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BOWERSTON -- With the rugged part of the 2018 schedule behind, the Madonna Blue Dons take to the road one more time this week to play at Conotton Valley. It is a Friday night game with the opening kick is set for 7 p.m.
Reeling from the 70-6 thumping at the hands of Steubenville Catholic Central, Blue Don coach Darrin Hicks and his charges are hoping to bounce back and snap the four-game losing streak they are in against the 1-8 Rockets.
"The Crusaders are a pretty good football team, and I tip my hat to them," said Hicks, whose club now is 3-5 but still is clinging to second place in the OVAC Class A race. "They are big and physical.
"I think our kids are a resilient bunch. We seemed to turn the page pretty quickly in our Monday practice. We spent time studying the films of Conotton Valley to make sure we understand what they do offensively and defensively. I thought we had a very spirited workout session Monday. We have tremendous leadership. I thought our seniors did a really good job of helping us turn the page to get us focused on what's ahead this week."
Turning his attention to Conotton Valley, Hicks said the Rockets present a unique challenge for the Blue Dons.
"They have an option-based spread offense, which is something we really haven't seen this year," he said. "The quarterback (junior Braden Caldwell) is very talented and can run around a little bit. They are sound in their defensive philosophy, with a couple of big kids up front. Their record isn't indicative of the team they have. They just haven't been able to close out some of their games."
Like Madonna, the Rockets have been struggling lately, losing 38-14 to Cameron three weeks ago and to Clay-Battelle last week, 20-0.
"The style of offense they use can be tricky," Hicks said. "That offense is a little different run scheme than we've seen. It will be a difficult preparation for us this week.
"It is similar to what you see being used by Georgia Tech, Army and Navy. They have four guys, including the quarterback, that they spread the ball to. They run what is known as the rocket toss, which is kind of a staple with that spread option."
On defense, Hicks said the Rockets use a 4-4 front and move around with stunts a bit more than some of the teams Madonna has played. He said the Rockets run to the football pretty well and are good with the scheme they use and don't make a lot of mistakes.
"Conotton Valley doesn't have the size of some of the teams we've played the last few weeks," Hicks said. "The quarterback can operate pretty well. They are different from the standard spread offense.
"Our defense will have to play assignment football and be very sound with our approach. I think eye discipline this week will be very important for us. We have to make sure we understand what's going on in front of us and not fall for some of the trickery and motions they do. We have to work our gaps and do the things necessary to slow down that option."
Sophomore Tom Sessi is the leading rusher for the Blue Dons. He has gained 622 yards on 118 carries and six touchdowns. Senior Gavin Dietrich has been the Blue Dons' jack of all trades, showing up at quarterback, running back and receiver. He has 99 carries for 369 yards and six scores.
Freshman Santino Arlia, who had a rough night against Catholic Central last week with three interceptions, leads the Blue Don passing attack, completing 47 of 108 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Sessi has been a favorite target for Arlia, catching 31 passes and is tied with two others for second place among all the receivers in the Herald-Star/Daily Times coverage area.
Hicks said the Blue Dons escaped from Steubenville without any serious injuries, and now are about as healthy as they have been all season. He's hoping that junior lineman Josh Gasvoda, who has been out of action with a knee injury through the four-game losing streak, will get clearance from the medical staff to play this week.