Achieving continuity on the football field isn’t an easy task — 11 players start on each side of the ball, and coordinating their movements into a cohesive unit takes time.
Coastal Point • Ernie Turpin:
Brandon Marvel slips between two defenders.
Sussex County Pop Warner football has given area youngsters an opportunity to learn and play the game. But as they age, many move on to middle- or high-school football, splintering a young team into pieces. Some stay and some go, but the Indians midget football team chose to stay together over the past six years.
Six years affords a team an opportunity to gel, which is exactly what the Midget Indians have done. They’ve improved their 2005 regular season record to 7-1, which is a two-game improvement from last year. And the experience earned over the years has set the Indians up for a playoff run.
“It helps a great deal to have a group of guys stay together for six years,” said Head Coach Jerry Kraft. “Our offensive line has been together for five or six years, which is important because the more time they work together — the better.”
The blood, sweat and tears of the Indians paid off and they knocked the Sussex Central Knights off their horses in a 28-0 shutout victory on Oct. 29.
The Indians controlled both sides of the ball by earning 170 rushing yards on 35 carries and only allowing 37 total Knight yards on 21 plays.
Indian starting running backs Tony Satchell and Elijah Foreman blistered the Knights defense for 75 yards on 13 first-half carries. Foreman scored two touchdowns for the Indians, a two-point conversion (with a 10-yard run and 65-yard punt return in fourth quarter) but had a 76-yard run negated because of a block in the back.
The Indians’ offense moved at will. But when it didn’t, it was because of penalties. Three runs totaling 103 yards were negated because of holding or clipping penalties, which doesn’t meet the approval of offensive/defensive lineman Rocky Whitley.
“It starts in practice,” said Whitley. “We have to keep our head in the game because it’s six points off the board if we don’t.”
Despite a few inopportune penalties, the Indians trudged on in the second half with their second-team offense, adding two more touchdowns. Foreman and quarterback Chase Furst tallied the Indians two first-half scores but their reserves played a valuable role in the victory.
Running back Robert Pleasanton picked up where Satchell and Foreman left off, scoring on a four-yard touchdown run and earning 38 yards on eight carries. Brandon Marvel also added 38 yards on seven carries, which at 5.42 ranked just behind Satchell (7.14 yards per carry) in yards per carry.
“It is very important that our reserves play well, because everyone plays in Pop Warner,” said Kraft. “The better they play when they get on the field, the better their chance at playing more. The guys that played in the second half are the guys that’ll be the starters next year.”
Once the Knights fell behind, the passing game became their glimmer of hope. It floundered under the pass rush and the Indians playmakers. The Knights failed to complete a pass in the first half (0-5) except to Indian linebacker Satchell who ripped off a 65-yard interception return that set up their second touchdown.
“I just watched the quarterback’s eyes and I saw the quick pass and jumped in front of it,” said Satchell.
The Knights could only muster one first down the entire game, and three times they were denied first downs on passing attempts on third and fourth downs. Whitley led his team with four tackles and an on-side kick recovery. Knights’ linebacker Jordan Malone hustled sideline-to-sideline for a game-high 14 tackles.
“I would try to get to the outside, but their linebacker (Malone) was pretty fast,” said Satchell. “He’s pretty tough, too.”
Practice makes perfect and hard work yields results — which is exactly what the Indians have earned going into the playoffs. They’ve earned a first round bye and on Nov. 13 will play the winner of the Nov. 6 Dover/ Smyrna game.
Woodbridge will host Cape Henlopen on Nov. 6, and the winner of that game plays at Harrington on Nov. 12. The respective winners of each bracket will play for the Pop Warner Midget championship at a date and time to be determined.