October 26, 2001

Calvert, Mohawk go head to head

By Dave Feltner
Sports Editor

The old timers call it a slobber-knocker. You know, one of those knock-down, drag-out fights where the last one standing wins.

Whatever form the hype takes, there's no way to understate the magnitude of tonight's Calvert-Mohawk football game at Frost-Kalnow Stadium.

Although both teams will play at home in Week 11, there's plenty at stake.

First off, the Senecas (8-1 overall, 5-1 MAL) are seeking a piece of their fourth consecutive Midland Athletic League championship, a feat only Fremont St. Joe has accomplished. The Streaks won or shared the title six times from 1987-1993.

And then there's the plight of first-year coach Erik Baker at Mohawk (9-0, 6-0), who would like nothing more than to ring his his rookie season with the Warriors' first 10-0 mark in school history.

"It's kind of neat that it's come down to this," Baker said. "Our approach this year was that we wanted to make the playoffs, host a playoff game and win the league championship, and we've done all of those. What's left for the kids is the pride factor. If we want to be the best we have to beat the best, and there's no better way than to beat the team that's won the league three years in a row."

Obviously, the Warriors enter the game on a roll. But it's an impressive one at that. Mohawk hasn't given up a point since a 12-7 win over Carey on Sept. 21, and the Warriors have allowed a measly 48 points all season.

And on offense, Mohawk rates first in the league in rushing (275.9 yards per game) and second in passing (94.6).

"Obviously, by far this is the best team we've played," Calvert coach Toby Hammond said. "A lot of people see the numbers they throw up, offensively, but the reason why they're 9-0 is their defense. They're not as big as they used to be, but I think they're more physical and more athletic, more quicker.

"You're obviously impressed with (Tyler) Beckley at defensive end, but I think what really makes these guys go is their linebackers," he said. "Between (Chad) Sowers and (Zach) Hufford, (Kyle) Roush and (Roy) McKinney, they're players."

Mohawk's wing-T offense is led by quarterback T.J. Marcotte and a host of running backs.

Marcotte has completed 37-of-89 passes for 791 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's also run for 428 yards on 90 carries (4.8 ave.), and he leads the league with nine interceptions as a defensive back.

Sowers, the fullback, is the leading ground-gainer with 618 yards and an MAL-leading 14 touchdowns on 115 carries (5.4 ave.). Kyle Roush is the breakaway threat in the backfield with 612 yards on just 63 tries (9.7 ave.). Nick Shoemaker (404 yards) and Grant Rettig (332) also contribute heavily to the ground game.

"We don't deviate a lot from what we do; we just try to out-execute you," Baker said. "It's an offense I picked up in the south in order to take suburban kids and compete against better athletes. And it's something that's translated well up here.

"Each series is about isolating something we do well," he said. "Coach Hammond does the same thing with the one-back set. He'll try to find your weakness and attack it."

Hammond's offense has remained a work in progress since the injury to fullback Dan Snyder a month ago. The one constant, however, has been Marc Baugher, who has lined up everywhere but on the offensive line this year.

While at quarterback Baugher completed 36-of-82 passes for 482 yards. He's run 125 times for 723 yards and has caught five passes for 43 yards.

The quarterback the last two weeks has been junior Peter Brodman, who has clicked on 20-of-40 passes for 331 yards, four TDs and five picks.

"We knew when Danny went down that we were going to have to throw the ball to beat good teams," Hammond said. "And Pete's come a long way since the Seneca East game.

"Defense has been our strength all year," he said. "And I don't care what you do on offense, if you're not good on defense you won't go very far. Just look at the top three teams in our league. Mohawk, Carey and ourselves. They're all strong on defense."

Baker reflected the thought.

"Defensively, they're just huge up front," the Mohawk coach said. "We have to make their defensive line run and defend the entire field. We have to be able to keep the ball away from their offense because the more coach Hammond has time to create and get the ball to Baugher, the more they can hurt you."

The key, in Hammond's eyes, lies in the game's early stages.

"This reminds me a lot of the Cuyahoga Heights game last year (in the playoffs)," he said. "It took us a while to adapt to their speed. After we did that we could play with them. Unfortunately, we were two or three touchdowns down. So I think it's important for us to adjust to what they're doing early."

Game time is 7:30 p.m.