MAC Football Game of the Week - St. Henry at Coldwater

This week’s MAC ‘Game of the Week’ goes to the battle set to unfold Friday night in Coldwater when the St. Henry Redskins invade Cavalier Stadium in hopes of upending the Cavs for the first time since 1996.  Although extended win streaks are commonplace for the Coldwater football program over their opponents, this meeting is a little more significant as the entire series has been marred with streaks since its inception in 1973.  This year, the Cavaliers enter the game all alone at the top of the Midwest Athletic Conference, while the Redskins currently stand one game back in a second-place tie with their 2-1 conference record.  “We always expect a tough game from St.Henry - they are always fundamentally sound,” commented Coldwater head coach Chip Otten.  “They don't do a lot of different things, but that limits their mistakes and they get good at what they do.”
 
The Cavs made it through the first half of the regular season unblemished at 5-0, with no one coming closer than 14 points.  Last week against Minster, the Cavs dominated to the tune of 34-6, avenging their loss to the Wildcats from the season before.  Offensively, Austin Bruns paved the way in the win with 190 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns, while Caleb Siefring was on the receiving end of four of those passes for 64 yards and a score.  The defense also remained stout, sacking Minster quarterback Adam Niemeyer four times and pulling down Minster ball carriers in the backfield on eight different occasions.  “We are really pleased with the focus of our team - our best players are playing well and bringing the younger guys along,” Otten pointed out.  “Our role players have a great attitude and are all doing their jobs at this point.  We feel like we have about 25 players that we are comfortable putting on the field, which is a good feeling because if we have an injury, we feel we can still be effective.” 
 
Following premature, season-ending injuries each of the past two seasons, senior quarterback Kyle Stahl has enjoyed an outstanding first half of 2012, leading the Redskins to a 4-1 overall record.  With their win over the New Bremen Cardinals on Saturday, the Redskins equaled their victory output from the past two seasons combined, where they have gone 3-7 and 1-9 respectively in 2010 and 2011.  The Redskins will need to play error-free football this week to have a chance at knocking off the pre-season favorites to win the MAC title.  “Preparation is consistent week to week, and Coldwater is very good without any apparent weaknesses – they are good at all three phases of the game,” remarked St. Henry head coach Jeff Starkey.  “Right now I like how our team's identity is shaping up.  Our offensive line play has really improved since week one, and I like how that particular group is taking ownership of our offense.  It is essential for us to be able to run the football and be consistent in the other phases of our game to be successful this week.”

by Robb Hemmelgarn

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