Week 2 Wellston @ Minford

[pbuck]

Minford 28 Wellston 14 is my prediction

[FarAwayFalcon]

Close game early but Minford pulls out late in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I'll say Minford 38-27. Should be great game worth a lot of playoff points if both teams have seasons like they plan on.

[NY BUCKS]

Wellston pulls the upset.GO T V C .

[marshallman]

Home opener for the Falcons...played very well last week against a weak opponent. The Rockets will give the Falcons a better test.

Minford - 30

Wellston - 14

WOW! your not speculating that we will win are you? Don't want to make us look bad if its a close game. Just let them decided it on the field. Same with predicting they are good enough to go undefeated. Key words are: good enough

I was "speculating" about the next game...not the rest of the season. I think my predictions are a little more plausible than you going out and disrespecting the rest of our schedule. Take it easy dude we are on common ground not common enemies.

I'm not at war with you. I'm not disrespecting the rest of our sch either. I'm just saying this could be their year. Everyone's back, sch looks challenging and no one is injured. Last year or next year will be different. Every school has their year. I also think everyone wants to go undefeated when the season starts. Minford has been close the last two years but they always ran into another team that was having their year. I'm hoping its their turn now.

[bushmaster24]

i was at the wellston jackson game .. did not see the big tail back for wellston ??

[boilermaker]

He is out ,along with several others for this game .

[F-4 Phantom]

Minford is feeling good about themselves this year. This game will only increase their confidence. Falcons by a ton...

[boilermaker]

Poor .....Wellston dont have a chance. . I thought I over heard coach saying we were just gonna stay home.

[fuzzhead]

Fuzz how do you know that Minford would beat Jackson? I tell you ....you dont . Jackson has a solid team year in year out.Im not saying who would win but Im not as confident as you are . We play both teams and most years Jackson would do the same to Minford as they do to us ,,,, Win.

I'd put $200 on Minford if they played Jackson.
Sure, Jackson would probably have beaten Minford in most instances throughout both teams' histories, but this isn't most years and on friday, I have a strong hunch you're going to see that plain as day.

Good luck and God bless to all involved.

[Ty Webb]

:roll: Poor .....Wellston dont have a chance. . I thought I over heard coach saying we were just gonna stay home.

U need to check your hearing. Mantell, his staff, or team don't think that way.

Wellston should keep this one close, might even pull off the upset. Man, they've got a tough non league schedule

[Bleeding Red]

:roll: Poor .....Wellston dont have a chance. . I thought I over heard coach saying we were just gonna stay home.

Fuel costs are on the rise again......

Just kidding of course Boiler!

[boilermaker]

Fuzz I didnt say that Jackson would beat Minford this year , I said most years and they would most years.
I am thinking you are pumping up the Falcon faithful hoping they will take it easy on youre Hornets this year.....LOL

Like I sais in a previous post ,this will be a slobberknocker .
TY just for the record I was joking about the coach . He and the kids are going to Minford expecting to win nothing less.

GO ROCKETS!!!!

[fuzzhead]

Fuzz I didnt say that Jackson would beat Minford this year , I said most years and they would most years.
I am thinking you are pumping up the Falcon faithful hoping they will take it easy on youre Hornets this year.....LOL

We have reached an understanding then.
But I'm not wanting Minford fans to take it easy on the Hornets this year. I don't have a dog in the fight; I'm just a fan. Coal Grove's play, whether good or bad, will be doing the talking. But I do expect Minford fans to show the same class they've been showing (for the most part) since this series began back in '06.

[falconater]

This is an important game for both teams to find out where they are. I'd take Prater not playing with a grain of salt. Things that need answered by the Falcons:

1. Is there running attack as good as it has looked so far?

2. Can they pass effectively and consitently?

3. Can they defend the pass well?


Wellston despite the opening loss has high hopes for the season, and I expect they will play just as hard as against Jackson. Personally, I think we will find that the Falcons will answer yes to all three questions.

[Mikenmike]

minford 28-7

[Keyser_sozeThrice]

Preview piece for today's Times-Journal on this game.



Rockets face tough task in Falcons

By PAUL BOGGS

Sports Editor

WELLSTON — The Wellston High School football team has been down these roads before.

Starting the season with a loss to Jackson, and traveling down State Route 139 to face the Minford Falcons.

The Golden Rockets — for the 20th straight season — aim to even their record after week two, as they visit the Falcons’ nest on Friday night for a non-league tilt.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Minford High School, as the contest marks the home opener and the 50-year celebration of Falcon football.

The Golden Rockets, though, look to do some celebrating — and party crashing — of their own.

Especially if they want to achieve their goal of a Division IV, Region 15 playoff berth.

