Tribe to meet Flyers

With the first playoff victory in school history under its belt, the Tribe knows the road is only going to get more difficult.
The Indians will face no bigger opponent than what will be across the field from them Saturday.
Fort Recovery High School’s football team meets three-time defending state champion and top-ranked Marion Local Flyers at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Division VII Region 26 semifinal in Wapakoneta.
The Flyers knocked off the Indians 48-19 Oct. 17 in Fort Recovery, and FRHS coach Brent Niekamp is hoping for a different outcome this time around.
“We’ve looked a lot at our previous game with Marion and looked at the things we did well and the things we didn’t do so well,” said Niekamp, whose team defeated Fort Loramie 28-7 on the road Saturday in the school’s first playoff appearance. “We’re trying to execute better and make a couple of adjustments.
“The tough thing about going into a game the second time with guys like that is making adjustments, giving new wrinkles and showing things they haven’t seen, but maintaining the stuff you’re good at and keep executing well.”
Fort Recovery (7-4) started off well against Marion Local (11-0) too.
Senior running back Cole Hull scored two touchdowns in the first quarter as the Indians had an early 13-7 lead. The Indians held the advantage for 5 minutes, 9 seconds, before the Flyers went on top 14-13 and never looked back.
“(The Indians) were one of our tougher opponents, without a doubt,” said MLHS coach Tim Goodwin, whose team has won 33 straight games. Its last loss was Oct. 12, 2012, a 27-0 thumping to a Coldwater team that went on to win the Division V state title. “They’re offense moved probably as well as anyone else this season. Our defense, even though we are good, we know we have our hands full.”
Hull, who set new FRHS records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in a season, totaled more than 200 yards against the Flyers.
This time around, Niekamp said the rest of the Indians’ offense has to be involved.
“We have to be balanced,” Niekamp said. “I know the first time they knew Cole was important to our offense and they were trying to stop him. I think we’re going to have to have good play out of (quarterback) Caleb (Martin) and (wide receiver) Wes (Wenning).
“The more balanced the better.”
Niekamp said Martin, a sophomore, and Wenning, a junior, have gotten more and more confident as the season has progressed.
“It doesn’t always show up on the stat line, but I can see it in how they play,” he added. “Caleb’s decision-making, he’s getting more aggressive and confident running the ball when he needs to. He’s doing better with recognizing coverages and things like that.”
Wenning’s confidence is building with each catch he makes, Niekamp said.
Against Fort Loramie, he extended a drive by catching a pass from Martin with his fingertips as he was going out of bounds, and later in the game he wrestled the ball away from two Redskin defenders for another first down.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Niekamp said. “Before you can make those kind of plays, you have to think you can. I feel like he is getting into the mindset he can make those plays.”
“They’re not going to just let (Hull) run over the field. They’re too well-coached for that.”
Martin was 8-of-18 for 68 yards against the Flyers, and Wenning had six catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Fort Recovery’s 19 points are the second-most the Flyers have given up this season, trailing only Minster’s 28 points on Sept. 19.
The Flyers, who have six defensive players who have started since their sophomore year, are allowing less than seven points per game.
They’ve shut out six teams this season, and the Flyers have gone three straight games without being scored upon.
“We expected our defense to be pretty strong,” Goodwin said.
Marion Local’s offense is playing just as well as its defense.
The Flyers are averaging more than 44 points per game and have scored less than 30 points just twice.
Running back Jacy Goettemoeller torched the Indians to the tune of 234 yards and three touchdowns in their last meeting, and Niekamp said the Tribe defense has to keep him at bay to stay in the game.
“We’ve got to make sure we don’t allow the big plays,” Niekamp said of Goettemoeller, who had two scores of more than 60 yards. “We need to do a better job at the line of scrimmage. I don’t want to sound cliché, but it’s pursuit and tackling.
“We need to keep this kind of a slugfest and not let them get on a roll.”
While Niekamp knows his team may have its hands full come Saturday night, he’s still fortunate to be in this position as a coach.
“It’s a fun feeling,” he said of coaching in the playoffs. “The weather is getting colder, everyone can feel (that) we’re definitely later in the season and it’s great.
“Our guys are excited about the opportunity.”