SPENCERVILLE-Nonconference games usually means that there isn’t much familiarity with opponents unless you play them every year.
However that won’t be the case on Friday night in Haviland.
The Spencerville Bearcats will put their 1-0 record on the line as they will hit the road to take on the Wayne Trace Raiders.
Koenig acknowledges that they will look to use their past experience to their advantage on Friday.
“Wayne Trace has been a great scrimmage for us the last few years,” said Spencerville head coach Kyle Koenig. “It is always competitive which makes it fun to be a part of. They like to spread you out and use their athletes on the perimeter.”
“Their quarterback is a great athlete and very shifty. If we want to be successful, we need to be aware of his ability to run the football whether it is designed or not.” Added Koenig.
Last week the Spencerville Bearcats rushed for over 300 yards last week against Ridgemont. Koenig talked about what they broke down on film last week.
“Looking back on the film there were a lot of positives and negatives as there always are in week 1,” Said Koenig. “Obviously last week we did not start off the way we hoped for, but we persevered through and found a way to come back and get the victory which is really encouraging. Guys stayed positive and kept fighting which was a big step in the right direction. Last year we did not always see that fight, especially if we got punched first, but last week they stayed with it, and I am really proud of them for that. I thought we made plays when we needed to and besides the first play of the game, we really did a good job on the defensive side of the ball.”
One of the main focal points this season will be running backs Grady Smith and Zach Looser. Smith had 14 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
“Grady is a great player, has done a great job in accepting his role on this team, communicates well on the defensive side of the ball and is just a great kid overall,” Koenig said of Smith. “I knew he was going to be a big part of our game plan this season. He runs hard, runs solid routes at receiver and has really developed a toughness that you can count on. He works hard in the weight room, and I am just really happy for him that he was able to have success in week 1 and hopefully he can continue that into week 2. I am excited to see what he can do this season.”
Last week Wayne Trace began the season on the road when they visited Fort Recovery and took a tough 20-6 defeat to the Indians. It will be a hot home opener for the Raiders on Friday night.
The Bearcats went back to school on Wednesday and Koenig was impressed with their response the last two days of practice following school.
“As a coach you are always worried about how practice will be when the guys go back to school,”concluded Koenig. “I was very pleased with how our guys responded. They came in and had two great practices after the school day. Energy was high and kids were competing out at practice. When you add in the heat we had this week, it can make that “want to” really tough and our guys responded well, and I am excited to see how it translates Friday night.”
If you can’t make to the game tonight tune in to Zsports 3 as Nate Stidham and Brett Beckman will have all the action with the pregame show at 6:30 followed by kickoff at 7pm.
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