Woodmore looks to spoil Eastwood’s undefeated season

The Woodmore football team is facing two of the state’s top Division IV teams on consecutive Friday nights.

Friday night, the Wildcats faced No. 3 Genoa, and this Friday night, they face No. 8 Eastwood. The Eastwood and Woodmore football programs are in vastly different places, just as the Genoa and Woodmore programs are.

Eastwood’s football team continues to be a model of success, one of the area’s best, a consistent playoff contender that has qualified for the postseason in six of the last nine seasons. Eastwood looks to be headed there again.

Eastwood linebacker Kris Hayward returns as interception. (Press photo by Lee Welch/FamilyPhotoGroup.com.	Woodmore Senior running back Jacob Icsman. (Press photo by Dean Utendork/WoodmorePhotos.com)

Woodmore, on the other hand, has struggled in recent years, last finishing with a winning record (6-4) in 2003.

Eastwood, 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Northern Buckeye Conference, has played nearly flawless football this season. After two three-point victories over powerhouse programs Patrick Henry and Clyde in the first two weeks, the Eagles have dominated, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 294-42.

“We've played pretty well,” said Eastwood coach Jerry Rutherford. “Clyde came here and we beat them in a close game and then things kind-of got rolling for us. Our defense is playing well, and our offense is scoring points.”

The reason for Eastwood’s success stems from its ability to effectively run the ball and play sound defense. Since Marquis Pitts, the team’s leading rusher through the first three games, had to leave the team following week three, the Conkle brothers, Zach and Isaiah, have filled the void, rushing for a combined 1,034 yards and 24 touchdowns in the last four games. Isaiah has rushed for 557 yards on 38 carries and 14 touchdowns and Zach has rushed for 477 yards on 60 carries and 10 touchdowns.

The key to the team’s rushing attack has been the offensive line and its ability to control the line of scrimmage.

“They continue to get better every week,” said Rutherford of his men up front. “They work hard in practice (and) continue to gain a lot of confidence in what they're doing. They've bought into what we're doing. They've done a fabulous job for us.”

When teams have stacked the box in an attempt to stop the run, quarterback Jake Schmeltz has made them pay, completing 21-of-32 passes for 531 yards and six touchdowns with only one interception.

On the flip side, there is Woodmore, which stands at 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the NBC.

When a team like Woodmore is in the process of rebuilding, any kind of victory can give them a glimpse of hope. The Wildcats got that last week when they defeated Otsego in thrilling fashion, 21-20. Down 20-13 with 42 seconds remaining, Woodmore quarterback Jon Sandwisch found receiver Zach Brossia for a 5-yard touchdown, and, after the team decided to go for the win, Sandwisch found Brossia for the two-point conversion to give the Wildcats the lead. It was a much-needed victory for a team that has endured its struggles this season.

Sandwisch, the team’s leader, has completed 149-of-246 (62.2 percent) passes for 1,568 yards and 11 touchdowns. Utilizing the spread offense, he has accounted for over 2,100 yards of total offense and has spread the ball around in the process. This season, five Woodmore receivers have 20 catches or more.

The series between the two teams, which dates back to 1972 in the now defunct Suburban Lakes League (and several non-league contests before that) has seen Eastwood win the last seven matchups. The Eagles have dominated in the process, outscoring the Wildcats 287-91 in that span.

For Woodmore to have any chance of defeating Eastwood on Friday, they must keep the Eagles’ running game in check and find ways to spread to ball around on offense.

“I know they’ve got really fast running backs — the Conkle boys.” said Woodmore coach Britton Devier. “They’re not going to do anything special. Obviously, we’re going to have to tackle well and put extra men in the box.

“As far as our offense goes,” said Devier, “there are only so many things you can do to defend the spread. We certainly have plays that are good against any defense. We’re going to throw a lot — we like to screen, throw intermediate routes and throw it deep sometimes.”

Rutherford acknowledges that Woodmore’s spread offense could create problems for the Eagles.

“It's going to be difficult to simulate that in practice,” he said. “Fundamentally, tackling is going to be important. When guys are spread out, that's hard — it will definitely be a challenge. We've seen some teams that run a spread, teams we've scrimmaged. It's not like it's something we've never seen. If our offense can generate things and keep them off the field that would be big.”

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