Montezuma football Coach Pat O’Brien said his team didn’t tackle well Friday in their loss at Iowa Valley.
So, you know at least one aspect of the game the Braves are working on this week.
They’re getting ready for HLV, a no-nonsense, run-oriented program which has shown more tendency to throw at the varsity level this season than the Warriors have in the recent past.
The Warriors are 5-1 coming in, to Montezuma’s 4-2.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Friday at Badger-Gabriel Field.
The HLV loss was 57-26 to Springville, otherwise the Warriors have prevailed, including wins in a couple of close games.
HLV is getting 7.0 yards a carry from running back Marcus Kolesar (5-8, 165), who has 611 yards on 87 carries, including seven for touchdowns.
Another runner, Ethan Kupka, has 115 yards on 23 rushes, but five of them have gone for touchdowns.
Quarterback Carson Cheney (6-1, 165) has 412 yards on 75 carries, with seven for touchdowns. Through the air, he’s 34-for-63, for 596 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Top catchers are Will Bayer (5-11, 170), who has 10 catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns, and Beau York (5-11, 165), who has eight grabs for 164 yards and three scores.
Seven HLV players are between 30 and 35 tackles.
It’s the usual cast for the Braves.
Quarterback Eddie Burgess is producing just over 400 yards of offense per game with his passing and running.
Through the air, Burgess is 108-for-176, good for 1,777 yards and 30 touchdowns. On the ground, he has gained 637 yards on 99 totes and another 11 touchdowns.
Top pass targets are Trey Shearer, 37 catches for 679 yards and 13 scores, and Cole Watts, 34 catches for 470 yards and nine touchdowns.
Brayden Arendt has rushed 51 times for 265 yards and two scores.
Montezuma’s tackling also is balanced. Leaders are Ben Jorgenson with 42.5 stops, and Brian Diaz, with 42.0.
JVs TUMBLE – Hosting Moravia beat the Montezuma junior varsity team 66-31 Monday evening, Oct. 7.