(Greenfield) 2-2 Nodaway Valley/O-M hosts to 4-0 ACGC Friday night.
The Wolverines are preparing for a heavy dose of ACGC’s running game. The Chargers have four different ball carriers with at least 200 yards on the season. Nodaway Valley/O-M coach Seth Comly admit their run defense hasn’t necessarily been a strength. “We’ve struggled a little with it so far this year. Hopefully we gat that adjusted by Friday. If not we are going to have a long night. The guys I’ve kind of challenged them this week especially after last week giving up over 300 yards on the ground to I-35. We need to do a 180.”
Nodaway Valley/O-M employs an entirely different style of offense. After passing for 365 yards in Week 2, they’ve managed just 251 passing yards combined the last two weeks. Comly says they need to get their timing back on track. “Just consistency and trusting the process. Trusting our offense and the scheme we are running and getting the timing down. That’s a big one for us this week with ACGC which likes to bring a lot of heat.”
A slow started doomed Nodaway Valley/O-M in a 35-0 loss to Interstate-35 last week “I’d say we responded well once we got knocked down. We played better towards the second half, but we got a little humble pie. We have to get up and dust ourselves off.”
Coach Comly likes the matchup this week in terms of the skill positions, but admits the Chargers have a strong group of linemen. “Athlete for athlete our skill guys and their skill guys matchup pretty well. I’d say the difference maker could be up front. They are bigger than we are, but we have to play with intensity to match that size.”
Nathan Russell leads Class 1A in pass completions with 73 and Adam Ayase has more sacks than anyone else in the state with six. Avery Phillippi is #1 in tackles for loss with 14.5. Caelen DeVault’s 29 catches are 2nd most in Class 1A. ACGC has won the last two meetings between these teams with a 14-8 decision in 2018 followed by a 54-0 Charger win in 2019.
Nodaway Valley/O-M coach Seth Comly:
