WHO: OAK HILL (4-1) AT GREENBRIER EAST (0-5)
WHEN: Friday, October 6 at 7:30 PM
WHERE: Spartan Stadium in Fairlea
LAST WEEK: Greenbrier East (lost to Princeton 56-7), OH (Bye week)
ABOUT THE OPPONENT:
The Oak Hill Red Devils will be fresh and rejuvenated after having last week off when they infiltrate Spartan Stadium this Friday night. They are 4-1 on the season and are scoring at a 24.8 point per game clip. Their defense has been solid all year and are allowing only 20 points per game to their opponents. The Red Devils are coached by Davon Marion and have defeated the Spartans three years in a row including 26-13 last year.
With half the season gone, Greenbrier East will face another challenge this week when they welcome Oak Hill to Spartan Stadium. East is coming off a 56-7 loss to Princeton last week, but they have erased that one from their memory and are moving forward for the second half of the season.
The Red Devils bring in a solid balance of a run-pass offense though they prefer to run it more times than not. They have proven early on this season that they can win a shootout of high powered offense or they can grind out a defensive victory like they did in their 13-10 win over Ripley two weeks ago.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR OAK HILL:
RB- JD Mauritz- 78 rushes, 517 yds, 5 TD
QB- Malachi Lewis- over 300 yards passing, 300 rushing, 8 total TD
WR/DB- Zachaeus Lewis- 2 INT
WR- David Spaulding- go to WR
Whatever Oak Hill does on offense on any given night, it will start and stop with Malachi Lewis and JD Mauritz. Mauritz is a big back at 6’0”, 205 pounds that will get between the tackles, but also has the burst to get around the edge and no one on the Oak Hill roster has been as consistent each game as he has. Lewis can pass and run, and typically does more of whatever seems to be working at the certain moment. Against Princeton (a Oak Hill 42-28 loss), Lewis had 87 yards rushing and a TD. Against Independence a few weeks ago, he threw for 130 yards with four scores, so he can beat a team with his legs and feet.
When Lewis drops back, he normally looks in the direction of David Spaulding. Spaulding is just a little guy at 5’9”, 170 pounds, but can get behind a defense quickly with his speed. Zachaeus Lewis is a ball hawking defensive back that had two interceptions versus Lincoln County.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR GREENBRIER EAST:
QB- Brody Hamric- 58-of-102, 757 yds, 8 TD, 7 INT
RB- Nate Suttle- 386 total yds, 4 TD
WR/DB- Abram Wickline- 11 rec, 138 yds, TD, fumble rec, def TD, 22.8 KO ret avg
OL- Garon Wiseman-
LB- Weston Pence- leading tackler
KEYS TO THE GAME FOR THE SPARTANS:
Priority number one: Contain Mauritz. If Mauritz does not have much room to run, chalk that up to a big win for the defense. However, even if East is able to frustrate the running back, then the quarterback, Lewis, will try and make up for some of the slack. As mentioned above, Oak Hill is a very balanced offense when they want to be, and it is important for the Spartans defensive backfield to not sleep on Spaulding either. A big game for Wickline, Kaden Stone, Brayden Brown and Suttle on the backend, but also up front for the run defense.
Hamric and the offense normally move the ball pretty well once they get in a little bit of a rhythm. However, the problem with the Spartans offense has been once they get moving down the field, they give up a sack or two that forces them into a third-and-long situation, which ends up in a turnover on downs or a punt. Extra focus on the Oak Hill side of the field is paramount for East to do offensively what they want to. Hamric would do well to get rid of the ball when he is being pressured, but he usually is under that pressure so quickly, he has no time to throw it anywhere. So, good pass blocking across the 50-yard line also will be extremely important.