Indian Creek faces a familiar foe in Beaver Local
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WINTERSVILLE -- Indian Creek is mired in a five-game losing streak, one the Redskins were one defensive stand away from snapping last week.
Creek was leading Martins Ferry on the road, 21-20 last week when the Purple Riders put together a 70-plus yard game winning drive in the fourth quarter, then sealed it with an interception.
Those types of things happen when you have a lot of underclassmen, particularly sophomores, more or less learning on the job.
The good news for head coach Andrew Connor and his coaching staff is his young roster is resilient, willing to work, and keeps aiming to improve each week.
"We just want to play hard and keep improving each week we go out, and the kids have been doing that," Connor said. "It's been a joy for me and my stuff to work with a group of kids who want to learn, want to get better, and that's what they've been doing. As long as they keep fighting and playing hard,
we'll break through and get (another) win here soon."
Doing so this week, while not impossible, will be a tall task. The Redskins hit the road for Columbiana County and a meeting with Beaver Local (5-2), which is
riding high on a five-game winning streak, including an impressive 65-7 hammering of Harrison Central.
Head coach Mike McKenzie's Beavers are big, fast, and balanced on offense. The defense can be quite stingy too, as the Huskies found out during homecoming last week.
At one point during the second half, Beaver scored on three-straight pick sixes in the second half.
It's the Beavers' offense, however, that Creek must contend with first. While dealing with running back Caleb White and his sprinter's speed and elusiveness is difficult enough, Connor knows that there is far
more to defend with Beaver's offense than just its starting running back.
"They have a good mixture of speed and toughness," Connor said. "We can't just say we'll stop them from running outside, because they do a good job of running inside and have a really nice passing game that compliments it.
"It's one of the most diverse offenses we'll play this year. Coach McKenzie and I go way back and I have a ton of respect for him. He does a great job calling plays."
Despite its 1-6 record, Creek's season is not devoid of positives. For one, the Redskins feature one of
the Ohio Valley's better up-and-coming running backs in Zion McGee. The sophomore ran for 124 yards and two scores against Ferry and has been a consistent weapon for Connor and company all season.
Creek isn't one-dimensional, but the passing game has been hit or miss, showing promise but needing refinement.
Sam Barcalow is a fellow sophomore and has split time with junior Paul Mazar. Against Ferry, Barcalow threw for 32 yards on 5-of-14 pass attempts.
If Creek can muster enough of a passing game to keep Beaver from loading up to stop McGee, it will go a long way.
"It's one of those things where we have spurts where things have looked good, and other times, we've made some mistakes that hurt us," Connor said of his young offense.
Following Beaver, Creek has games remaining with the aforementioned Huskies, followed by a season-ending match-up with current unbeaten Edison (7-0).
"We've practiced hard and, maybe it's youth, but they've had a really good week so far and are really resilient," Connor said of his team, which seems to have shaken off any ill effects from the Ferry loss and is focused squarely on the task at hand.