Wildcats look for program’s first playoff victory
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WEST LAFAYETTE -- The Edison football team is looking for the school's first postseason win, and Edison will get another chance to get off the schneid this week.
Edison -- the No. 10 seed -- faces a tough challenge as it plays No. 7 seed Ridgewood in an Ohio Division V Region 17 Quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday night on the road.
Edison enters the season coming off a 26-6 victory against rival Indian Creek last Friday night at the Edison Unified Sports Complex. The game between the Wildcats and Redskins was a physical affair from start to finish.
"Absolutely," Edison (7-3) head coach Mike Collopy said. "It was a very physical game. Our kid splayed hard. Their kids played hard. It was what you would expect from a rivalry game."
The Silver-and-Black entered last week having lost three out of its last four games, however, Edison was able to right the ship against Indian Creek.
"It was nice," Collopy said about his team getting the win. "It was nice to get a win. Our kids played well. It wasn't perfect, but our kids played with effort, determination and purpose. It was physical on both sides."
Edison has made the playoffs four-straight seasons.
"It means a lot," Collopy said about getting back to the playoffs. "We are happy that we have the opportunity to play. We are not satisfied from the coaches down to the players. We have the opportunity, but it is not about the opportunity, it's about what you do with it."
On the other side, the Generals come into the playoffs losing two out of their last three games. Garaway defeated Ridgewood, 35-13, last week on the road.
This season, Ridgewood has defeated Coshocton (22-21), River View (57-6), Carrollton (13-0), Tuscarawas Central Catholic (42-3), Sandy Valley (35-21) and Claymont (32-13).
"They are physical," Collopy said. "They are well coached. Coach Slusser has been doing this for about 20 years. They are what you would expect. They are fundamentally sound. They are a perennial playoff contender."
Ridgewood has also lost to West Branch (32-29) and Indian Valley (34-12) this season.
"Their schedule is very difficult," Collopy said. "They play a tough league. They have lost to West Branch, Indian Valley and Garaway. All three of those are playoff teams. They are difficult teams. They are definitely battled tested."
The boys from Coshocton County are big up front, and the hog mollies lead the way for the Generals' rushing attack.
"Offensively, everything starts with their offensive line," Collopy said. "They are the most physical line on both sides we are going to face all year. Their tailback is a good combination of size, speed and power. Their quarterback is a running threat. They have a slot receiver they use on Jets. They get him outside.
"Their strength is their running game. They do have some receiving threats, but they are a run-orientated team. They have size, they're physical and they're strong."
Ridgewood mixes things up on the defensive side of the ball.
"Defensively, they run a couple different fronts," Collopy said. "They run an even front, and they run an odd front. What stood out on the screen to me was how well their defensive lines uses their hands. They use their hands very well. They are well coached. They are fundamentally sound. They get to the ball.
"They have two good defensive ends and interior linemen. Their linebackers get to the ball. Their secondary does a good job against the run, and they cover well.
"They are going to be a challenge for us, but we are up for that challenge. We are going to have to put a good game together.
"They are good team. They are fundamentally sound. We are going to have to match their physicality. We are going to have to be disciplined, and we are going to have to be fundamentally sound."
Some of the key players for the Generals play on both sides of the ball.
"A couple of their guys go both ways," Collopy said. "Their running back plays defensive end. One of their interior lineman plays on the defensive line. They have a wing that plays on the defensive line. Their quarterback plays defensive end. They have guys who play on both sides, and they are physical on both sides."
Special teams often get overlooked, but those unit could play a key role in determining the outcome of this week's game.
"Their special teams are sound," Collopy said. "They are good in all three phases of the game. We are going to have to limit big plays on special teams, and hopefully we are able to generate a mistake.
"They do everything well. They are well coached. They are hard-nosed kids from a hard-nosed town. The football team is a refelction of the people in West Lafayette."
The Cats will have to play well in all three phases of the game to come away with a victory this week.
"On the defensive side, we cannot give up the big play," Collopy said. "We have to make them earn every yard. Offensively, we have to sustain drives. We have to stay ahead of the sticks. We have to convert on third down. With special teams, we have to be sound in that phase as well. We cannot give up any big plays on special teams.
"We have to be sound in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams. We would like to be able to generate a big play, but we have to do a good job in all three phases."
Edison enters the game dealing with the normal bumps and bruises teams have to deal with as they prepare for a playoff game.
"It is Week 11," Collopy said. "Once you get past the first couple of games, everyone is banged up. We are no more banged up than anyone else.
"We are going to take care of our bumps and bruises. We want to have a good week of practice, and we want to play the best game we can Friday night."
The Wildcats have to travel 70 miles to take on the Generals.
"It doesn't matter if we are home or away," Collopy said. "No one plays 10 home games. We are on the road. It is what it is. We have a plan in place for practice, and we have a plan in place for the game as well."
The Wildcats got off to a good start this week as Edison opened the week with a good practice Monday.
"We had a really good practice," Collopy said. "The kids were receptive. Hopefully, we can continue to have quality practices throughout the rest of the week."
The winner of this game will take on the winner of No. 15 seed Fairless and No. 2 seed South Range in the regional semifinals. The Raiders are the home team in that matchup.