(Corning) SW Valley sits in the driver’s seat in Class A, Distrct 7. KSOM will broadcast the Timberwolves road game with Riverside live on the radio on Friday.
A wild 15-13 decision over Earlham last Friday night gave coach Anthony Donahoo’s squad sole possession of first place in the league. “Our boys came out and were able to stay within themselves.” A blocked punt set up the game winning drive late in the 4th. “Brendan Knapp I was so proud of him with his clock management. He was calm. We had about :30 left. He got a big run and spiked the ball. We got a matchup we liked on the outside with Blake Thomas and he hit a big throw to get to about the ten yard line. We spiked it again and then Evan Timmerman with probably the biggest kick of his life. For our kids to stay calm and be able to finish that game, I’m definitely very proud.”
It was the team’s fifth consecutive victory. Defense has been a stable of the win streak. They’ve allowed just 25 total points since Week 1 with a pair of shutouts along the way. “Our defensive line, we’ve got guys that are getting to the quarterback and forcing teams to have a hard time running the ball. When a team can’t run the ball then those guys on the back end can play really, really well. We’ve been blessed with Marshall Knapp and Brendan Knapp out there and Blake Thomas and Owen Wilkinson get out there. Really something that’s been quite a surprise for us this year is how well our linebackers have played. We have Colin Jacobs, Cade Myers, Ely Rodriguez, Isaac Currin, and Evan Timmerman five linebackers that have been rotating in. It’s just been fantastic. Our defense really has been flying to the ball.”
Donahoo gives a lot of credit to Riverside and head coach Darrell Frain. “Every single year it seems like they’ve gotten better and better. They are definitely a team that’s balanced on both sides of the ball. They have great athletes. You can tell those fundamentals are coached Monday through Thursday and it definitely shows on Friday.”
There’s no question who the Timberwolves will be gearing up to stop. “Everything goes through Austin Kremkoski and Rhett Bentley. They’ve got other guys like Jace Rose and Grady Jeppesen that are receiving threats, but really it goes through Kremkoski. He’s a 2-3 year starter and has only gotten better. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards with 12 touchdowns and then Rhett Bentley also with 890 yards rushing. It’s a tough task for our guys, but I think if we play within ourselves we are going to have a great game on Friday night.”
SW Valley has a star quarterback of their own. He’s rushed for 680 yards and passed for 218. He’s been featured on 54% of the team’s snaps this season.
SW Valley coach Anthony Donahoo:
