(Sloan) KSOM’s high school football playoff coverage on Friday night will originate from Avoca where Westwood travels to face AHSTW.
The Rebels finished behind Woodbury Central, Logan-Magnolia, and Tri-Center in Class A, District 8. Coach Cass Burkhart’s team has a record of 4-4. “The kids have played hard. They’ve bought in. We have a tough district. I feel our record may not show what we are capable of. As long as we take care of the football we tend to be in ball games, we just have to find a way to finish one.”
Jackson DeWald is the face of the program, so-to-speak. The senior has run for 1,713 yards and 20 touchdowns. He’s averaging 29 rushing attempts per game. “He’s the first freshman I’ve started. He started on the offensive line for us and then went to quarterback for a year. That last two years we’ve used him at running back. He’s a physical runner. He’s tough to bring down with one guy. He has a lot of speed. He’s deceptive. I haven’t seen many people run him down from behind.”
They prepare for an undefeated Viking squad that is ranked 4th by the AP. “I just am impressed with their talent and the way the kids get after it. The quarterback and the running back, the Sternberg kids, are uber talented. They can run, they are shifty, can throw the football. But the guys on the perimeter are pretty dang good, too. They make plays. They always seem to be open, always. It doesn’t matter if they are against man coverage or zone coverage. They are open. A lot of that has to do with their ability to read the quarterback and find space he can extend plays. Guys up front get after you and move well, they are physical. Their defense seems to be all over the field. The safety makes a lot of plays and inside linebacker makes a lot of plays.”
These teams have two common opponents. AHSTW beat IKM-Manning 32-0 and Logan-Magnolia 40-0. Westwood beat IKM-Manning 26-18 and lost to Logan-Magnolia 14-6.
Westwood coach Cass Burkhart:
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