Tomorrow, No. 2 Center Grove football hosts Tennessee’s third-ranked team, the Oakland Patriots, in the first home game of the season, following last week’s 27-10 season-opening loss in Canton, Ohio, to St. Edward.
Following the loss, the Trojans will look to fix some offensive issues that saw them score only ten points, their lowest scoring output since Oct. 18, 2018, when they scored nine in a loss to Cathedral.
“Against St. Edwards, we just couldn’t run the ball at all, and we’ve looked at a couple of schemes and I feel like we’ll be able to move the ball a little easier against Oakland,” senior running back Matthew Yoder said. “Obviously their defensive line is a little less experienced than St. Edwards, so that will give our offensive linemen an advantage.”
One aspect the Trojans will look to focus on defensively is the Patriots’ use of a Wing-T offense, which places importance on their running game and opens the door for play-action.
“Their run game is going to be huge,” senior defensive back Michael Soderdahl said. “They are a very run-heavy team, and that’s what they like to do. They line up in tight formations, but they’ll throw once in a while and catch you off guard.”
Offensively, Center Grove will be facing an Oakland defense smaller than St. Edward last week, which they believe will play to their advantage.
“First off, I don’t think their linebackers are as good. Their D-line looks athletic and strong but they’re a bit undersized compared to St. Edward, so hopefully that’ll help our offensive linemen out,” Yoder said.
Something that further complicates the Trojan’s preparation for the game is the heat wave that has swept through Indiana for the past four days, which has caused longer practices with more scheduled breaks, along with other changes implemented in practice to help the team prepare for the game.
“We have modified our practices a little bit by cutting down on the length of various periods,” assistant coach Brad Timmons said. “We’ve also incorporated more water breaks, even extended the water breaks a little bit. We did put up two canopies, so kids could get out of the sun and sit in the shade for a little. We also had some misting fans, and really, it was just monitoring more closely the level of fatigue of everybody.”
Practicing in the heat, however, helped to prepare the Trojans for the forecasted 90 degree heat they will face at kickoff, and although weather in Oakland, Tennessee, has also eclipsed 90 degrees, the Trojans will have the benefit of the home stands blocking out the glaring sun.
“By the time the game starts, the stands will shade our side of the sideline, and we’ll leave them in the sun, so hopefully that gives us a bit of an advantage,” Yoder said.
Despite the heat, the team will attempt to secure their first win by focusing on the little things.
“I think for us, I think it’ll definitely be strategic. I think some things we could change from last game is definitely being at the right spot at the right time and trusting your teammates to be where they’re supposed to be,” Soderdahl said.
