Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

Football is starting to get into full swing around the country. High school football is entering week three as college football is set to officially kickoff with week one this weekend.

There were closer games last week around Darke County compared to week one. We could have some more as conference play starts or continues for all teams this week.

We are starting to see how teams will operate this season. There’s still more to learn, but teams are showing some tendencies after the first two weeks.

With week three coming up, here is what to watch for in each match up this week.

Mississinawa Valley at Arcanum: Trench play

This is a game where the line play on both sides of the ball will be very important. For Arcanum, they have to slow down the defensive line of Mississinawa Valley. The Blackhawks held Dixie to 33 total yards. Dixie had -5 rushing yards. Junior defensive lineman Trent Trobridge had three sacks against Dixie. The Trojan offensive line will be put to the test this week.

The Arcanum defensive line will also have a test this week. It seems to be a balanced attack from the Mississinawa Valley offense. They rush and throw around the same amount of times per game. The rushing attack is the definition of a committee approach. The Trojan defensive line is going to have to read and react to the Blackhawks quickly to have success.

Ansonia at Dixie: Effort against Dixie

Ansonia has been dominate the first two weeks of the season. They have wins of 22 and 34 in their first two games. They have 733 yards rushing as a team, led by Exzaviar Moody who has 318 rushing yards himself.

Every coach tells their team to never let up during the season. There needs to be a high level of focus each week, no matter who the opponent is. That will be put to the test for Ansonia this week.

As mentioned before, Dixie is coming off a tough game against Mississinawa Valley. Dixie should be rearing to go after losing 55-0. Ansonia can’t take them lightly. It’s natural for a team that has been as dominate as Ansonia to overlook a team that is coming off a loss. Seasons can be derailed for teams if they take their opponent too lightly. To keep pace for the WOAC crown, Ansonia needs to show the same effort from their first two weeks in this game.

Sidney vs Greenville: Pass defense

It’s a tough transition for the Greenville defense this week. After going up against a run heavy team in Stebbins, they will face a more pass heavy team in Sidney. Last week, Sidney ran the ball 36 times for 93 yards. Sidney’s quarterback Tucker Herron went 21 for 32 with 227 yards and two touchdowns. Sidney finds more success on offense through the air than on the ground.

Sidney did run the ball often in their week one game, but it’s safe to assume they will throw early on in the game. All three levels of the defense will need to work together to limit the passing attack. The defensive line has to get after the quarterback. If they can’t get home, the secondary needs to be sticky in coverage to force the quarterback to hold the ball. The linebackers have to do a little bit of both at times. They have to cover the middle of the field, blitz the quarterback at times or be the spy on him to contain him.

Greenville will put themselves in a better position if they force Sidney to only run the ball. Sidney can’t run the ball like Stebbins can.

Twin Valley South at Tri-Village: Execution

The Patriots beat themselves last week. Tri-Village had six turnovers and 11 penalties that resulted in 112 penalty yards. Yet they only lost by five points to Preble Shawnee.

As I mentioned in the game’s recap, their season isn’t over. They have a shot at a WOAC title, they just need some help now. Head coach Matthew Hopkins said they can either get back to work on Monday or hang their heads about the loss. This game will show which path the team took.

Twin Valley South is coming off a 28-0 win where they rushed for 339 yards. This is the type of game for the Patriots to get right in. To win, they have to be physical while staying disciplined. This should be the most focused we see this Patriots team this season. Or it could be another sloppy performance by them.

St.John’s vs Versailles: Offensive game plan

We have seen two different offensive teams from Versailles in the first two weeks. Week one, the team rushed for 257 yards in a 25-point victory. Last week, Connor Stonebraker passed for 219 yards while the team rushed for 79 yards in a five-point victory.

Early on, it seems like Versailles can win a game by any means necessary. Another week of watching this offense will teach us more about their approach. Teams can have their strengths and lean on those every week. For Versailles, they could end up switching their game plan on a week to week basis to attack a team’s weakness on defense.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]