Fairbanks’ C.J. Swartz (18) and Riordin Stauffer (right) pursue a West Liberty-Salem ball carrier. The Panthers will host Triad this evening. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The Panthers of Fairbanks look to keep their record unblemished as the second half of the football regular season begins tonight.
FHS will take a 3-0 record into its home game against neighboring Triad (1-2).
The Panthers, who are ranked 16th in this week’s Division VI state poll, will face a Cardinals squad that will operate with a traditional backfield.
Jackson Cordell and Hayden Simpson have been solid running the pigskin for the Champaign County team.
Quarterback Coleman Hauk is also averaging 3.7 yards per carry and is completing 62% of his passes.
Batai Lease is Hauk’s top receiver.
“Triad is a very solid football team,” said FHS head coach Patrick Cotter. “They will operate out of the I formation and really run the ball at you.
“They like to establish the run first, but they do enough (through the air )to keep you off-balance.”
Cotter said the Panthers’ defensive unit just needs to continue to play like its done the past few weeks.
“This game is just going to come down to doing what we do,” he said. “We’ve continued to mesh together.
“We’ve still got a pretty young team, but those younger guys are fitting in pretty well.”
The Panther offensive unit will face either a 4-2-5 (cover 6) or 4-4-3 (cover 3) from Triad’s defensive unit.
The Cardinals are led by defensive end Chase Hecker.
“He’s got a fantastic motor and their entire defensive line gets off the ball well,” said Cotter.
“Their linebackers (Diego Hernandez and Blake Boldman) run downhill and are fantastic tacklers.
“Triad’s entire defensive unit is relentless,” said the Panther head coach. “Our offensive line will need to match up with them and play sound football.”
One advantage the Panthers have is their stable of playmakers.
“It seems the past three weeks, we’ve had someone different come up as a big playmaker,” said Cotter.
“It doesn’t matter if it is Brogan (Green), Mazen (Green), Braylon (Green), Riordin (Stauffer) or Ethan (quarterback Kise),” he said. “We just find out who has the hot hand on any given night and make sure we get the ball in their hands.”
When the Panthers do that, they accomplish their main offensive goal, which is to move the chains and stay on schedule.
“The key to winning this game will be to play fundamental football and stay in front of the sticks,” said Cotter.
The 2020 football season has been a whirlwind to date.
The first half of the six-game regular season has come and gone very quickly.
Has that been a problem for the Fairbanks squad?
Cotter said he doesn’t believe it has.
“The guys have adjusted to the quick season pretty well,” he said. “We’ve had two road games the first half of the season and we’re continuing to roll.”