(Remsen) Two of Western Iowa’s elite 8-player program will meet for a 5th time in the last four seasons. #2 St. Mary’s, Remsen hosts #3 Audubon in a matchup of unbeatens that will air on KSOM. The winner advances to the state semifinals next week. Both teams were in the dome last year.
St. Mary’s, Remsen coach Tim Osterman says they’ll have to sustain long drives which can be a challenge, especially against an Audubon defense that has thrived on forcing teams to do so this year. “Our biggest thing for the whole year has been trying to be more explosive and what Audubon does so well is take away explosive plays. They have great athletes and are tough in the run game. We are trying to devise ways to stay on the field and it’ll be big for us if we can do that.”
This will be the 5th straight home game for St. Mary’s. They are 6-0 this year at home and haven’t lost a game in that venue since September of 2016. That’s a 23 game home win streak. “I think it’s a big deal for us because of the familiarity of where we are at from a timing stand point, where we get dressed, how we get down to the field, having our fans there, it’s a big deal for our kids being able to play in front of that home town crowd. We are really excited for that. I don’t think Audubon, not talking for coach Sean Birks, but I don’t think they care where they play one way or another. They are going to show up, play hard, play great defense, and run the ball well.”
These teams met twice last year. St. Mary’s, Remsen won the first one 26-25 and lost the 2nd on 39-28. Coach Osterman says they gained a better understanding of Audubon’s defense, but that didn’t necessarily make it easier to move the ball. “We had a general understanding of what we were looking for and the windows were still hard to hit. They are big and athletic kids that love to play the game. They are going to fly around. In their zones they aren’t going to give up big plays.”
Pregame starts with the In the Huddle show at 5:15 p.m. The game will kick at 7:00 on 96.5 FM KSOM.
