Coming off their 34-10 win over the Shamrocks of Trinity, the Trojan football team will take to Ray Skillman Stadium for the third week in a row to take on their second opponent from Indiana’s neighbor to the right – the Moeller Crusaders of Cincinnati, Ohio. Despite their success in not only avenging last year’s streak-snapping defeat but doing so by a sensible margin last week, the team has refused to rest on their laurels in practice this week, and for a team with the significant history that Moeller boasts, the Trojans will need to be on top of their game to keep their winning ways rolling.
“[We] take it week by week,” senior quarterback Tyler Cherry said. “It’s a big win. Move on, and let’s try to do it again this week. So, we got back to work this week and had a great week of practice.”
Football is a tradition at Archbishop Moeller, having a long collection of OHSAA State Championships to their names. Because of this storied background, Cherry expects the Crusaders to bring a strong lineup of skilled athletes to the field on Friday night.
“They’re traditionally a great football school,” Cherry said. “They’re going to have great players, and all over the field, they’re going to have good athletes. But, I think our game plan is really solid, and I have a lot of confidence going into this week.”
Entering the game 1-2 on the year and bouncing back from a 38-28 loss to another Indiana team in East Central, Moeller’s record thus far is not quite reflective of their past success, but in preparation for the inaugural Patriotism Bowl, Cherry has elected to ignore these recent performances.
“I’ve tried to tell the guys this week to disregard their record,” Cherry said. “They have played some really good teams, and they’re always a good school, so I think we just can’t take anybody lightly and just go into each week with the same mindset each game.”
Offensively, just as they have in weeks past, Cherry believes a balanced attack of running and passing will put the greatest pressure on the Moeller defense.
“Get the run game established early to open up the passing,” Cherry said. “If not, switch it and get the pass game going to open up the run game. Run and pass have got to complement each other well and just support each other on the offense to get up early and help the defense.”
On the other side of the ball, senior safety Michael Soderdahl believes a strong performance against Trinity by the defense will carry over heading into this week’s game.
“I think we can carry the momentum from last game,” Soderdahl said. “I think we played great as a team, and I think that will have a huge impact on us in the upcoming game against Moeller.”
A particular concern of the defense is Moeller’s star running back Jordan Marshall, a verbal commit to the University of Michigan and a Top 10 running back in the country. However, Soderdahl believes the Trojans have a solid plan to deal with the elusive four-star player.
“Our main focus is shutting him down,” Soderdahl said. “He will be our main focus for sure for Moeller.”
As for how the Trojans will approach the 1-2 Moeller team, Soderdahl agrees with Cherry’s sentiments of treating the Ohio school as stronger than their record reflects.
“We’re treating [Moeller] like they’re better than 1-2,” Soderdahl said. “We’re putting in the work for them.”
Confidence has been on the side of the football team after their stumble in week one. Moeller offers another obstacle in the road for Coach Eric Moore’s group of athletes , but the Trojans are prepared to overcome it.
