As I’ve said before, some Games of the Week are easier to pick than others. Week 6 presents itself with ease. You have the Wakeland Wolverines and the Reedy Lions, battling for first place in District 13-5A.
Each team features a quarterback who has yet to throw an interception, and each squad boasts an explosive offense, paired with a suffocating defense.
Reedy (4-0, 1-0) VS Wakeland (4-0, 1-0)—The Star, 7:00 PM
It’s probably a gross overstatement to say that the Reedy Lions “shocked the world” with their impressive 17-14 win over Independence back in Week 1. But still, for a second-year football program to take down a playoff team from a year ago, it takes some serious chops.
Reedy’s success is hinged on all the popular ingredients of winning football: a consistent offense and a steady defense.
Averaging 37.1 points per game thus far, the Lions can put some points on the board, no doubt. Their offense is led by the surgical tossings of QB Josh Foskey (997 yds – 5th in 5A, 15 TDs, 0 INTs) who threads the seams with the best of them, and nary makes an errant throw. With the Reedy aerial attack, he has plenty of playmaking targets at his disposal.
WRs Sean Hall (320 yds – 14th in 5A, 12.8 ypc, 2 TDs), Bennett Mesom (164 yds, 12.6 ypc, 2 TDs) and Logan West (155 yds, 22.1 ypc, TD) are all skilled pass receivers with enough explosivity to take it to the hacienda with ease.
The ground game is led by Justin Gipson (496 yds – 7th in 5A, 6.7 ypc, 5 TDs) who grinds the defense into submission, and is complemented by Will Harbour (7.3 ypc, 2 TDs) who takes full advantage when the defense keys in on Gipson.
Put all this together and it’s no shock that the Lions have the 20th ranked offense in all of 5A. This, coupled with a defense that surrenders just 18.5 points per game—with just a measley 104 yds rushing per game, and 148.5 yds in the air per game—and you have a formidable foe top-to-bottom that boasts a Top 10 (7th) defense in 5A. However, Reedy is certainly in for its biggest test yet as they look for win number five.
The Wakeland Wolverines’ offense, 15th in 5A, is blistering opponents both at the line of scrimmage as well as deep in the secondary. As good as Josh Foskey of Reedy has been, Dylan Cadawallader (62/93, 1.036 yds – 5th in 5A, 16 TDs, 0 INTs) has been even better. He hasn’t tossed the rock quite as often as the aforementioned Foskey, but he’s connected for five more scores, and with a formidable backfield, he doesn’t really need to throw as often.
RBs Colby Delashaw (429 yds, 8.8 ypc, 4 TDs), Cade Starnes (192 yds, 8.7 ypc) and Nate Lunsford (140 yds, 9.3 ypc, 2 TDs) keep the Wolverines key receivers in single coverage lest they get open and cause havoc.
Cadwallader has plenty of options in his passing scheme, as WRs Tre Adams (348 yds – 11th in 5A, 15.8 ypc, 6 TDs and Easton Reeves (299 yds, 19.9 ypc, 5 TDs) present problems aplenty for defenses all over.
And let’s not overlook the double-trouble combo of brothers Peyton (215 yds, 19.6 ypc, 4 TDs) and Parker Reinersten (17 ypc, TD).
The well-balanced Wolverines also roll out a Top 15 defense (12th in 5A) that has twice held opponents to under 10 points—7 in Week 1, 6 in Week 3—while allowing just 18.5 points per game in their other two wins.
With the ball, the Wolverines like to assert their will early in the game, averaging 15.7 points in the game’s first quarter this season. The Reedy Lions tend to build up steam as the game progresses, as they’re putting up 12 points per fourth quarter.
There should be plenty excitement in this one folks, so get your proverbial popcorn ready!
