There won’t be any secret to what 10th-seeded Stillman Valley is going to do offensively against second-seeded Coal City in the pair’s Class 4A second-round matchup on Saturday in Stillman Valley.
The Cardinals, Coal City coach Lenny Onsen said, are “a power running football team.” His Coalers will see three running backs with at least 400 yards rushing each as part of a Flex-Bone/Wishbone offense.
“They don’t hide what they do,” Onsen said. “They come right at you.”
If Coal City (9-1) wants to advance to the state quarterfinals, the Coalers will have to find a way to slow down that offense, which is led by running back Jake Wolds’ 562 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Eric Boettcher (494 yards, nine touchdowns) and A.J Dobson (404 yards, seven touchdowns) also help out the Cardinals’ rushing attack.
Stillman Valley coach Mike Lalor sad he doesn’t have one “star” back, but if one “opens up” and breaks out, he might see the ball more often.
One way to stop Stillman Valley (8-2) from scoring is not to let the Cardinals have the ball. Onsen think his offense, led by his son and quarterback Cody, can move the ball. And, as he points out, “you have to have the ball to move it,” meaning that if his offense can play keepaway a bit, that should help.
If the younger Onsen can throw the ball like he has this season, that might be possible. The senior quarterback has thrown for 1,909 yards, many of those coming on completions to Matt Halloran, who has 18 touchdown grabs.
“No one has really shut us down all season, and I don’t expect that to change,” the elder Onsen said.
The younger Onsen has Lalor’s attention.
“You just kind of hope maybe he’s off a little bit, because when he’s on he looks likes he pretty much unstoppable in some ways,” said Lalor, whose team moved up from Class 3A to compete in Class 4A this season.
As it has all season, Coal City might have an extra chip on its shoulder. The Coalers, usually a playoff staple, didn’t make the postseason last year. That’s been a motivator since last season ended and through the winter, Onsen said.
“We were 4-5. We had a losing season, and that’s just not acceptable,” Onsen said.
Stillman Valley, unlike Coal City, doesn’t do much through the air. Quarterback Jeff Cialkowski has completed 22 of 41 passes for three touchdowns. Leading receiver Bryan Anderson has five catches, and all three touchdown grabs for the Cardinals.
The two schools share a common opponent. Coal City beat Plano in Interstate Eight play 21-7 earlier this season, and Stillman Valley defeated the Reapers 35-10 last week in the opening round.
Plano would have been a more familiar foe for the Coalers, but Lenny Onsen said he is still familiar with Stillman Valley and Lalor. The two have exchanged film, as is customary, and he’s seen Lalor, who said he has the “utmost respect” for Onsen, speak at clinics.
“So I was very familiar with what they do,” Onsen said. “But the thing is, they don’t do a lot of things, but the things they do, they do very well.”
