TigerHawk FB debuts with 33-0 win

By Jerry Wadian
Sports Editor
jwadian@thefayettecountyunion.com

North Fayette Valley made a successful entry in the record books, winning its debut game, 33-0, Friday, Aug. 31, in Postville.

Afterwards, head coach Bob Lape commented, “It was a good night all around. We were able to play a lot of kids on both sides of the ball, and they played pretty well. We’re not content, but we’re satisfied.”

TigerHawk coaches were able to evaluate a lot of players in action. In addition to rotating O-linemen, eight different players ran the ball and 24 TigerHawks were in on tackles.

The only negatives in the debut were three turnovers and six penalties for 35 yards (Postville was not called for a single penalty).

In talking about the admitted negatives, Lape explained, “You know, those are correctable errors. I don’t want to say you expect them in the first game, but we have a lot of kids with talent, but who are still getting used to the system and understanding their roles within the system.”

Lape went on to add, “There was a lot of hype about this game, and I think the kids came out a little too excited. It’s important to maintain an even keel, and I think we were a little too high. However, we were able to eventually settle down and attend to business.”

As for the game itself, NFV rolled on offense to the tune of 475 yards. 

Josh Mackey picked up 157 yards, with partner Derrick Kuehner adding 114 yards on just 10 rushes. Ben Martin, Trevor Hurd and Phil Kleve all added some significant runs. Brody Woods, Mackey, Kuehner and Martin all scored for NFV, with Kuehner crossing the goal line twice on runs of 47 and 22 yards.

The TigerHawks also showed some aerial prowess, completing four passes for 86 yards. Martin broke a pass for 35 yards, while Daniel Streeter and Kuehner added 51 yards on the three catches they made between them.

NFV was so efficient on offense, it never had to punt, but did stop itself with the turnovers.

Defensively, the TigerHawks were equally impressive, limiting the host Pirates to 174 total yards. Postville averaged just less than 3.5 yards on 46 rushes and added only 14 yards passing.

Of the 24 TigerHawks in on tackles, Mackey led the way with 10 stops, the only TigerHawk in double digits. 

Tyler Johansen was right behind with nine tackles, and Kleve added eight more, including a team-high five solo tackles. Kuehner made four solo stops in his total of six tackles.

In other comments on game one, Lape thanked the many fans that made the trip on the extremely hot and muggy night (the bleachers were full and fans were three deep along the sidelines).

The coach also noted, “It can be tough to blend two schools together, but I think we have the right group for the task. They’re here to play and win. They don’t care about individual stats, but only moving the chains.”

Lape concluded his remarks by stating, “If we realize our potential, I think we’ll be a really good football team down the road.”