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Depew and Maryvale ready for showdown
By Michael J. Petro
Times
Though they present the same type of weapons and versatility on offense to go along with swarming defenses, the Maryvale and Depew High School football teams have found two very different ways to get off to big first halves of the 2006 season.
Over the first four games of an eight-game regular season, the Wildcats and Flyers have established themselves as the two dominant teams in the Class B North Division, with Depew using a power style and the Flyers, finesse.
The two face off Saturday at 2 p.m. at Maryvale in what will probably determine the champion of the seven-team league. Depew has begun the season 4-0, all four wins over league opponents, while Maryvale is 3-1, defeating all three league foes it has played, only losing in the season opener to Class C Cleveland Hill.
"Though we're different teams with different styles, we match up well," Depew head coach Dan McGrath said. "It makes for a very good football game. Both teams have a lot of weapons, but I think we have answers for their weapons and they'll have some answers for ours."
Depew will have a distinctive size advantage Saturday, but Maryvale will attempt to combat its disadvantage by using speed and staying disciplined. The Wildcats have outscored opponents 123-20 so far this season, but the Flyers are not too far behind in the dominance category, outscoring opponents to a 122-47 tune.
"It will be interesting to see how these matchups play out," Maryvale head coach Steve Griffin said. "Our scores against like opponents have been about the same, so I expect a heck of a game."
Each offense presents some electric talent with the most explosive player being Depew senior Mike Sanders, who has compiled nine rushing touchdowns with 664 yards this season, including a school record-setting day a few weeks back when he gained 252 yards.
The Wildcats also feature split end Eric Wild, tight end Paul Nieman, running back Jerry Leidenfrost, fullbacks Jordan Kroecker and Mike Campbell, quarterback Joe Christiano and the largest and strongest offensive line in the league, which includes Phil Tardivo and Steve Ryniec on the left side, Carlton Byrum and Kevin Dudkowski on the right, and Ross Cole at center.
"Our passing game still hasn't been uncorked because we haven't had the need to use it," McGrath said. "We think we can move the ball a number of different ways, but given a choice, we'd choose to run right at you."
Maryvale is certainly no slouch on offense, either. The Flyers' passing game, which McGrath referred to as probably the best his team will see all season, features senior quarterback Jeremy Mountain and split end Matt Mohr, two immense talents, and similar to Depew, a big tight end in Matt Brennan.
In the backfield, the Flyers come at teams with a great deal of versatility and explosiveness thanks to the power of fullback Tony Rauth, the outside speed of John Rutherford, depth provided by Brooks Estarfaa and Mark Rohloff and an offensive line that gets off the ball extremely quickly.
"We have to not only use our speed on offense, but also maintain our blocks and know our assignments because Depew's defense is so good at finding the ball," Griffin said.
Both defenses also feature a great deal of talent but play with more of a team concept of swarming to the ball and gang tackling, while constantly presenting a challenge to opponents quarterbacks using quick defensive backfields.
While continuing to dominate on offense, each team exhibited that defensive intensity in victories last weekend. Depew defeated Tonawanda, 36-7, while Maryvale knocked off Akron, 26-6, both games played Friday on the road.
Mohr led the Flyers to their victory, catching two touchdown passes from Mountain and intercepting three Akron passes. He also had another catch and interception return for touchdowns called back due to penalties. Rauth recorded a teamhigh 87 yards rushing, including a 16-yard touchdown, which gave Maryvale a 13-6 lead going into halftime. Rutherford added 57 yards rushing, including a second half touchdown. Mountain notched 102 yards passing.
On defense, Mike Appenheimer led Maryvale with 11 tackles, his fourth straight game with 10-plus tackles, while teammates Jon Heisler added eight tackles and Eric Hennings, seven, along with forcing a fumble, which Mike Gozdziak recovered. The defense allowed only 11 yards through the air.
Depew took an early 21-0 lead and never looked back thanks to 163 yards and three touchdowns from Sanders, another two rushing scores from Leidenfrost and an offensive line which dominated the line of scrimmage. Tonawanda did score in the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-7 before halftime, but Depew limited its opponent's offense the rest of the game.
Wild, who recorded 64 yards in receptions, led the defense with two interceptions, while Byrum, a linebacker, added a team-leading nine tackles. Also with solid games defensively were defensive lineman Joe Wesalak, and Kroecker, a linebacker.
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