By Bobby Lee Photo by Ryan Kerwin, JTV Sports
JTV Sports
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, which offensive line will move the opponent off the ball?
With respect to the Evil Queen in Snow White, the answer may well decide whether Western or Zeeland East advances to the semifinals in the Division 3 state playoffs.
Landon Raczkowski, Bode Brown and Javon Lewis combined for 265 rushing yards as Western earned its first district championship in football with a 44-21 victory over Battle Creek Central in Parma last Friday.
Meanwhile, quarterback Gabe Taylor and running back Alex Stockdale combined for 247 rushing yards as Zeeland East took down crosstown rival Zeeland West, 42-24, near the lakeshore.
Combine both team’s strengths with the gametime temperature expected to be the 30s and the sum is this contest will be decided in the trenches.
For Western, that puts left tackle Brady Yokom, left guard Michael McAninich, center Trevor Baker, right guard Garrett Plate and right tackle Tyler Oxley in the spotlight.
“We hoped to have the advantage on the offensive and defensive lines, but they are strong in those places, too,” Western coach Dave Mifsud said. “This is what you get when you get to the level of (playing for the) regional championship. You have to raise your level of play (at this point of the playoffs).”
While Raczkowski went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season last week, Western doesn’t have a one dimensional offense. Quarterback Tyler Pape has thrown for 1,376 yards, and he has made some important completions, such as the connection with his brother, Eric, for a touchdown late in the first half against Battle Creek Central.
“We may have to mix it up and air it out,” Mifsud said. “While we hope the line can dig in and get a push (against the Chix defensive front), we have confidence in Tyler to throw the ball in the cold.”
With an offense averaging a shade more than 32 points per game, it’s easy to overlook the contribution of the defense to Western’s success. The defense has played a role in both playoff victories, with Raczkowski returning an interception for a touchdown in the pre-district victory over Mattawan and Wyatt Heavy returning an interception to the 1-yard line to put the Panthers in position to score a touchdown against Battle Creek Central.
The defense will be tested by Taylor, a quarterback Mifsud describes as fast and talented. In addition to running for 162 yards last week, Taylor completed 6-of-11 passes for 133 yards.
“We have been fortunate to be really successful in stopping the run, and that starts with the defensive line and run defense,” Mifsud said. “We have forced the opponent to throw an ill advised pass.”
Western will be making the two-hour plus drive to Zeeland, in part, because the Interstate 8 Conference teams that finished below Lumen Christi and Western managed just four non-conference victories.
However, the top two teams in the conference are among the final eight teams standing in their respective divisions.
“There was some criticism that we beat teams with losing records, but our league has prepared us well,” Mifsud said. “The teams in the middle (of the standings) beat each other up (with three teams finishing with 3-4 records in conference play).”
Riding a nine-game winning streak into the regional championship, Western has an excitement that may be unmatched in the history of its football program. Mifsud was pleased with the level of play when he reviewed the video from the Panthers game against Battle Creek Central.
“I’m quick to look at the upcoming opponent on video and think that team looks really good,” Mifsud said. “But then I looked at us coming off the line of scrimmage, and how we pursued on special teams and we look pretty good. We are doing some good things right now, and I think we are still getting better.”