Sports
Meigs Set To Face New Foe In Amanda-Clearcreek
By: Michael Drapcho
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After defeating a familiar foe in a rekindled rivalry game in week one, the Meigs Marauders are set to face Amanda-Clearcreek, who they have never faced before, in week two.
The Meigs defense passed its first test of the season last week, as it only surrendered 12 points to Kole Carter and the Blue Devils. The Marauders did a solid but not a terrific job of slowing Carter down, allowing him to pick up 100 yards on 33 carries and 96 yards on 9-19 passing.
The Marauders’ second defensive test seems to be a much more difficult one than last week. In week one, Amanda-Clearcreek racked a whopping 298 rushing yards and 500 total yards en route to lighting up the scoreboard for 48 points.
Stopping the Aces is no easy task because of the fact that they have so many ways to beat a defense. They can either hand it off to Jordan Leasure, who led Amanda-Clearcreek with 198 yards and five touchdowns in its first game, or it can attack through the air with Brayden Nef, who threw for 189 yards on 11-17 passing.
Meigs head coach Mike Bartrum noted that the key to this game is the line of scrimmage. If Bartrum’s squad can win the battle up front defensively, it will have a chance to slow down Leasure, and if it wins the battle offensively, it will give quarterback Cody Bartrum more time to find playmakers like Kaileb Sheets.
Offensively, expect more of the same from Meigs in week two, and that means plenty of Sheets. Because of Sheets’ athleticism and intelligence, the Maruaders are able to line him up at several positions on offense to get him touches in a variety of ways, and after a game in which Sheets had over 200 total yards, it’s pretty clear why the Marauders want the ball in his hands.
Coach Bartrum stated that in addition to getting Sheets the ball as much as possible, the main focus on offense is taking care of the football. Meigs had three turnovers against Gallia Academy and cannot afford to have that many miscues against a team like Amanda-Clearcreek.
Meigs travels to Amando, Ohio Friday to take on the Aces. The action is set to kick off at 7 p.m.