It's now or never for Laurel against Beaver
Written: Oct 15, 2015
By Andrew Koob
New Castle News
The Laurel High football team’s season may come down to just one game.
Win on Friday night against visiting Beaver and take hold of the Midwestern Athletic Conference’s fourth and final playoff bid.
Lose and the team officially taken out of playoff contention.
The Spartans (2-3 conference, 3-3 overall) know the stakes when they kick off against the Bobcats at 7 p.m. at the Leonard S. Rich Athletic Complex at Spartan Stadium.
“They know it. They know the significance,” Laurel coach Brian Cooper said. “It’s senior night, a big night for us and a good opportunity to compete. We feel we match up well with them, we tell them we have the team to do it and we’ll get after it Friday night.”
A loss would put Laurel two games behind Beaver (3-2, 4-2) with two games remaining and, with Beaver holding the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Spartans would not be able to jump over the Bobcats.
The Bobcats’ offense revolves around dual-threat quarterback Darius Wise. The junior who, according to Rivals.com, holds an offer from BYU and is garnering interest from the likes of Pitt, Ohio State and Penn State, has 17 total touchdowns (12 rushing, five throwing) while running for 772 yards and throwing for 589 yards.
While the offensive attack will focus heavily on Wise, Beaver will be looking for help from some of the other Bobcats.
“It’s very important and it has been. At different times, we’ve had other players step up,” Beaver coach Jeff Beltz said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to find those guys and define the offense. No doubt he’s a special player but, when he gets his teammates involved, that’s when we become dangerous.”
Offensively, the Beaver offense averages 21.5 points per game in six contests, yet has allowed 24.5 points on the other side of the ball.
The Spartans’ offensive attack will be focused heavily upon the passing game. That starts with quarterback Jake McDougal, who has thrown for Lawrence County’s second-best mark with 1,165 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 51 yards and three scores.
Laurel also boasts three of the county’s Top 10 receivers in terms of yardage in Jake Wilson (384 yards, second), Jordan Dantico (373, third) and Isici Layne (256, seventh).
The height (all three are listed between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3) and athleticism of those three players could be the determining factor whether the Spartans walk away with a victory.
“We have to be able to throw the ball and take the pressure off the line,” Cooper said. “We have to be able to keep them off of us as far as pressure goes. Early on, setting the tempo will dictate our success offensively.
“We have to be able to throw to Jordan and Isici and Jake and Phil (Telesz) and Jesse (Pacifico). We have a lot of receivers that have great potential and have to prove themselves.”
Added Beltz, “They’re good. I think the fact that all of them can produce makes it a challenge. We have to match that with athletic players and try to contain them. But you don’t really know how you stack up against them until you get out there.”
(Email: AKoob@ncnewsonline.com)
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