Jonathan Wenzl (88), Adam Lueders (89), Clark Teten (15) and the rest of the Johnson-Brock defense have kept opponents at bay for most of the season. (Photo courtesy Johnson-Brock High School)
The way Brett Davis sees high school football, the way you play offense sets the tone for the way you play defense. So if you want your defense to pound the opposition, you’d better pound the ball on offense.
“That (mentality) carries over from offense to defense,” said the Johnson-Brock coach. “Sometimes the spread game, the soft, finesse style, carries over to defense. We want to play physical, tough, straight-at-you football and our kids are pretty tough against the run.”
So far, so good. Johnson-Brock is 6-0, leading its district and sits No. 2 in the latest CoachesAid Nebraska Class D1 rankings, making the Eagles the top-rated team among all eight-man teams in southeast Nebraska. That’s not bad when you consider what kind of season teams like Giltner, Silver Lake, and Exeter-Milligan are having.
There’s no denying that Johnson-Brock can run the football and defend against the run. The Eagles average 244 yards rushing per game and hold their opponents to 48.
“We’re predominantly a power running team and effective with our play-action game,” said Davis. “We do have some capability with the kids we have; we’re pretty flexible and pretty multiple with what we could do. Sometimes we go out of the gun and do some no-huddle stuff. We’re pretty good with that, too. But it sets up a culture on your team to pound the ball and have a good defense.”
Johnson-Brock’s brand of cultural enlightenment has set it up in good shape for the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. The Eagles advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005, but have not made it past the second round since then.
Davis says his team’s playoff experience has taught it something valuable – the postseason is a different animal altogether.
“The kids know what things will look like as far as when we get in the playoffs. Having that experience will help kids prepare for our second season, as far as practices and schedules go.”
If the Eagles win their last two regular-season games, they should be among the top three or four seeds on the D1 east bracket. The way they have been steamrolling their opponents, that could easily happen.
“That makes a big difference,” said Davis. “In ’05, we were a 3 seed. It sets you up for a deeper run into the playoffs. Last year, we were a 6 seed and we played Bancroft-Rosalie; they came in with an 11 seed, which was deceptive because they were a tough football team. We want to finish the season strong and get that high seed.”
The Eagles run the ball most of the time, but they aren’t as predictable as some run-oriented teams. They have plenty of balance among quarterback Grahm Butler, I-back Clint Damme (pronounced DAM-mee) and fullback Tyler Huey.
Butler and Damme both average more than 95 yards rushing per game. Huey averages almost 50 yards rushing per game and has six rushing touchdowns. Butler has rushed for five touchdowns and thrown for 10. Damme has rushed for 10 touchdowns and is a threat to pass from his I-back spot, having thrown for a touchdown this season.
“They’re a great trio of guys back there,” the coach said. “We don’t have any kids with big, eye-popping stats, because in the last game, for instance (a 60-8 win over Cedar Bluffs), our starters only played the first quarter.”
The trio has been well-protected by its offensive line. Adam Lueders is 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, but everyone else weighs in around the 200-pound mark, including center Jake Volker and rotating guards Jonathan Wenzl, Kevin Blinde and Doug Grotrian. The ends are Tyler Hahn and Mason Pelchat.
“The line in front of them has done a phenomenal job,” said Davis. “A lot of them have overachieved this season. I’ve been really pleased with the play of our offensive line. They’re quick off the ball and do a good job staying on their blocks.”
There’s balance on defense, as well. Pelchat, Hahn, Dylan Volker and Clark Teten each average about eight tackles per game. Hahn leads with five sacks, and the Eagles have forced more than three turnovers per game.
Davis said his squad gained a lot of confidence early in the season. Johnson-Brock handed D2 powerhouse Sterling its only loss of the season so far with a 38-6 win on Sept. 4,
“ We came out and played well, not only beating Sterling but playing well against them,” said Davis. “We were able to be fairly dominant for most of the game.”
Then the Eagles beat Meridian 36-12 on the road the following week. Meridian was unbeaten at the time, and currently is 4-2.
Meridian has been the biggest test for J-B to this point, because it trailed 12-8 briefly in the third quarter. Then Butler returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to turn around that game, and the Eagles broke it open with two TD passes, one by Butler to Pelchat and one by Damme to Butler. The Eagles have been pounding opponents ever since.
“Last week against Cedar Bluffs, we played our best first quarter of football this year,” said Davis. “It seems like we continue to get better each week.”
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