Playoff preview: River Valley at Van Wert

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It may be an unfamiliar playoff opponent but at the same time, it doesn’t mean Van Wert is entering Friday’s postseason opener completely in the dark.

The No. 6 seed Cougars (7-3) will host No. 11 seed Caledonia River Valley (4-6) in the opening round of the OHSAA Division IV Region 14 playoffs on Friday night. The Vikings from eastern Marion County are led by a face that’s familiar to Van Wert head coach Keith Recker.

“I spent one year as the coach at Marion Catholic High School and two of River Valley’s coaches were part of that staff, (head coach) Matt Waddle and Dan Arndt,” Recker said. “I have a ton of respect for both guys because they do things right and I am really happy they’ve had success in coaching. Coach Waddle is a former Kenton player, so he understands the spread offense and the passing game.”

The Vikings, members of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference have had some ups and downs this season. The highlight of the regular season was a 28-24 win over Shelby, the No. 3 seed in Region 14. The low point may have last Friday’s 8-0 loss to Clear Fork (2-8) in a muddy mess, conditions that grounded River Valley’s passing game.

“I think our schedule has been a challenging schedule as we have played some tough teams in Division III and Division IV,” Waddle said. “Some of those tough games didn’t go the way we wanted them to but some of those games did. I think our team has been battle tested all year which should help us be prepared for a tough environment playing on the road in the playoffs.”

“River Valley does a good job of finding matchups and routes that take advantage of what you do defensively, so there is a lot of pressure on our defensive backs,” Recker said. “Their quarterback can make a lot of throws and has the ability to keep plays alive or scramble for yardage. He is a good athlete who has some good threats at wide receiver and running back.”

The Vikings have allowed 24 or more points in eight games this season, including 42 or more four times, but Recker said River Valley still poses challenges defensively.

“Defensively they do a good job of getting an extra defender in the box for run help while also being able to cover the pass with their three man fronts,” he stated.

After hitting a rough patch around the mid-season mark, Van Wert is on a bit of roll heading into the postseason. Despite injuries, the Cougars, who were 3-3 after six games, have won four straight and Recker said he’s pleased with how his team regrouped and bounced back during the previous four games.

“The thing I have been most impressed by with this team is their willingness to accept challenges,” Recker said. “Whether it has been on the field or off the field, this team has accepted the challenges that have come our way and continued giving the effort needed to get better. We are playing much more assignment sound on offense, defense, and special teams, and I believe because we are doing the little things correct off the field which helps us on the field.”

“I spoke about accepting challenges and (WR/DB) Gage Stemen is a great example of that,” Recker said. “He had to change to positions heading into Week 10 and was a huge part of our offensive success. We’ve continually had guys take advantage of opportunities as they have come along because of injuries or other situations.”

Despite injuries, the Cougars posted some impressive numbers during the regular season. Brylen Parker finished as the WBL’s leading rusher with 1,243 yards and 19 touchdowns on 229 carries. He ranked among the league leaders in passing as well by completing 129-of-224 attempts for 1,635 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Conner Campbell has pulled in 66 receptions for 907 yards and six touchdowns, and while fighting through injuries, Keldyn Bill has rushed for 471 yards and seven touchdowns on 105 carries.

“I think Van Wert is a well coached team and is very disciplined both offensively and defensively,” Waddle said. “I think they play in one of the toughest conferences in Ohio in the WBL and they also are battle tested. I think their offense has some good athletes that can make plays and the quarterback is a good athlete.”

“Defensively, they are very sound and get to the football well,” Waddle continued. “My concerns are that we have to stop the run first with their quarterback and running back and we can not give up big plays in the pass game. We also need to contain the quarterback. When we are on offense we have to be able to handle the box and pressures while also getting a ground game going to help our pass game out.”

As far as Region 14, Waddle didn’t mince any words about it.

“My thoughts on Region 14 is that it may be the toughest region in Division IV,” he said. “There are many good teams in this region and I can see about 6-8 teams that have a legit chance of making it out of this region.”

Based on seeding alone, Van Wert appears to be the favorite but Recker said it won’t be an easy game.

“I think this will come down to big plays and turnovers,” he said. “We stress both of those each week, but we have to be on the positive end of both to get this win.”

Friday’s Van Wert-River Valley game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM. The winner of the game will face the winner between Shelby and Cleveland Central Catholic.