Cougars prepping for No. 2 Wapak

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The biggest challenge of the season awaits Van Wert on Friday night. That’s when the Cougars will entertain the second ranked team in all of Division III – the undefeated Wapakoneta Redskins. It’s the start of a challenging second half lineup of teams, including St. Marys Memorial and Shawnee.

Wapakoneta (5-0) has rolled by all five its opponents by an average score of 33-8. The offense has been more than efficient and the defense has held four of five opponents to seven points, while giving up 14 points in the other game. In fact, the Redskins allow less than 200 yards of total offense per game, are No. 1 among WBL schools against the pass (111 yards per game) and No. 1 in scoring defense. On offense, four year starter Caleb Moyer has completed an astounding 90 percent of his passes, 72-of-80, for 1,143 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

“The thing that sticks out about Wapak is they don’t have a lot of weaknesses with their personnel,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said. “They have very good skill players on offense and defense, with their quarterback Moyer and wide receiver Kaden Page (Ohio University commit, 22-438, four touchdowns) leading the way for them.”

“Credit our players for finding a way to be successful the first half of the season,” Wapakoneta head coach Travis Moyer said. “We will need to continue to compete at a high level and continue to improve each week.”

While Van Wert has moved the ball successfully and has kept big plays to a minimum defensively, Recker said he’s looking for improvement from both the offensive and defensive lines, despite a rash of injuries up front.

“Injuries have hurt us a bit on both sides of the line, but blocking and block destruction are two things that we have worked on since June and we need to continue to get better at those,” he said. “We need to be better in pass protection and run blocking, and on the flip side we need to hold our gap responsibility and control the line of scrimmage on defense. “Those two groups have a great attitude during practice and continue to give great effort towards improving, and I know they are hungry to better themselves.”

I have been very pleased with our defensive backs,” Recker said. “The majority of those guys played last year and have really done a good job this season of taking away big plays but also providing strong run support. Cohen had a great off season and I am so happy for him that it is paying off during the season.”

“He has a great understanding of the game and puts himself in the a great position to make plays,” Recker said. “He communicates well to everyone on the defense and is doing a great job defending the run and pass for us.  He is also a very capable wide receiver who we can throw in on offense and we know we won’t miss a beat.”

Running back Xavier Kelly is the WBL’s leader in total offense with 949 yards. The 6-1, 180 sophomore has rushed for 708 yards and eight touchdowns on 89 carries and has caught 16 passes for 241 yards and two more scores. In addition, quarterback Zach Crummey has passed for 984 yards and seven touchdowns and has run for 161 yards and six touchdowns.

“They’re sound in all three phases of the game,” Moyer said. “Offensively, Van Wert is very explosive and can score from anywhere on the field. They have a dual threat quarterback that can hurt you with his arm and legs.  They have the ability to stretch you vertically and horizontally with their play concepts and athletes. Defensively, they’re a multiple front defense.  They’re physical upfront and athletic on the back end.”

Wapakoneta has won three straight over the Cougars: 20-19 in 2022, 41-13 in 2023, and 35-14 last season. Van Wert’s last win in the series was in 2021, a wild 55-45 victory at Eggerss Stadium.

Friday’s game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM.