The start of the St. Joseph Valley League portion of the schedule begins today and Centreville (1-2) enters its game at White Pigeon having been idle last week. The Chiefs (2-2) and head coach Joseph Morsaw hope to stop the bleeding in their homecoming game after back-to-back losses to Watervliet and New Buffalo.
Bulldogs coach Aaron Hartong said his newly bolstered squad (many new additions to the team over the last two weeks) is healthy and “ready to go.”
Scouting White Pigeon
It sure seems like nearly every player in a Chiefs uniform is capable of carrying the pill effectively, but the lion’s share of rushes belong to Cahil Krajniak, who has compiled 275 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterbacks Matt Eger and Dylan Hochstetler have both eclipsed 100 total yards this year with one TD each, and Chas Rathburn and Shaun Harmon have contributed from the backfield as well, with Harmon crossing the goal line twice.
Hochstetler has completed 13 of 31 passing attempts for 275 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Eger is 5-of-11 for 64 yards.
“They may be on a two-game slide, but we know that coach [Joseph] Morsaw is adjusting his game plan and coaching up their weaknesses, so they will be a tough opponent,” Hartong said. “We are excited for a classic SJV slugfest.”
Scouting Centreville
“Centreville is a ground attack team,” Morsaw said. “They will ground it out for four quarters. They have a big front line and our front players need to get hands on their man and stay low on the front line. We need to control the edge and keep the Bulldogs contained.”
Centreville practice report
“This week we have really emphasized our O-line play,” Hartong explained. “We are confident that we have the offensive arsenal that we need in order to make a playoff run, but we want to ramp up the intensity of our line and start putting people on their backs. If we make a crease, our backs our quick enough of smart enough to make the right cuts to get yards. We have also spent a lot of time these last two weeks getting our new additions caught up to speed on their positions. “
Unsung Bulldog hero
“Jonathon Eicher, our junior middle linebacker/tight end … this kid is our leading tackler and works his tail off blocking on offense and catching those quick passes we need to move the defense out,” Hartong said.
White Pigeon practice report
“Practice went well this week,” Morsaw said. “Working to execute our offense consistently. Defensively, [we’re] re-positioning some players to strengthen our defense.”