(Audubon) Audubon’s playoff football game this week against East Mills will air on 96.5 FM KSOM. The Wheelers are 6-0 and the Wolverines 5-3.
Wheeler coach Sean Birks admits his team had to shake off some rust last week in their 55-0 win over Bedford. It was their first competition in a few weeks. “It was not pretty out of the gates. Guys were a little bit on edge. Things were a little bit tight on the sidelines and on the field. It didn’t feel quite right. We were only up 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. We had to punt on our second drive. The rust factor was real.”
He says they can’t afford another slow start like that this week, but also doesn’t expect one since they won’t be coming off a long layoff. Teams often lean heavily on their seniors, especially this time of year, and while Audubon only has two this year they are two very good ones with Ethan Klocke and Joel Klocke. “They are fiery competitors and leaders. They bring the intensity and the attitude. They are well respected.” Birks adds, “They’ve done a really good job of providing that leadership. If you don’t match their intensity you’ll know about it. They bring out the best in everyone around them.”
East Mills opened some eyes with last week’s comeback win against Lenox and that caught Audubon’s attention. “They stuck to their game plan and they never gave up. They scored the final 34 points of the game. Momentum is the real deal. They got a couple of big plays. They recovered a punt for a touchdown and things started to spiral their way.”
Coach Birks says he’s expecting a four quarter battle in this one which is something his team hasn’t seen yet. Audubon has outscored their last three opponents 215-7.
