By JIM GRIES
OSKALOOSA — It’s always nice to get a first win of a season against a team which the other team has been dominant in recent games.
Oskaloosa has that chance to get in the win column for the first time this season when it entertains Fort Madison Friday night at Community Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. following the freshman game, which begins at 5 p.m.
The 0-3 Indians haven’t had any problems going against the 2-1 Bloodhounds in recent years. The Indians have won the last 12 meetings between the teams, including all six times Oskaloosa coach Darrell Schumacher has gone against the Bloodhounds.
Oskaloosa (0-1 in District 5) has outscored Fort Madison (0-1 district) a combined 460-96 in that span and won last year’s encounter 68-6.
The last time the Bloodhounds had come up with a win was in 1980 54-36.
While Fort Madison has been one of the weaker teams in the district over the last few years, Schumacher feels the Bloodhounds have turned the corner.
“They are better than they have been in the past. They have a little more consistency in their coaching staff,” Schumacher said. “When you’re there one or two years and then you’re gone, it doesn’t help.
“They’re staying with basically the same stuff as they’ve had in the past on defense and that’s important. They’ve got some better kids and using their talent better than they have in the past.”
Schumacher added that the Bloodhounds, who lost to Mount Pleasant 30-17 last week, has changed their offensive system considerably from last year.
Senior Travis Boyer is the team’s top rusher with juniors Eric Kent and Clint Richers close behind.
Kent is also the team’s quarterback, although the Bloodhounds don’t put the ball in the air much. In the team’s first two games, Fort Madison only attempted 14 passes, completing five for 50 yards.
The Oskaloosa tandem of Brandon Roberts and Brad Vonk hope to stifle the Bloodhounds’ attack. The duo have made 54 tackles between them and have three tackles for losses. Cody Holdsworth, Daniel Gleason, Rolland Johnson, Blaine Richardson and Zach Myers all have more than 13 tackles this season.
Schumacher said Fort Madison runs its offense out of one formation, which is different than the multiple sets the first three teams have implemented against the Indians.
“We match up really good with them,” he said. “Running out of one formation is nice for us because we’ve seen multiple formations on every offense we’ve seen so far. That will be a positive for us.
“They play a 4-3 defense which is something we like to run against so we’re excited about the opportunity to play them.”
Hoping to take advantage of the Bloodhound defense are Oskaloosa running backs Jake Osborn and Austin Blanchard.
Osborn tops the team in rushing with 155 yards while Blanchard has picked up 98 yards on the ground. Brett Sams is third on the team with 79 yards rushing.
One area Schumacher is dumbfounded has been the difference from the first half to the second half offensively.
The Indians have scored 33 points in the first 24 minutes, but have only mustered 13 points after intermission.
“We’ve got to make sure we continue to play that second half like we play in the first half,” Schumacher said. “We’ve got to focus on doing the right things all four quarters. We really haven’t played four quarters yet.”
Oskaloosa has been able to have an advantage in time of possession, yet has fallen behind in games.
The Indians haven’t been able to take advantage of having the ball more than their opponent by scoring touchdowns while their foes have been getting big plays and converting them into points.
“Defensively, we can’t give up a big play. That’s our biggest concern that we have to have,” Schumacher said. “And offensively, we have to maintain the ball even more and got to put it in the end zone when we have it.”
