Eagles to land again in Coal City
By MIKE CUNNIFF
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mcunniff@morrisdailyherald.com
For the third time in six years, the Dunlap Eagles will be visiting the Dzuris Athletic Complex in Coal City for IHSA postseason action.
Dunlap, 6-3, will meet the Coalers at 6 p.m. Saturday in the opening round of the IHSA Class 4A playoffs. Coal City wound up the regular season 7-2, with a 14-8 edging of Plano last Friday in an Interstate Eight Conference crossover contest earning the Coalers a home game in the first round.
"It's always good to play at home," pointed out Coal City veteran coach Lenny Onsen. "Physically, we are in real good shape. We came out of the Plano game without a lot of injuries. Now, it is just the sickness that is going around that is bothering us. That's the big thing."
Dunlap, which plays in the Mid-Illini Conference, will be visiting the Dzuris Complex like the Eagles did back in 2004 and 2005.
"They have been in the playoffs 21 times," said Onsen, offering the historical information. "A lot of times they have been in 5A but they slid down this year. They [the Eagles] are a good team. They like to throw the ball. They run out of a shotgun and spread, which is the new fad in high school football."
A new fad in Dunlap, accentuated by the arrival of former Fieldcrest coach Brett Cazalet.
"We use a spread offense with the shotgun," admitted Cazalet. "We have never taken a snap under center all season."
It was the system Cazalet installed at Fieldcrest, where he went 7-3 in his first season and 22-8 overall in three campaigns while making the playoffs each year.
"We have had a nice season," said Cazalet. "Especially with the fact that the kids had to lean new offensive and defensive systems. It took us a while on the defensive side but about midway through the season, we started to understand what we were trying to do. We are still coming on with the offensive side of the ball."
Cazalet said a 13-12 edging of playoff contender East Peoria in Week 6 helped his team's confidence.
"That was a big win," he pointed out. "East Peoria finished 6-5 and made the 5A playoffs. And then we had another big win over Rock Island Alleman [8-5 last Friday], who traditionally is a real power."
The victory over Alleman dropped the Rock Island school to 5-4, resulting in the Pioneers not making the playoffs.
And what does Cazalet know about the Coalers?
"No. 1, they have an outstanding football tradition," said Cazalet. "And any time you have that, you know they are well coached. You can see that on the films. That have an outstanding running back in No. 2 [Bobby Kroeger], who is as good of a running back as we have seen all year. And while their quarterback hasn't been asked to throw the ball a lot, when he has thrown the ball, he is very effective. I don't think they will change anything for us. It will be a great challenge for us. They will mix the run and the pass."
The Eagles are led by senior halfback Caleb Miller, who has carried 84 times for 394 yards and five touchdowns. Junior quarterback Logan Schrader adds 331 yards on 122 attempts with four scores. Schrader has also connected on 106-of-227 aerials for 1,625 yards and 15 TDs while being picked off 10 times.
Junior wideout Peter Sorenson has caught 34 passes for 492 yards and four scores. Sophomore tight end Nick Mangieri chips in with 22 grabs for 323 yards while doubling as a linebacker on the defensive side of the ball. Other defensive starters for Dunlap include senior ends Ryan Zachmann and Tre Kerns.
"Offensively, I think we have got to be able to control the clock," said Cazalet. "We want to keep their quarterback and No. 2 off the field. And defensively, we have got to recognize where No. 2 is at all times. We will need to play great defense."
Keying the 7-2 ledger for the Coalers is the fact that Coal City has outscored its foes 102-28 in the first quarter.
Kroeger tops the Coalers with 921 yards rushing via 153 carries while scoring 15 touchdowns. Nick Nowdomski has 191 yards in 28 chances while senior quarterback Colt Smith has completed 70-of-110 passes for 912 yards and 10 scores. Senior tight end Mitch Hibler and senior wideout Nick Green have 17 and 13 catches, respectively, for a trio of TDs each. Hibler had picked up 288 yards and Green 191.
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