(Audubon, IA) – Week one starts off with a bang between CAM and Audubon. The Wheelers and the Cougars are looking to break the tiebreaker as they are 4-4 in the last eight games of action. Both CAM and Audubon lost over 12 seniors, and it will be different seeing both teams on the field this season.
Audubon went 4-6 last year and is returning a few players to the field that will make a big impact in the game tonight. Quarterback Aaron Olsen is returning to the field as he threw for 641 yards last year. The current junior also rushed for 1,159 yards last season while rushing in 23 total touchdowns. Evan Alt is also looking to make big moves this season as the senior rushed for 382 yards last year while he picked up 45 tackles on the defensive side. One other player to look out for tonight will be Ezekiel Konkler as the senior had 46 tackles and has been a leader for the Wheelers in the offseason.
CAM went 7-3 last season while making it to the Second Round of the 8-Player Playoffs. The Cougars are returning junior quarterback Chase Spieker as he is just the opposite of Audubon’s Olsen. Spieker is a pocket quarterback and uses his arm to his advantage as he threw for 1,652 yards last season and had 26 total touchdowns. CAM relied on both Austin Williams and Jack Follman last season in the rushing game. Williams rushed for 851 yards and he was third on the team in total tackles with 59.5. Follman rushed for 509 yards while being a powerhouse on the defensive end with a team-high 89 tackles. He also was second on the team in receiving yards with 509 and had six touchdowns.
Breaking down the last game between the two, CAM beat Audubon 42-8 as the Wheelers scored early in the first quarter, but never put any other points on the board for the rest of the contest. CAM succeeded in the defensive game as they limited Aaron Olsen in his running game. It was one of the few games last season where Olsen had more passing yards than rushing yards in the game. The Cougars saw success in their passing game as Spieker went 7-9 with 106 passing yards and two touchdowns. Follman had two receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in the game for CAM which accounted for almost half of CAM’s scoring in the last game.
If Audubon is able to make Chase Spieker uncomfortable in the pocket and limit Jack Follman on the field, while maintaining their rushing game they have a good chance at taking a win over the Cougars. CAM needs to limit Aaron Olsen and keep him planted in the pocket and not on his feet. The Cougars also need to utilize their offensive line to protect Spieker to keep the offense rolling in the right direction. As you can tell, both teams have a chance to take advantage of both of these opportunities, something both Coach Bower and Coach Birks talked about this week.
CAM and Audubon will face off at Audubon High School with a kickoff starting around 7:00 p.m. KSOM will be broadcasting this contest as Zach Collins and Austin West will be on 96.5 KSOM and the game will be live-streaming on Western Iowa Today.
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