33-yard field goal. The fourth-quarter scoring for Winchester included a 1-yard scoring run by Seddarian Booth and a 29-yard scamper by quarterback Justin
#2
Hoping to remain undefeated in the MSL-Buckeye Division, the Canal Winchester High School football team travels to Fairfield Union on Friday night. Canal Winchester beat the Falcons 20-16 last year, but lost 14-12 at Fairfield Union two years ago.
Fairfield Union enters the game 3-1 and is coming off a 54-6 win over Teays Valley last Friday. Thus far, the Falcons' only loss was a 31-7 decision to Baltimore Liberty Union , which was a Division V state semifinalist last year.
Fairfield Union runs a wing-T offense and it has worked well for the Falcons. Running back Tyler Turner leads the team averaging 169 total yards a game.
"Well, offensively, they're really good. They've scored 97 points in the last two games so obviously they're very explosive," coach Phil Mauro said. "They possess a lot of depth at running back and all their guys run well. They do a really good job running the wing-T."
The Fairfield Union offense will put the pressure on the Canal Winchester defense, which has allowed an average of 11 points per game. The Indians are led defensively by linemen Nathaniel Adkins and Alex Krigbaum, linebackers Zack Hitchens and Ryan Rose and defensive backs Drew Black, Conrad Rosch and Nathan Shull.
"We're going to have to tackle well, that's for sure," Mauro said.
"We need to be very sound in our defensive scheme and with our responsibilities. It will be a great challenge for us."
Defensively, Fairfield Union runs a five-man front led by defensive end Patrick Seesholtz. The Falcons' defense is predicated on stopping the run and though Canal Winchester has had a lot of success in the running game with back Mike Mainella and receiver Tyler Thompson, quarterback Justin Whitlatch could expose some holes in it. Whitlatch connected with Cody Ferguson for two touchdown passes last week in the 38-13 win over Circleville last Friday.
Following its first loss of the season, a 17-13 setback to Westerville Central on Sept. 11, Canal Winchester responded with a win over the Tigers last Friday to open league play. It was the kind of game Mauro was looking for coming off a loss.
"We were really pleased with our execution against Circle-ville," Mauro said. "We didn't have any turnovers either, so both of those areas were real positive for us. The only negative was our penalty situation. We gave ( Circleville ) five first downs on penalties, and you just can't do that."
In Division II Region 7, there are seven undefeated teams and a loss to Fairfield Union might take the Indians out of the playoff picture. That thought hasn't crossed the minds of the players or coaches at Canal Winchester .
"I couldn't even begin to tell you what's going on in our region," Mauro said. "That's why we don't post our schedule in the locker room.
"The guys know we have Fairfield Union next. The only thing we can control is how we play in the MSL-Buckeye. "
#3
With one week left in the regular season, the Canal Winchester High School football team is hoping a win Friday at Teays Valley will extend the season.
An added bonus would be a share of the MSL-Buckeye Division title. But in order to accomplish that, the Indians need to beat Teays Valley and have Amanda-Clearcreek lose to Bloom-Carroll to forge a two-way tie for first with the Aces.
Canal Winchester currently is on the outside of the playoffs looking in, as it was expected to be ninth in the Division II Region 7 computer standings, which were released last Tuesday. The easiest scenario for the Indians would be a win at Teays Valley and have both New Philadelphia and Olentangy Orange lose Friday. Beyond that, there are a number of complicated scenarios in which the Indians would earn the eighth and final playoff spot.
For now, though, the Indians are focused on Teays Valley .
"They've had some success moving the ball on offense. I know they're a good team," Indians coach Phil Mauro said. "I know they've struggled this year, but they've won two of their last three and had some big games earlier in the year. So, they're a pretty good team."
The Vikings started off the season with four consecutive losses, but won three of their last five games and are sitting at 3-3 in the league. However, all of the wins are against teams with losing records. Last Friday, Teays
Valley improved to 3-6 with a 39-13 decision over Hamilton Township.
For Teays Valley , it's been pretty clear where the success, and failure, has come from. In their three wins, the Vikings have averaged 31.3 points per game. In their last four losses, they've allowed an average of 40.8 points per game.
Teays Valley 's offense is based around quarterback Trevor Cowles and running back Derek Sturgell, both Grove City transfers, as well as running back Derrick Taylor.
Countering that offense will be a Canal Winchester defense led by defensive tackle Sedarrian Booth, linebackers Zack Hitchens and Ryan Rose and defensive backs Conrad Rosch and Nathaniel Adkins. Mauro said that Daniel Bailey, who played well in relief against Logan Elm last Friday, will see some time at linebacker this week after having two tackles for loss and a sack in a 23-20 win over Logan Elm last Friday.
However, defensive tackle Dujshon Stevens, who appeared to sustain an ankle injury against the Braves and rotates in along the defensive line, is doubtful for Friday.
"They're going to give us multiple formations and try to spread us out a bit," Mauro said. "With Taylor, they'll try to get the ball on the edge a lot. A big key is just not giving up the big play. We need to contain Derrick and not give up big plays to him."
Offensively, the Indians are hoping to maintain a good balance between the run and the pass, something that has served them well the last two weeks. Canal Winchester has been a strong running team all season with running back Mike Mainella and wide receiver Tyler Thompson. But the play of quarterback Justin Whitlatch the last two weeks has been a boon for the Indians. In the last two games, the win over Logan Elm and a 43-0 win over Hamilton Township on Oct. 16, Whitlatch combined to go 17-for-25 for 256 yards with four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Mauro is looking for the Indians to improve in a few areas this week, including pass defense. He wasn't thrilled when his team gave up a 29-yard touchdown pass against Logan Elm .
"Well, we want to continue to do a good job on protection," Mauro said. "I think defensively we can still get a bit better at our pursuit angles."
#4
For the second time this season, the Canal Winchester High School football team followed up a loss with a dominating win.
The Indians defeated Bloom-Carroll 30-0 last Friday after losing 7-0 to Amanda-Clearcreek on Oct. 2. They hope to continue their winning ways Friday when they play host to Hamilton Township in their final regular-season home game.
The Indians enter the game 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the MSL-Buckeye Division. Hamilton Township is 0-7 and 0-4.
Canal Winchester is looking for another strong performance from its running game. Against Bloom-Carroll, running back Mike Mainella rushed for 161 yards and scored four touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Wide receiver Tyler Thompson, who sees his share of carries each game, said the running game will be key against Hamilton Township, which is allowing an average of 33.3 points per game.
"I think we need to establish our running game, and it's been good so far this season," Thompson said. "Mike's handled the load the last few weeks, so hopefully that will help us pull out a win."
But as much as the Indians rely on their running game, coach Phil Mauro also would like to see his team continue to be effective in the passing game.
"We want to continue to work on being balanced on offense," he said. "We've been doing that well so far."
The weather and field conditions may dictate how often Canal Winchester throws the ball, however. Steady rain and a sloppy playing surface caused the Indians to focus on the running game last week.
In fact, the weather and field conditions were bad enough that Mauro decided to go for the two-point conversion following three of the Indians' touchdowns rather than attempt the extra point. After the third touchdown, a 6-yard run by Mainella, the Indians attempted the extra point but missed.
Mauro said the Indians only will go for the two-point conversion if it's necessary from a score perspective or if the conditions are sub-par again.
Hamilton Township's offense is averaging just 7.7 points per game and has reached double digits only once, in a 41-16 loss to London on Sept. 4.
That should bode well for Canal Winchester's defense, which is allowing an average of 8.7 points per game. Led by defensive lineman Nathaniel Adkins, linebackers Zack Hitchens and Ryan Rose and defensive backs Drew Black and Conrad Rosch, the Indians have not given up more than 17 points in a game this season and have two shutouts.
"Hamilton Township has big play potential, so we've got to do a good job of not giving up the big play," Mauro said. "We just need to continue playing hard on defense. (The defense has) been real good for us so far."
Canal Winchester currently is on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff picture. The Indians are expected to be around 10th or 11th when the Division II Region 7 computer rankings are released this week, and only the top eight teams make the playoff.
Thompson is confident the Indians will be able to secure a playoff berth.
"I'd say we've got about an 80 percent chance right now," he said. "A lot of teams in the region still have to play each other, and that can help us a lot if we win out. So we just have to play our game."
As for the league race, Canal Winchester still trails Amanda-Clearcreek by one game and is tied with Logan Elm for second. The Indians travel to Logan Elm on Oct. 23.
"Well, we're pretty much at the mercy of the teams Amanda-Clearcreek plays, so we just have to take care of our games," Mauro said. "Right now, the only thing we can worry about is beating Hamilton Township."
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