We told the kids that if we’re going to make the playoffs, this is the type of team you have to bounce back against,” said Wellston coach Jason Mantell. “We expect big things from this team, and we realize expectations are high, but until we beat somebody the caliber of Minford, then we’re not going to have that great season we’re talking about it. If we get to the postseason, this is the type of team we’re going to play. We have to prepare ourselves for that.”

The Rockets, unfortunately, are accustomed to starting the season 0-1.

Saturday night’s 21-7 loss at Jackson made it 19 straight against the archrival Ironmen.

The two teams did not play in 1991, but have battled it out in week one for every season starting in 1989.

Every season since has resulted in a Rocket loss.

“We’ve started 0-1 for 20 consecutive years now. We’ve had no choice but to bounce back,” said Mantell.

The Rockets stood tied with the Ironmen at halftime 7-7, but were locked up for -32 rushing yards in the second half.

Wellston finished with -7 total yards in the final 24 minutes, part of 41 rushing yards on 29 carries for the entire game.

For Mantell and the remainder of the Rockets, it was a tale of two halves.

Not to mention good play by the defense and poor play by the offense.

“I thought we really played well in the first half and were the better team. But they were definitely the better team in the second half and that was the difference,”said Mantell. “I thought our defense played very well. It was kind of deceiving, 21 points. Their offense was on the field so much in the second half. I thought we played better than giving up 21 points. I really did. But we have to block better. We just have to get better at our schemes. We have to continue to do what we did in the first two quarters against Jackson, and hopefully that can carry over into this game.”

Two quarters is all the talented and experienced Falcons needed for the win at River Valley.

Minford pitched a 42-0 shutout.

“They just dominated from the start, they scored on the first play of the game, and never let up,” said Mantell of Minford, who scouted the game last Friday night. “They dominated River Valley and they are capable of dominating a lot of teams. If you let them, they are going to do it. Because they’re not going to lay down, and they’re going to be fresh because their starters played only about 15 minutes the other night.”

Those starters include three-year starting quarterback Aaron Oesch, along with Mark Slone, Brandon McCormick and Ray Bryan in the wing-T backfield.

Oesch is a Division V all-Southeast District performer, and threw for nearly 1,000 yards last season.

His top target is wide receiver Cory McKnight.

All return from last season’s squad, which was the second straight to qualify for the Division V, Region 19 playoffs.

“They return their entire backfield and have most everybody back on the interior. I don’t know that one kid necessarily stands out,” said Mantell. “I think they have several solid kids.”

The Falcons slipped past the Rockets 21-13 last season for their first-ever win at C.H. Jones Field in Wellston.

Minford made good on a 14-0 first quarter, and scored a late touchdown to preserve the eight-point final.

Mantell maintains the Falcons’ wing-T is “not tricky.”

“They basically show their hand,” he said. “They run four or five different formations, which is their strength. They run about three or four key plays. It’s a true wing-T. It’s all about misdirection, counter, trap, bucksweep, waggle, that’s what we have to look out for. We have to contain sweeps wide. We didn’t do a very good job of that against Jackson and we have addressed that already this week. Hopefully, what we are practicing carries over to Friday. We can’t let them get outside on us because they have too many good athletes. They have the capability to spread the field too. They did a little bit against us last year.”

The Rockets must also clean up the 15-yard personal foul penalties — a pair of which enabled the Ironmen to keep scoring drives alive.

“The 15-yard penalties are completely unacceptable. We’ve addressed that,” said Mantell. “Fighting in the pile, running your mouth, that’s ridiculous.”

Mantell admitted that grounding the Falcons is a tough task.

But, it can be done.

Otherwise, with strong clubs in Waverly and Nelsonville-York on the horizon, it could mean a worst-case scenario 0-for-4 start for the third straight season.

On the field, the Rockets have won just four of their past 22 games.

“Minford is a tough team. But if we play as well as we’re capable of, if we play every quarter like we did the first two against Jackson, we can come out with a win,” said the coach. “If we do what we did in the second half the other night, at any point in the game, they are going to jump all over us.”

Prater out

For the second straight week, one of the top Golden Rockets is grounded.

Mantell mentioned that standout sophomore linebacker/tailback Jaylen Prater will not play, due to a knee injury suffered in the team’s scrimmage against Zane Trace.

He missed the Jackson game as well, but hopes to return next week when Wellston welcomes Waverly.

sports@timesjournal.com

[Bleeding Red]

Excellent article.

[Pol pot]

This should be one heck of a game. Going with Minford on this one, especially if Prater is not 100% healthy.

[buckeyeshots]

BUCKEYESHOTS.COM will be shooting this game and is interested in some names and numbers of play makers to watch for. Also, to shake it up a bit, which the linemen and linebackers do all of the hitting for these teams?

[FLASH-G]

:roll: Poor .....Wellston dont have a chance. . I thought I over heard coach saying we were just gonna stay home.

Boilermaker I think he was talking about the Jackson game.