ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Streaks Open Playoffs Against Gibsonburg


 

 

Top-seeded Archbold (6- 0) opens the Division VI Region 22 football playoffs, Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Streaks host 16th-seeded Gibsonburg (4-3) in a second round game.

The Golden Bears defeated 17th-seeded Wayne Trace (3-4) 38-30, in a first round contest, Saturday, Oct. 10.

Gibsonburg

The Golden Bears are making their ninth tournament appearance in school history. They were in the playoffs in 2015-18, and 1998-2001,

They are 3-8 in tournament games and have never made it to the state semifinals.

Gibsonburg overwhelmingly runs a ground game.

The Golden Bears averaged 358.7 rushing yards/game during the regular season. Almost half of their 2,152 rushing yards came from their workhorse fullback, Connor Smith (#20).

A sophomore, he rushed 130 times for 1,012 yards and leads the team with 14 touchdowns. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry and 168.7 yards per game. He also had 194 yards rushing against Wayne Trace Saturday night.

Other leading rushers:

•#7, Philip Davies, 59 carries for 319 yards, three touchdowns, 5.4 yards/carry, 53.2 yards/game;

•#21, Radek Fox, 19 carries for 284 yards, two touchdowns, 14.9 yards/carry, 47.3 yards/game;

•#10, Mitchell Tille, 33 carries for 211 yards, two touchdowns, 6.4 yards/carry, 35.2 yards/game;

•#9, Austin Rodriguez, 21 carries for 158 yards, two touchdowns, 7.5 yards/carry, 26.3 yards/game.

Gibsonburg has only 159 total yards passing in the regular season, an average of 26.5 yards/game. Tille, the quarterback, is 11-24 passing with four touchdowns, and averages 6.6 yards/ pass. He passed for 57 yards against Wayne Trace.

His receivers are Davies (four receptions for 42 yards), Rodriguez (one reception for 42 yards), #14 Dustin Derr (two receptions for 32 yards), and #15 Cody Saxer (one reception for 28 yards.

The Golden Bears play in the River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, where they finished 3-2.

“Gibsonburg is a fundamentally sound team that plays a very physical style of football,” said David Dominique,

AHS head coach.

“On offense, they are a ‘run first’ team and will try to catch us falling asleep and hit us on play action passes.

“We must be disciplined in our gap responsibility and get off the field on third down.

“On defense, they have a lot of size upfront, so we must rely on our technique and speed in order to open up some holes for our skilled guys.”

Archbold

Archbold is making its 14th appearance in the state playoffs. The Streaks advanced to the regional finals last year, won the state championship in 1988, and were state runners up in 1982.

Other appearances were in 2017, 2012, 2010, 2007-08, 2002, 1990 (state semifinals), 1989, 1987 (state semifinals), and 1980 (state semifinals). The Streaks are 18-12 in playoff appearances.

Archbold is evenly divided between the ground and passing games. The Streaks totaled 1,291 rushing yards this season, an average of 215.17 yards/game, and 1,204 yards passing, an average of 200.7 yards/game.

They’ve allowed their opponents a total of 516 rushing yards (86 yards/game) and 632 yards passing (105.3 yards/game) this season.

DJ Newman (#10) leads the offense. A junior quarterback, he carried the ball 51 times for 431 yards and eight touchdowns. He is 65-94 in passing for 1058 yards (176.3 yards/ game), eight touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Noah Gomez (#24) carried the ball 61 times for 427 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season, and Caleb Hogrefe (#7) rushed 31 times for 188 yards and six touchdowns.

Brandon Taylor (#5) is Newman’s leading receiver, catching the ball 18 times for 364 yards and four TDs.

Antonio Cruz (#3) is right behind Taylor, with 25 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns.

Jaden Schulze (#12) has nine receptions for 192 yards and one TD. Carson Dominique (#25) had 10 receptions for 145 yards and one TD, and Gomez has 12 receptions for 136 yards and one TD.

The winner advances to the regional quarterfinals, Saturday, Oct. 24, 7 pm, against the winner of Carey (6-1) and Ashland Crestview (6-1), at the better-seeded team’s site.