Storm hoping to ground the Eagles
Bureau Valley’s opening round playoff opponent, Mercer County, shares one thing in common with the Storm, a winning tradition.
Mercer County, a first-year consolidated school that combined Aledo and Westmer, brings a reputation of being one of the top small-school programs in the state. Aledo had qualified for the playoffs for 13 straight seasons under coach Cullen Welter before the consolidation, a span that included three state titles and two runner-up finishes.
“The Aledo Green Dragons made a lot of successful playoff runs,” said Storm coach Jeff Ohlson. “They want to continue the success that started at Aledo on their own, and bring that into their consolidation.”
Bureau Valley has made the playoffs seven of the past eight seasons, with two appearances in the state championship game that resulted in a second-place finish in 2004, and winning the 3A state title in 2005.
New Mercer County coach Nat Zunkel has continued his program’s winning ways, finishing this years’ season at 7-2 and capturing the West Prairie Trail Northwest conference title.
Senior quarterback Brett Anderson has led a potent offense for the Eagles, having thrown for 1,894 yards with 21 touchdowns and only two interceptions, with a completion rating of 66.84 percent. Anderson has also rushed for eight TDs this season.
“We’ve got an outstanding quarterback in Brett Anderson that can run the ball and throw the ball very well,” said Zunkel.
“Obviously, the Anderson kid does an awful lot,” said Ohlson, “he throws the ball well and runs the ball well, so he’s obviously a concern.”
The Golden Eagles, who employ a running back by committee scheme that is led by Michael McClellan (472 yards, 5 TDs), have averaged just under 40 points a contest this season.
“We like to think of ourselves as a very pro style offense, we can really do anything out of any formation that we want to,” said Zunkel. “We pride ourselves on having an offense that’s going to score a lot of points on Fridays and Saturdays.”
“They do many different things offensively to try and create confusion,” Ohlson said.
The Storm, who averaged 33 points a game this season, are led offensively by the punishing running attack that features standout senior fullback Micheal Weidner. Weidner has rambled for over 1,400 yards and has 18 rushing TDs this season.
“They’ve got an outstanding running game,” Zunkel said.
Ohlson said that the Storm will work on grinding out the yards in the postseason.
“In the playoffs, three yards is a good football play,” Ohlson said. “Four to five yards is a great football play, and anything more than five you’re really feeling good about yourself.
“Teams aren’t going to give you more than three yards and you’re going to have to execute, and it’s got to be physical.”
Bureau Valley has also proven it can move the ball through the air when necessary. Senior quarterback John King has amassed over 700 passing yards with 10 TDs coming through the air, with four interceptions on the season. The Storms’ leading receiver is Austin Peterson, who has snagged 23 grabs for 434 yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, the Golden Eagles have given up under 17 points a contest.
“Defensively, we like to bring pressure, the better we are at doing that the better we will be overall,” said Zunkel.
The Storm defense enters the playoffs giving up just over 14 points a game.
Both coaches said that the contest will most likely come down to field position and capitalizing on opponent turnovers.
“You’ve got two teams that are 7-2, they’re evenly matched,” said Ohlson. “Something’s got to break somewhere along the line, and turnovers would be a big one ... that’s going to be an important aspect of the game.”
Notes: Both squads reached the state finals in 2005, with Aledo losing to 20-15 to Dakota in 2A, and the Storm topping Tolono Unity 34-7 in 3A ... Ohlson said that his squad was healthy entering into the playoffs ... Saturday will be a busy day for BV sports boosters with a sectional cross-country meet in Aurora, the football playoffs at Aledo, and a volleyball regional title matchup (that could feature the Storm) taking place at BV, throughout the day.
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