Preview: Cougars (1-0) at Bath (0-1)

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The Western Buckeye League is different than the majority of other leagues and conferences in Ohio, due to the fact that WBL members have just once chance to fine tune things before jumping into league play.

The Van Wert Cougars will make that jump Friday night at Bath, a program that is quickly becoming much more competitive.

Van Wert opened the 2024 season with last Friday’s 48-8 win over Bryan. One of the bright spots for the Cougars was quarterback Briston Wise, who rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns and passed for two more in the win. Head coach Keith Recker said others delivered notable performances as well.

“Nate Gearhart did a great job on Friday of making effort plays,” Recker said. “His willingness to block anywhere on the field is exactly the effort everyone on our team needs to replicate. He also had a couple big catches on critical third downs to keep the chains moving. I also thought Javon Smith and Nick Edwards did a good job at defensive tackle of defending against their inside run.”

Van Wert finished with 525 yards of total offense against Bryan, while holding the Golden Bears to 268 total yards.

“They are explosive offensively,” Bath head coach Frank Russell said of the Cougars.The quarterback is really fast, we must contain him to be successful. Defensively they are really solid and did a good job versus Bryan limiting big plays.”

While pleased with the victory, Recker said there’s room for improvement heading into the WBL opener.

“We must do a better job of focusing on every assignment each play,” Recker stated. “We had a couple instances where we didn’t focus on our read or our assignment and those plays ended up costing us.”

Russell is now in his second year as head coach of the Wildcats. He took a team that went 0-10 in 2022 to 4-7 and a playoff berth last year. Bath opened the 2024 season with a tough 17-14 loss at New Bremen. The Wildcats totaled over 320 yards of total offense in the loss.

“We were in the red zone five times so we moved the ball, we just were not able to punch it in,” Russell explained. “Obviously, we have preached to our guys that we have to finish and put six points on the board. I felt like our defense was solid, but we have to limit big plays.”

Most of Bath’s starters are back, including all but one on defense. The Wildcats are also able to boast very good size up front.

“The first thing that stands out when looking at Bath’s roster and starters is the size that they put on the field at almost every position,” Recker said. “On the offensive line four of their five starters are 270 or more pounds.  They have multiple 6-3 receivers and defensive backs who are athletic.”

“Both their quarterback (Zach Welsch) and running back (Mikey Hale) return from last year and were very productive players for them a year ago,” he added. “They run a multitude of formations and motions offensively, and defensively they do a great job of pursuing the football. Coach Russell is a good football coach who has helped Bath move their program forward and they have players who trust in him and play confidently.”

“As a program, we only have one major goal and that goal is to get better everyday,” Russell stated. “As long as I am the leader of the program that will never change.”

When the two teams met last year, Van Wert outscored Bath 64-42.

“Both teams moved the ball up and down the field almost at will in the first half,” Recker said. “We were able to get a couple stops defensively finally in the 2nd half to seal the win. It was a game of adjustments, especially defensively for both teams, as we were both trying to find a way to get our defenses off the field.”

Van Wert has won seven straight games over the Wildcats.