BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports Report
Towanda used a big second half last week to pull out a home win over Cowanesque Valley, and coach Jamie Wecker saw more good than bad.
“I thought the kids played pretty well overall,” he said. “We were a little sloppier than we would like to be, maybe a little less consistent than we would like to be, but they settled down in the second half and took control of the game. I was happy with our leadership on the field, and in the locker room at half time. The boys displayed a maturity that helped us take care of what we had to to win the game. Our offense made plays when we needed to, and I thought Reese kept his composure really well for a freshman. We dominated inside defensively, and won the turnover battle, so pretty happy for a first game.”
The Spartans came away with a close win over Montgomery in their week one contest, and will prove to be a different match-up altogether.
“Hughesville runs basically two totally different offenses,” said Wecker. “They’ll come out with two running backs and tight end, and they will come out four wide, so preparing is a little more difficult when you’re faced with so many looks. The QB can run and throw, and he has some athletic targets. They have good size on the line, and they like bringing pressure defensively. It should be a good test for our kids.”
Freshman quarterback Reese Sluyter will be under center for one more week and Wecker is happy with how he’s doing with his baptism under fire.
“We really aren’t preparing any differently just because we’re not at home for the game,” he said. “We’re just working on his development as a QB. He knows his brother and the rest of the team has his back, so I think there is a level of comfort for him.”
KEYS TO THE GAME
Towanda — Keep up the run defense. Nothing helps a young quarterback like a tough defense, and nothing makes a defense more tough than stopping the run. They held CV to just 39 yards on 21 carries last week, if they do the same this week they’ll be tough to beat.
Hughesville — Find a run game. The Spartans did a good job throwing the ball against Montgomery in their 14-7 win, but only had 87 yards on 28 carries. They’ll need to do better as Towanda was able to make CV one dimensional in their week one victory.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Caden Delamater, Towanda, RB — Delamater did his job last week, rushing for 5.2 yards per carry while also scoring a touchdown. While the Knights will likely spread the ball around again this week, efficiency like that will keep the Spartans guessing.
Conor Knight, Hughesville, WR — Knight hauled in 101 yards on six catches last week for Hughesville, including a touchdown catch of 42 yards just before the half. He’s their big play threat, and will need to be accounted for at all times.
