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GLEN DALE -- Needing a big victory to try and help push his squad into the West Virginia Class AAA playoff field in two weeks, a date with powerful Linsly might not be the best medicine for head coach Mark Cisar and his John Marshall football team, but that is exactly what the Monarchs will be getting Friday night when the Cadets pay a visit to Monarch Stadium.
John Marshall watched a modest two-game winning streak come to a close last Friday night in a deceiving 47-7 setback at Morgantown. The Monarchs, who had won three of four going into the contest, watched mistakes and offensive woes doom them as the score snowballed out of control of late. Meanwhile, Coach B.J. Depew's 7-1 record Linsly squad was busy dismantling Louisville, 45-19, that same night, for its sixth straight win.
"You might not realize it looking at the score, but our defense actually played tremendous last week," Cisar said. "It was a really close game, then we fumbled, and they ran it in. From there our offense did absolutely nothing to help the defense which made the score look a whole lot worse than it actually was.
"We really just let things get out of hand. Our offense has to be a lot better holding onto the football and moving it."
For Depew, last week's victory was unusual in that the Cadets have become accustomed to close games, winning three of the previous six by just one score each against some very high caliber competition.
"It was a long trip to Louisville, but we came out of the gate on fire and it was nice to actually have a big lead for once," Depew mentioned. "It was a different feeling, but it was good for the guys and it allowed us to get a lot more kids into the game, something we haven't been able to do very often this season.
"We have really exceeded preseason expectations, which has come from consistent efforts from the kids all year, but everything we have done has continued to help us build confidence."
To keep Linsly's high-powered offense off the field the Monarchs will turn again to quarterback Jacob Coffield along with sophomore running back Klypson Wallace.
"They are really big up-front with an average of 250 across the line," Depew said. "We have had some big lines here, but we are a little smaller this year and they are certainly bigger than we are. They like to feature the tailback and he is a strong kid that can run and we are going to have to find a way to stop him behind that line.
"John Marshall gives you a lot to prepare for, which includes a quarterback that can run the football. There is a good bit to defend with them.
"On defense I believe they will bring as much, or more, pressure than anyone we have faced this season."
Linsly, as usual, has weapons all over the field. Quarterback Atley Cowan completed nine of 13 passes for 229 yards and a pair of scores last week, once each to Nate Coleman and do-it-all Luca DiLorenzo. Coleman finished with three grabs for 110 yards while DiLorenzo had three for 78 and also threw a 53-yard touchdown pass in the contest.
Malte Feil had four catches for 74 yards and a score while Kevin Stanisi rushed the ball seven times for 101 yards and a touchdown and returned an onside kick for a score as well. Raymond Kovalesky is a monster on defense for the Cadets, averaging double-digits in tackles per game.
"Obviously they are just very good in all aspects of the game," Cisar said. "They have a tremendous offense and are loaded at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Their quarterback is a gun-slinger who isn't afraid to throw the football and has guys all over the place to throw it too.
"Their line is very good on both sides of the football they cover the pass very well on defense and they have some of the best athletes I have seen.
"A win here would not only be a huge momentum boost for us but it would be a ton of points and most likely enough to push us ahead into the playoffs."
For Depew and his crew John Marshall represents another big school challenge on a schedule that has produced too many to list in 2022.
"The kids are absolutely having fun," Depew added. "Winning, especially the way we have been winning, makes it a lot easier to go to practice every day and everyone is enjoying this ride. A lot of this all is relative to health and we have been able to stay pretty healthy. We have had a lot of guys contributing all season which adds even more to the team aspect and the fun.
"These kids just want to play football and while we can't go any further than the regular season they are really looking forward to the opportunities ahead of them in the final two weeks of the year."