Jonathan Alder’s Mason Seum picks up yardage against Benjamin Logan. The Pioneers will host Indian Lake tonight as the 2018 regular season reaches its half-way point.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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The Jonathan Alder Pioneers (2-2) will try to break the .500 mark tonight as the 2018 regular season reaches its midway point.
Alder will host Indian Lake, which is still looking for its first victory of the season after four games.
The Lakers will employ a two-back spread offense and at times, run off-tackle.
“Their quarterback, Clay Jacobs, is the guy who makes them go,” said Alder coach Brett Glass. “He runs and throws the ball very well.
“They also have a couple of big receivers (Austin Beck and Carter Burnside) who can go up and get the ball.”
Glass said JA’s defensive secondary will have to blanket Indian Lake’s receivers against certain routes.
“They ran a bunch of fade routes last week (during a 49-21 loss to Shawnee),” he said. “The main thing is, however, we have to put pressure on Jacobs to keep him from running and passing the ball.”
The Lakers will employ a 4-4 defensive alignment with a cover 3 in the secondary.
“They will also slip into man coverage at times,” said Glass. “Their defense is very similar to ours.”
Indian Lake’s defensive unit is not overly big, with the exception of end Nathan Reichert, who stands 6-3 and weighs 230.
“They are, however, very fast and they run to the football well,” said Glass.
Glass said the key to beating the Indian Laker defense is something the Pioneers try to be each week.
“I think you could write this without even talking to me,” he said. “As I say every week, we’ve got to have a balanced offense.
“Last week against Benjamin Logan (a 28-12 victory), we ran the ball for 300 yards and passed for only 90,” the coach said. “We were only seven-of-18 passing against them, so we’re going to have to be more efficient this week against Indian Lake.”
Offensive consistency and balance will be among the keys to winning the game and improving to 3-2, said Glass.
“We also have to avoid giving their offense any big plays,” he said.
The Alder coach said he was pleased with the way the Pioneers rebounded last week after a huge 49-10 loss against Clear Fork the previous Friday.
“We were outmatched against a very good Clear Fork team,” admitted Glass. “However, the guys responded and played well as we opened the Central Buckeye Conference portion of our season with a victory.”