By Frank Vacjner
It’s a showdown of 10-0 teams as Whiteford heads deep
into Hillsdale County to battle Reading. The last time the Bobcats and Rangers
met was October 30, 2009, where it was the Rangers who knocked the Bobcats out
of the playoffs with a 20-8 defeat. Things have changed since then. This is
only one of two District Championship games in the state that features two
unbeaten teams (the other is Calumet at Traverse City St. Francis in Division
6). Whiteford comes in with a playoff record of 21-17 in 20 appearances, while
Reading has a playoff record of 11-23 in 24 appearances.
Whiteford 10-0 (7-0 Tri-County Conference)
The Bobcats roll into this showdown after dispatching
Lenawee Christian 51-14. Jason Mensing’s team is averaging 53.8 points per
contest, headlined by RBs Logan Murphy (1104 rushing yards, 15 TDs), Zack Bertz
(570 rushing yards, 15 TDs), and Hunter Lake (462 rushing yards, nine TDs).
Murphy is also Whiteford’s all-time leader in rushing yards. Quarterback Ty
Eitniear can burn defenses with his arm (874 passing yards, 15 TDs) and his
feet (281 rushing yards, four TDs), and WR Bradyn Clark-Gilmore (482 receiving
yards, nine TDs) is the go-to option when the Bobcats go to the air.
Clark-Gilmore is also the Bobcats’ all-time leader in receiving yards and
receiving touchdowns. Making the Double Wing go are the outstanding offensive line, lead by: Noah Bauman 6-2, 260 Fr, Ian Slick 5-8 200 Sr, Nick Donnelly 5-8 170 Sr, Bryce Wing 5-11 180 Sr, Josh Hagan 5-10 235 Jr.
On defense, the Bobcats are allowing a paltry 8 points
per game, with three shutouts. Up front, NG DeShaun Williams (48 tackles, 16.5
TFLs, 3 fumble recoveries), and Ends Treylan Hess (63 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, 6
sacks, 3 forced fumbles) and Brodi Tesznar (32 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3 sacks) are a
chore for any offensive line to deal with. LBs Nate Bauman (54 tackles, 12
TFLs), Cody Westfall (38 tackles, 10.5 TFLs), and Bertz (42 tackles, 10
TFLs) make up a strong unit. In the secondary, CB Lake (39 tackles, 21 passes
defended, 4 INTs) has become a “no fly zone.” The Bobcats also have 31
takeaways on the season.
Reading 10-0 (7-0 Big 8)
Under the guidance of Rick Bailey, the Rangers are coming
off of a wild 65-48 win over Pittsford in the opening round. Much like their
counterparts, Reading has an explosive offense that averages 51.9 points per
game. At QB, senior Alex Price is a dual threat. RBs Ethan Lopresto, Anthony
Willoughby, and Elijah Strine are all dangerous out of the backfield. The
Rangers have an experienced offensive line with Damon Black at center, Nick
Affholter and Bryce Pagel at the guards, and Josh Johnson and Izac Reynolds at
the tackles. The Rangers are only 26 points away from setting the school record
for most points in a season (535 set in 2008).
Before the win over Pittsford, Reading had only allowed a
minuscule 4.4 points per game with five shutouts. Top players on the unit
include Black at DE, Ben Affholter at MLB, Lopresto at OLB, and Cole Boyd at
CB.
Has Whiteford finally met their match? This is the first
time the Bobcats will play in a true road game in the playoffs since November
13, 2015; a 48-14 win at Climax-Scotts. Reading has five wins over playoff
teams, but none of the teams they beat are left standing. Of Whiteford’s four
wins over playoff teams, two are still playing. In a game like this, I look for
experience to prevail, as the Bobcats have been in these types of games before.
But it may not be as comfortable as their fans are used to.
Chris’s Pick: Whiteford 46 Reading 35
Gary’s Pick: Whiteford 38 Reading 20
Frank’s Pick: Whiteford 48 Reading 32
View Comments
LoL...3 days and over 3" of rain is impossible to keep up with. Either way, if it makes the lose feel better for ya, so be it. It's football! Look around the playoff pics from yesterday. This wasn't the only sloppy game. I'm confident saying dry or wet, the better team won, and I am by no means knocking Whiteford football.Congrats on all your accomplishments if you are in fact from Whiteford. We can only hope to have a fraction of the same success!
@12:53 wasn’t raining before or during the game. They just don’t know how to keep up on a field.
I see someone asked who was the last team to beat Whiteford....That would be Reading! Whiteford wins and wins big was another great comment. Reality is that the better team won. Whiteford had a hell of a run, but lets not take anything away from Reading. These boys can play. That game was in Reading for a reason. I do understand conditions were terrible, but thats football, and you gotta be ready rain or shine...Go Rangers!
I'm amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that's both equally educative and amusing,
and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head.
The problem is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently
about. Now i'm very happy that I found this during my search for something regarding this.
Hi great blog! Does running a blog like this take a
large amount of work? I have very little expertise in coding but I
was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways,
if you have any recommendations or tips for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off topic however I just needed to ask.
Cheers!
As for the bundles of Bedford transfers can you list any Bedford starters? Every school gets transfers but the talent on this team and coaching staff is not even close to dependent on Bedford transfers.
Who was last team to beat Whiteford? They've had quite a run.
Really.... “Whiteford gets Bedford Transfers in Bundles”!!!! Not sure I can even count on one hand how many Bedford kids are playing on the varsity football team from last year and this year. Every school has transfers so not understanding why in the world you would even say that. Whiteford’s success hands down has NOT been from the few Bedford kids they get. They have an amazing coaching staff that get the kids and parents believing in their program. You don’t have to get all butt chapped that a few of your Bedford kids come over to little Whiteford!
12:25pm those are all Reading kids. Some big farm boys out there!! 😂
Damon Black (6’3 195) at center, Nick Affholter (6’3 302) and Bryce Pagel (6’ 225) at the guards, and Josh Johnson (6’4 256) and Izac Reynolds (6’4 275) at the tackles.
Fixed