(Griswold) When they take the field in Week 5 the Griswold Tigers will have a more veteran presence to their lineup than they’ve had in recent weeks.
Griswold has struggled out to an 0-4 start with a team made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores. Set to return this week however is Cale Swain who led the team in rushing last year. “As long as everything goes well this week in practice we’ll have Cale Swain back and Cash Turner back for homecoming. It’ll be great to have some more upperclassmen there and some experienced guys that know what it’s all about. Cale’s talent across the board, his speed, is something we’ll definitely utilize this week.”
Griswold coach Chase Wallace says East Union is a physical team that will have confidence based on their previous success. The Eagles are led by Emmet Long who has rushed for an average of 130 yards per game. “He runs hard. They give him lots of carries. Their offensive line is very physical and very quick up front, they are big. They have a dual threat quarterback who has a good mix of passing and running. We really have to be prepared for pretty much everything.”
Griswold lost a 54-6 contest against Stanton/Essex last week. Pass defense continues to be an achilles heel. “I thought we played really well against the run again. The run defense is something we’ve been pretty proud of for the most part this season. It seemed like we did a good job of putting Stanton/Essex in some holes when they were on offense and then we’d allow a big, long pass play. That’s been the story of the year so far. That’s going to be a real big focus this week.”
They also turned the ball over four times last week. Coach Wallace notes their lone active upperclassmen, Aiden Kennedy, had a big night on defense with nine tackles and a sack. “Aiden Kennedy had another fantastic game for us on the edge. I think he got his first sack and and had a couple of tackles for loss. He really did a great job. He’s been having a great season on the defensive side. That’s been a real positive.”
Coach Wallace says the team’s run defense and physical play up front has been their biggest positive for the season. He says they’ll be tested in that area this week and he feels they are up for the challenge.
Griswold coach Chase Wallace:
