Game of the Week Preview - Hear from both coaches

JASPER, Ind. (WFIE) - This week’s game of the week is Reitz at Jasper.

Let’s start off with the Jasper Wildcats. After a week 1 loss at Memorial 30-13, Jasper was able to bounce back with a convincing 39-0 shutout over Harrison. Too many penalties and self-inflicted mistakes plagued Jasper in week one, but the Wildcats put forward a much cleaner game against the Warriors, and most importantly, established the run game. Runningback Carter Holsworth had 133 rush yards and three touchdowns. But what about the passing game? We talked to Jasper Head Coach Tony Lewis about that this week.

“We feel like throwing the football is something we want to do when it’s good for us,” said Coach Lewis. “We feel like we have to set up the running game to set up the passing game. For us to run the football effectively, that will open up the passing game.”

Now let’s turn our attention to the Reitz Panthers, who have handled their first two opponents and currently sit at 2-0. Roland Vera Jr. popped off in week one, and in week 2 it was a balanced attack from the offense, plus two defensive takeaways, and of course, a 51 yard FG from Keifer Sanderson. This week though, the Panthers have been focused on what’s right in front of them, and Head Coach Cory Brunson knows what his team needs to accomplish in week 3 to get the W.

“They run a unique offense, a lot of option,” said Coach Brunson. “You need to be very disciplined and read their keys. Our scout squad does the best they can, we tried to watch a lot of film this week to see what they do. They blitz a lot, they do a lot of things up front, hopefully our guys will pick it up.”

Exciting matchup coming up on Friday for our game of the week, and as Coach Brunson mentioned, Reitz stopping the Wildcat rush attack will be huge, but on the flip side, can Jasper’s defense slow down what has been a dominant Reitz offense? Only time will tell.

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