By Bruce Campbell, Staff Writer
Home sweet home.
Garber’s senior class hopes to leave one last good memory of Warren Dell Stadium behind Friday when the 11-0 Wolverines host 9-2 Kiefer in a Class B quarterfinal game at 7:30 p.m.
The Wolverines’ seniors have a home record of 21-2 over their careers, including 13 straight wins over the last two years.
“If we don’t let the pressure of the last one eat them up, it should be a heck of a performance,’’ said Wolverines coach Mark Harmon.
“We hold this place special. Our fans do an awfully good job of supporting us. Coach (Warren) Dell always keeps the field in good shape. It’s an advantage playing at home here.’’
Quarterback Dylan Postier, one of those seniors, has thrown for 29 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has completed 70 percent of his passes. Four receivers have 20 or more receptions.
“That’s about unheard of,’’ Harmon said. “Our line does a good job of protecting him. It was one of those hard work things.’’
Postier will be without one of those top receivers. Senior Tyler Miller will miss the game with a broken wrist sustained in last week’s 50-12 win over Allen. Harmon hopes to have him back later in the playoffs.
“We had been real fortunate with injuries,’’ Harmon said. “We’ll fill in with our depth. We have had about 10 guys playing on offense, so this (Miller’s injury) means they won’t get to rest as much.’’
Kiefer started out the season 7-0 before losing to Depew, 22-7 on Oct. 23. The Trojans fell to Wetumka 14-13 Nov. 6, but bounced back to beat Gans 43-6 last week.
Kiefer throws the ball about 50 percent of the time, Harmon said. The Wolverines’ first-team defense has allowed only one touchdown pass.
“They like to trick you a little bit,’’ Harmon said. “We haven’t played anybody who has thrown the ball as much as they do.’’
Kiefer likes to blitz on defense. The Trojans appear to be “pretty physical,’’ Harmon said.
James Semrad (13 tackles) and Garrett Alwert (11 tackles) stood out against Allen, Harmon said. Derek Maly had nine tackles. Cade Oller graded out high on offense with two receiving and one rushing touchdowns.
Garber, the defending state champion, takes a 25-game winning streak into the game.
The Garber-Kiefer winner will play the Laverne-Davenport winner next week at a neutral site.
The Garber-Kiefer game will be broadcast by KOFM Radio (103.1 FM).
Canton visits Porter
Canton reached the Class B state semifinals a year ago after winning long road trips at Ryan and Weleetka last season.
So, the No. 3-ranked Tigers — riding the momentum of a 61-14 home rout of Alex — is looking forward to the 31/2-hour road trip to 11-0 No. 4 Porter Friday.
“It’s nothing that we haven’t done before,’’ said Canton coach Robby Davis. “We know what to expect. Our expectations are a lot higher. We’re not hoping to win, we’re expecting to win ... but so is Porter.’’
The Pirates have had only two close calls this season — 28-22 over Depew and 38-28 over Weleetka last week. Those were the only two games Porter was held under 40 points.
The Pirates, Davis said, are a “very physical’’ team. Quarterback Marcus Scarborough runs the option well. Porter has a power attack that “runs right at you.’’
Middle linebacker Marcus Bruner is a “real stud’’ of Porter’s 3-1 defense.
“He gets where he needs to be,’’ Davis said. “They have eight very physical kids.’’
The two teams match up well with each other, Davis said. The game should be like a chess match.
Canton’s defense, led by middle linebacker Torre Meat, shut down 2,000-yard rusher Randy Alexander last week.
“It was definitely a team effort,’’ Davis said. “Torre was all over the field. Our defensive line did a good job funneling things back to Torre.’’
Quarterback Colby Haigler probably will be held out on defense for another week.
Canton (10-1) has lost only to defending state champion Garber (38-6). A win would put the Tigers in the state semifinals for the second straight year.
The winner faces the Ryan-Depew winner next week on a neutral field.
“We’re not sitting back on our high horse this week,’’ Davis said. “We’re still doing the things that got us here.’’
Laverne, Davenport meet in rematch
Laverne (7-4) hopes history repeats itself when the Tigers visit Davenport Friday.
Laverne routed the Bulldogs 74-28 last season in the second round on its way to the Class B state championship game.
Davenport (10-1) has lost only to Kiefer (14-12). The Bulldogs responded to that loss by winning eight straight games, including a 47-6 rout of Copan in the first round last week.
Davenport finished the season ranked No. 5 in Class B by the Associated Press. The Bulldogs had close calls against Wetumka (34-32) and Depew (34-32). Davenport’s last four wins have been by an average of 42.5 points.
Laverne outlasted Caddo 50-48 in the first round. It was the seventh time this season the Tigers have scored 50 or more points in a game.
Laverne has battled injuries for much of the season. They have won three straight since a 48-14 loss to Garber Oct. 23.
