War On 24 Newspaper Article

From the Capital-Journal:

ROSSVILLE — For the fans of Rossville and Silver Lake, the War on 24 showdown can be the game of the year, one that makes or breaks a season.

That’s simply the nature of rivalry games, particularly ones as fierce as this one. And when they enter the game ranked No. 1 and 2 in Class 3A as Rossville (4-0) and Silver Lake (4-0) do, the stakes for the game seem to be even higher.

But for Silver Lake coach C.J. Hamilton and Rossville coach Derick Hammes, Friday’s clash is merely the next game on the schedule, the midway point of the 2016 season. While grasping there’s no way to downplay the build-up for the game, they also know that it can’t become the season-defining contest.

“Any time you play Rossville, it’s going to be what it is,” said Hamilton, the state’s all-time winningest coach with 394 victories. “It’s going to be intense and very emotional. But the thing of it is, both teams have seasons well beyond this game. If you put too much riding on one game, forget about the rest of the season.”

Hammes agreed.

“We honestly try to prepare the same way week in and week out no matter who we’re facing,” Hammes said. “Obviously the fact this is such a big rivalry, you get a good week of practice out of your kids. If you emphasize one game over any other, then I don’t think you have the consistency we have.

“The Silver Lake game is not just another game, but in terms of how we get ready for it, it really is. What we do in preparation is respect everybody we play and get ready to do what we need to do to win that game.”

Rossville enters Friday’s showdown riding a rare three-game winning streak in the series. The Bulldawgs swept the Eagles on their way to the Class 3A state title in 2014 and last year rode a herculean effort from All-State quarterback Tucker Horak (384 yards rushing 7 TDs) to a 56-35 victory, which clinched a third straight Mid-East League title for Rossville.

Lost in Horak’s gaudy stats and the final outcome was the fact that for much of the game, Silver Lake answered every Rossville blow with one of its own. The Eagles actually led 17-14 late in the second quarter and trailed just 35-29 late in the third quarter before Horak delivered three unanswered touchdowns to put the Eagles away.

“It was back and forth through the first half and the final score wasn’t an indication of how close the game was,” Hammes said. “It was another one of the great games in the series and we expect it to be that way again this year.”

Silver Lake’s Dalton Dultmeier threw for 299 yards in the loss and has enjoyed a big start to the 2016 season, throwing for 648 yards and six touchdowns in the Eagles’ 4-0 start. The senior has spread the ball nicely with four different Eagles having at least 116 yards receiving with Wyatt Heiman’s 13 catches for 342 yards leading the way.

Perhaps the biggest key is the ground game the Eagles have developed around Dultmeier, who has also run for 272 yards. Mason Jones, who started at guard last year, has made the transition to the backfield well and has 298 yards and five touchdowns, coming off a breakout game against Rock Creek where he ran for 117 yards and three scores.

“He and Garrett Huske both have done a nice job,” Hamilton said. “He’s made the transition really well and both backs have contributed maybe a little bit beyond expectations. We like to be balanced and they complement each other.”

Last week’s 49-26 win over Rock Creek was Silver Lake’s closest call of the season, one in which the Eagles have outscored their foes 202-42. Silver Lake trailed early but exploded for 29 second-quarter points and overcame a sloppy second half.

Despite the apparent ease in which the Eagles have moved to 4-0, Hamilton said his team has been tested and knows the ultimate test, thus far, will come Friday.

“I felt like teams played pretty well against us, so I think we’ve been tested,” he said. “We got behind against Rock Creek and you never know how you’ll respond, even though it was in the first half. But you just never know so that was a good sign. (Friday)’s a good opportunity for us to measure where we’re at.

“It’s always a good opportunity when you’re facing a good team. We’ve got a ways to go and I’m sure they’ve got a ways to go and this prepares us for that.”

Rossville, meanwhile, has faced plenty of adversity in its 4-0 start, one that’s extended its state-best winning streak to 32 consecutive wins. The Bulldawgs had to make a defensive stand in the final seconds of the opener to fight off Marysville 27-20 and then fell behind 14-0 after one quarter the following week against Rock Creek before rallying for a 41-26 victory keyed by a 20-0 edge in the third quarter.

Last week, the Bulldawgs fought off a tough challenge from Wabaunsee in a 28-6 win — their third straight game without the services of standout linebacker-running back Dawson Hammes and senior lineman Jackson Reeves. Both players are questionable for Friday’s game with Hammes suffering a fracture in his left thumb which required surgery.

What hasn’t killed the Bulldawgs has made them stronger, Derick Hammes said.

“It helps and that was certainly one of the question marks about us at the beginning of the year — how would we respond to adversity and react when we’re in a tough situation?” Hammes said. “We’ve certainly had that in several games to this point in the season and our leadership has responded well and our play has been good enough when it had to be.”

Jacob Bradshaw has been spectacular in filling Horak’s void at quarterback. The senior has run for 752 yards and nine touchdowns and thrown for 531 yards and nine scores. Cole Schumacher has 21 catches for 303 yards and eight touchdowns.