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Tri-Valley faces tough test in Week 1


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Friday night in Newark, Ohio the Tri-Valley Scotties will look to build on last season’s success and start down their path to their goals of an MVL title and a spot in the state playoffs.  The first obstacle in their way: the Licking Valley Panthers. 

The Panthers are also coming off of a winning season, finishing 2011 with a 7-3 record.  Licking Valley will look to pick up where they left off, as they finished the year on a five-game winning streak. 

Looking to hit the ground running, the Panthers will rely on senior running back, Drew McArtor, to carry them to victory.  One obstacle for Licking Valley will be replacing their quarterback as well as their top wide receiver from last year. 

As far as quarterbacks and running backs go, Tri-Valley is poised for perfection.  Quarterback Nathan Strock and running back Austin Jones are the motors that move the Scotties’ offense.  The biggest question for the Tri-Valley offense is how well their lineman can protect Strock and how big of holes they can open for Jones.

The Scotties defense will be tested, as one of Licking Valley’s strong features is their play on the offensive line.  With strong blocking and a solid running back, it will be seen if Tri-Valley’s defense can match their dynamic offense. 

All looks good on paper at this point, but once the lights come on and it’s Friday night, the play on the gridiron will do the talking, and we’ll see if Tri-Valley is for real in 2012.  

 

Make sure to tune in to Gridiron Glory on WOUB at 11:30 p.m. Friday for highlights and analysis from this game and others from around the area. Stay up to date with live updates on our Twitter and Facebook pages.