CENTERBURG – Centerburg had a bye week to think about this Saturday's OHSAA football playoff game.
Many of those thoughts include running back Sam Williams-Dixon, a freshman, who will lead eighteenth-seeded Loudonville against the second-seeded Trojans in their Division VI, Region 23 clash on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Williams-Dixon ran for 275 yards against Northmor last Saturday, scoring four touchdowns and leading the Redbirds to a 35-14 win in their first-round playoff game.
In the meantime, the Trojans have been busy plotting how to slow Williams-Dixon down.
“He’s a pretty special kid,” Centerburg coach Andy Colella said. “We were fortunate because we scrimmaged them early in the year. So we’ve seen a little bit. We have to be aware of where he’s at on the field— whether he’s at running back or they split him out as a receiver. At the same time, we want to stick with what we do.”
Williams-Dixon has everyone’s attention.
“Just watching him myself, he is a very balanced back,” Centerburg cornerback and running back John Sheasby said. “Lots of speed, especially for a freshman. He’s going to be a tough kid to stop, but hopefully we can get the job done.”
The Trojans also have to defend the Redbirds' short-yardage passing game. Loudonville quarterback Logan Huffman was 17-of-28 passing for 156 yards last Saturday. His primary receiver, Chuck Ganson, had 10 receptions for 75 yards.
“They keep it simple offensively,” Colella said, “They do some things where they get the ball out quick. Then they’ll take some shots down the field. They move the ball around and get it out to their playmakers.”
Loudonville has a potent defense that held Northmor to 255 total yards in the game. It was a defense that got stronger in the final quarter. Gabe Sprang sacked Northmor quarterback Marcus Cortez on fourth down to stop a fourth-quarter drive. The Redbirds stopped another drive and also recovered a blocked punt in the final frame, and freshman Kyle Maltarich added a 50-yard interception runback for a touchdown late in the game.
But the Trojans quick-strike capability and players like running back Donnell Marshall are likely to keep them on their heels. Marshall has 692 yards and nine touchdowns on 80 carries this season.
“We’ll distribute the ball,” Colella said. “We have quite a few guys who can make plays. We can spread it around and keep teams honest defensively.”
Sheasby, who has 277 yards and five touchdowns on 57 carries this season, knows where the strength of the team lies.
“Our guys up front are a great group of linemen,” he said, “It all starts up there and everyone knows that. So I’m sure we will attack them every way we can, just following those guy and staying behind them.”
