CENTRALIA In many ways, Friday night's clash between Rossville and Centralia isn't all that unusual.
The two programs have met a number of times throughout the years, as recently as 2011 with Rossville taking a 34-8 win after the Panthers won 20-13 in 2010.
Yet if there's a different feeling to this year's meeting, it's for good reason. Instead of an early-season warm-up for the non-league foes, Friday's game in Centralia will be a pre-district tune-up and with Centralia now in Class 3A, a potential playoff preview.
"We usually have this type of game in Game 1 or Game 2," Centralia coach Larry Glatczak said."We're used to playing Silver Lake or Rossville or Concordia or Riley County or whoever early so that always gave us a gauge. It's a little different now that we're 3A and we've already gone through our league before playing this game. And even though Troy and Washington were good football teams, we still don't know what we have yet. So I'm tickled we're playing this game to see where we stand and what we need to get better at for the remainder of the season."
The showdown is a huge one leading into district play. Rossville, a state semifinalist last year, is ranked No. 2 in Class 3A and is 5-0. Centralia, last year's 2-1A state champion, is ranked No. 5 in 3A and also is 5-0.
While no league or district title will be at stake, both coaches acknowledged that the game is a big one in each team's pursuit for a state title.
We are looking forward to it and it's one of those games that's going to be a measuring stick for each program," Rossville coach Derick Hammes said. "We're going to get to find out what kind of ball club we have. We've been tested at a few moments this year and we've responded really well, but in terms of playing a top-flight, playoff contender, state championship contender like I think these guys are, it's going to be an important game for us."
Indeed neither Rossville nor Centralia have truly been pushed yet this season like they probably will be on Friday night.
Only once this season has Rossville remotely found itself in a dogfight at halftime of a game, leading Riley County just 28-21 at the break. But the Bulldogs blitzed the Falcons with 28-second half points to roll to a 56-21 victory.
In their other four games, the Bulldogs have outscored their foes 198-27, including 147-6 in the first half.
"We've been really efficient on offense, scoring early in our games and we've been able to score fast," Hammes said. "We're ahead of the game on offense from where we were at last year."
Centralia hasn't been any less dominating, outscoring its opposition 234-34 this year. A 22-8 halftime lead against Troy marks the Panthers' closest game at halftime and also are the only points they've given up in the first half this season.
Glatczak knows that all changes against Rossville.
"What we see Friday night is what we're going to see in the playoffs," he said. "It's a deal where we want to see a great team and that's why we've always scheduled those Mid-East teams, to see how we compete. It doesn't do you any good to go undefeated through the season not playing anybody and then get your tail handed to you in the playoffs. I've seen that happen to teams before. Competition is something we don't shy away from. We'll buck up to it, and if we get beat, we get beat. We're going to try and get better and this gives us a good gauge."
Both teams boast explosive home run threats on offense.
Rossville quarterback Tucker Horak is having another huge season. The junior has completed an astounding 86.5 percent of his passes (45 of 52) for 616 yards and nine touchdowns and also has rushed for 803 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 42 carries (19.1 yards per carry).
Thatcher Horak has a combined 630 rushing and receiving yards, averaging 19.7 yards per carry, and eight different players have caught passes, led by Christian Roduner (17 catches, 246 yards).
“We haven’t since a team like this since Colgan in the playoffs when they had all those weapons,†Glatczak said. The big thing is keeping Horak contained because if he gets loose, he's gone. We have to keep him corralled and in a box as much as we can."
Centralia counters with a 1-2 punch of Darrian Turner and Wyatt VanDorn. Turner has rushed for 919 yards and 11 touchdowns and VanDorn has added 621 yards and 10 scores, each averaging better than 12 yards per carry. Of VanDorn's six pass completions (just 15 attempts) three have gone for touchdowns.
They're going to present us some problems from the standpoint that they have an offense that's a bit unconventional," Hammes said. "It's an offense you can score a lot of points with, which they do. But that scheme itself, it provides some challenges for us and that's what's most talked about when people play them. But when you look at the defensive side of the ball, you note that they're good year after year on that side of the ball.
"It's going to be one of those contests where anything goes and both groups will be ready to go and give it their best shot."
