Cougars set to battle the Wildcats

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

After three consecutive 35-27 losses, the Van Wert Cougars will try to get back in the win column at home against Lima Bath.

Mistakes came back to haunt the Cougars (3-4, 2-4 WBL) in losses to Shawnee, Kenton and Elida. With that in mind, head coach Keith Recker said the focus in practice this week has been paying attention to details.

“We have a few little things right now that are hurting us – stance, footwork, first two steps, little technique issues,” Recker stated. “We need to take care of the little things that we can control to help us win.”

While addressing mistakes and focusing on details, Recker continues to stress the positives.

“Offensively (against Elida), we went in planning on throwing the ball quite a bit and really executed that plan well,” Recker said. “We need to shore up our protection to allow Nate (Place) time to find open receivers, but Nate also does a very good job of scrambling and keeping plays alive.”

“Defensively, we did a much better job defending the pass than we have the last couple weeks.,” Recker added. “For the seventh straight game, we gave great effort and fought hard the whole time.”

Through seven games, Place has completed 141 of 212 passes for 1,596 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also the team’s leading rusher, with 135 carries for 555 yards and six touchdowns.

Tight end Drew Bagley has 45 receptions for 427 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while wide receiver Jacoby Kelly has 39 catches for 590 yards and six touchdowns. Tanner Barnhart has 29 catches for 339 yards and three scores.

“Tanner is a guy that understands his role, accepts his role, and makes the most of his opportunities,” Recker said. “He has done a very good job at receiver of not only running routes and catching the ball, but he is a good blocker, especially for a sophomore. He’s willing to throw his body in the mix and be physical with defenders. He has also played some defense recently because of his understanding of our scheme and his athletic ability.”

Storm Pierce made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver, and has caught 21 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

Bath enters Friday’s game 1-6 (0-6 WBL). After winning against the season opener against Allen East, the Wildcats have lost six straight, and have been held scoreless for two consecutive weeks. Bath is averaging 10.7 points per game, while giving up 37.1 points per game. During last week’s 49-0 loss to St. Marys, the Wildcats were held to just 32 yards of offense – four rushing and 28 passing.

“They run lot of formations on offense which makes you be a little more basic defensively because you have to be able to get aligned so you aren’t getting mismatched by their alignment,” Recker said of the Wildcats. “The one thing about them is they look on film like they are continuing to play hard no matter their record. So they will be ready to go when they come to town Friday.”

Friday’s Van Wert-Bath game will air live on WERT 1220AM and 104.3FM, and will stream live at www.thevwindependent.com.