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Friday, 12 October 2007 |
By JOSHUA KEERAN
Sports Editor
WAYNESFIELD — The Waynesfield-Goshen varsity football team has won five straight games and is 6-1 overall this season despite having to overcome numerous injuries to key starters.
Well, those injuries are no more as of right now for the Tigers, who are finally back at full strength.
“I think we will be dressing everyone for the first time this week, so we are healthy,” Waynesfield-Goshen varsity coach Gary Spencer said.
Fortunately for Spencer and the rest of the Tiger coaching staff, many different kids were able to step up when called upon to get the team through the injury-plagued times.
“We told the kids that when their name is called, it’s time for them to step up, and everyone has stepped up and have earned their role,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he can’t say enough about the turnout the program had this season which has helped tremendously in filling the voids left by injury.
“I think this year is the deepest are team has been,” he said.
Case in point to last week when three key starters — Blake Knowlton, Gray Horn and Ryan Spencer — all set out against Upper Scioto Valley.
Even with several starters in street clothes, the Tigers destroyed the Rams by a score of 63-0.
“It just goes to show you what depth does for you and we’re fortunate to have that this year,” Spencer said.
Today, W-G travels to Marion to face the Marion Catholic Fighting Irish.
The Irish (1-6) are having their fair share of problems this season.
After opening the season with three straight losses to Elgin (40-0), Grove City Christian (24-18) and Springfield Catholic Central (46-0), Marion Catholic won its first and only game of the year with a 14-7 win over Yellow Springs. Since defeating the Bulldogs, the Irish have again lost three straight games as they fell to Upper Scioto Valley (45-21), Perry (55-0) and Riverside (47-6).
“They have a young coach over there who is starting to get things together,” Spencer said. “If you watch them on tape, they’ve played really good the first quarter and into the second quarter, but then they let up at that point. It’s just a case of not having enough kids, but they are starting to come around.”
Even against inferior teams on paper like the Irish, it’s easy for the favorite to relax and struggle against the weaker foe. That hasn’t been the case so far this season for the Tigers, who despite having a huge target on their chests after last year’s co-conference championship, have shown no signs of let up against teams in the bottom half of the Northwest Central Conference.
Spencer said the reason for the strong play stems from the fact that his seniors are finding ways to get up for each and every ballgame.
“The seniors have been targeting their mistakes this season,” he said. “They just want to be flawless, which is a good thing.”
As far as the postseason is concerned, W-G still holds the seventh spot in the latest Division VI, Region 24 standings. The Tigers have a score of 7.0714 which is just behind Mechanicsburg (7.3857) and just ahead of Columbus Harvest Prep (6.5714) for the eighth and final playoff spot.
If the season were to end today, W-G would travel to Portsmouth to face Sciotoville Community School, which is one of only three unbeaten schools left in the region.
The Tigers are the only one-loss team left in Region 24. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 13 October 2007 )
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