Sports
Scotties Host Tecumseh in First Home Playoff Game
< < Back toTri-Valley will add a new page to the school’s history books Friday. Not only will the Scotties be making their fifth playoff appearance (all within the past six years) but their matchup with Tecumseh will be the first home playoff game in program history.
“It's going to be nice not to get on a bus and drive far away,” said Head Coach Justin Buttermore. “I think it’s going to be a huge advantage.”
In addition to what is sure to be an excited crowd at Jack Anderson Stadium, the Scotties are bringing a lot of momentum into the postseason.
Led by junior quarterback Nathan Strock, Tri-Valley has dominated in their games against Sheridan and Philo. Strock has completed 71% of his passes, going for 352 yards and six touchdowns, as well as run for 215 yards with three scores in the wins. Strock has all this while his team has outscored its opponents 86-30 in the last two games of the season.
Second-seeded Tri-Valley must keep that momentum rolling when they face seventh-seeded Tecumseh (6-4). The Arrows were able to make the postseason despite losing three of their last four and going 2-4 against teams with winning records.
The Arrows will provide a challenge when they bring their Wing-T offense to Dresden.
“We’re going to have to play disciplined defense,” said Buttermore. “We can’t fall for their motions and fakes.”
Tecumseh has multiple running backs with significant amounts of carries, typical of the Wing-T, led by senior Derek Riffell’s 824 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Arrows can also throw the ball. Junior quarterback Tony Evans has thrown for over 1000 yards and nine scores on the season.
Defensively, Tecumseh lines up in a 4-4 formation, which is vulnerable against the pass. Despite that, Buttermore is determined to keep Tri-Valley balanced on offense. To do that, the Scotties must establish the ground game with junior running back Austin Jones.
When all is said and done, if Tri-Valley can execute like they have in recent weeks they could advance to the second round for the second year in a row.