Wheeling Central Expecting ‘Very Similar Matchup’ vs. Generals
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WHEELING -- Wheeling Central took a tough loss to the Fort Frye Cadets last Friday, a slim 29-27 defeat. It's onwards and upwards for the Maroon Knights.
"Our last drive, we couldn’t get it going and that sort of put us on our heels and we had to walk away with a loss," Wheeling Central head coach Mike Young said. "But it is what it is. You get ready for the next one. Football is 10-weeks of games and you have to get ready for the next game. You got to get ready for the next play. You can’t dwell on it, you move forward."
That being said, it doesn't get any easier for Central this week.
The Maroon Knights (1-1) will remain at home to face visiting Ridgewood (2-1) on Friday at Bishop Schmitt Field.
The Generals' lone loss? Also to Fort Frye, who defeated Ridgewood 19-14 in both teams' season opener.
"Very similar matchup," Mike Young said of his team's incoming opponent. "They’ll be very physical and aggressive, and they’re well-coached. We have to block and tackle better. We have to read our keys and, bottom-line, we have to put more points on the board than they do."
Ridgewood, a Division V school from West Lafayette, is coming off a dominant 38-0 showing against Coshocton.
The Generals' quarterback is junior Wyatt Marlatt, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another against Coshocton. Some of his top targets were No. 3 Drake Angle and No. 14 Andrew Kinsey, who each caught touchdowns, and No. 23 Maverick Lockard who had a team-high 76 receiving yards.
Coshocton managed just 112 total yards against Ridgewood. Marlatt is a playmaking defensive back for his team as well, coming away with an interception last week.
A duel-threat quarterback who can also lock down on defense should be a familiar picture to Wheeling Central fans.
Senior quarterback/cornerback Nico Kusic ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns last week, but Fort Frye limited Central's passing game last Friday. Kusic completed four of nine passes for 13 yards.
"We got to lick our wounds a little bit from a tough loss to a good Fort Frye team," Young said. "Our kids played hard. We fizzled a little bit in the fourth quarter. Didn’t play as aggressive as we should have.”
Dustin Sanner also had a good day on the ground against the Cadets, rushing for 145 yards and a TD.
"[Sanner] is definitely getting better each week, and he didn’t play much at all last year," Young said. "And we’re looking for him to continue to improve along with our front line. The offensive line’s got to block better. We just got to do a better job of tackling and blocking. The basic fundamentals is where the difference is with the competition we’re playing. And we just have to play aggressive and play for four quarters."
Friday will mark three straight home games to start the year for Wheeling Central-- but after their date with the Generals, Central will be off on a three-game road trip.
"Well, having three home games is very helpful," Young said. "And you look to win as many as you can on a home stretch. And then we go to Union Local. We'll be challenged there. We got a heck of a schedule ahead of us, but we got to take one week at a time. Ridgewood’s on the blocks right now. We have to go play hard, and then we’ll worry about the rest of the schedule."
Friday will also be a day for celebration, being Wheeling Central's homecoming game where the 1979 state championship team will be recognized at the game.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bishop Schmitt Field. The game will be the first one ever between the two schools.