FORT LORAMIE — Anyone who’s followed high school football around Shelby County knows that the Fort Loramie Redskins have turned things around from a tough start to the season.
But it might not have been until last week when people realized just how much different this Redskin team is from the one that lost its first four games, albeit to excellent opponents.
The proof came last week when Fort Loramie ambushed the Lehman Cavaliers in a key Northwest Central Conference game at Loramie, 35-19. The Cavs had no answer for Loramie quarterback Drew Wehrman, who rushed for 231 yards and scored four touchdowns last week. Loramie’s other score came on a 76-yard pass by Wehrman.
“The kids were ready to play,” said the architect of the turnaround, head coach Whit Parks. “And we haven’t turned the ball over offensively in four weeks, and that’s been big. We had a special teams turnover last week, but none by our offense. It was a pretty complete game and I was really proud of our kids. Now I hope we can measure up to the expectations.
“We didn’t know how things would go after our first four games, but to the credit of our kids and our staff, we made a commitment that we were just going to keep moving forward. And I think when we made the offensive switch (to the single wing), it just seemed to fit us better.”
And Wehrman has been a key, being forced to move to quarterback because of an injury to the starter.
“He’s just progessively gotten better,” said Parks. “I think he’s in a comfort zone now and we decided to put it in his hands. I said when we made the switch that he was probably our best athlete, but when we had him at wideout, we couldn’t get him the ball. So it’s worked out well. And our offensive line has improved by leaps and bounds.”
The Redskins follow up last week’s game with another one of even more importance. Friday night they travel to Upper Scioto Valley, who along with Loramie and Riverside are tied for first place in the NWCC.
Upper Scioto is clinging to the No. 8 spot in the computer rankings, and right behind them is Fort Loramie. Enough said.
Upper comes into the game with a 5-3 mark, and some interesting scores. The Rams lost big to Riverside, 35-8, but beat Lehman 28-20.
“This is a huge game for us,” said Parks. “Upper has some good athletes. They have good backs and that’s the biggest thing. You see them doing a lot with their athleticism. But it’s a pretty even matchup and it will be a real challenge.”
Big test for Anna
ANNA — The Anna Rockets have won two in a row to move to 3-5 and face a big test Friday night at home against the Minster Wildcats, who lead their D-7 region and are 6-2 on the season. The only losses have come to Coldwater and Marion Local.
“Our overall execution has improved and we’ve been getting better throughout the season,” said head coach Nick Marino of Anna. “And our quarterback play has picked up a ton. Travis Meyer is playing much better, and he’s been getting better protection from the kids up front.”
He’s also pleased with the running game. Connor Rioch has now rushed for 637 yards this season and Colin Wuebker for 403.
Meyer, meanwhile, is at 942 yards passing on 71-for-138. “Travis is getting more comfortable in the pocket,” Marino said. “He steps up and throws the ball down field. And he’s becoming more aggressive.”
The Rockets will be going up against the player many believe is the Midwest Athletic Conference’s best quarterback in Josh Nixon of Minster.
He throws darts, and has connected on 111 of 199 passes for 1,574 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. He’s been picked off only three times.
Marino is also concerned about wideout Bryce Schmiesing, and with good reason — he’s caught 50 passes for 719 yards. Teammate Jacob Dues has 33 catches for 581 yards.
“It’s a big challenge,” said Marino. “Minster is a really good football team. But I think we’ve improved, so we’ll see Friday.”
