Loudonville leaves no way in, no way out with defensive line, Bender By Doug Haidet T-G Sports EditorPublished: November 14, 2013 4:00AM LOUDONVILLE -- Throughout this season, its become more and more apparent that breaking the code that is the Loudonville football teams defensive line is kind of like cracking a safe. With that said, getting beyond Redbirds free safety Tristan Bender might be a bit like stealing the Mona Lisa. For a defensive unit whose starters have allowed only 69 points in 11 games (6.3 per game), Loudonville coach Justin Todd said the engine has been nose guard Kyle Graham and the rotation at defensive end of Coleman Quay, Ty Young, Blake Cary and Joe Artrip. All of them have at least 30 tackles, and when it comes to sealing off the back end, the coach says Bender is simply ridiculous. Thats one of the storylines ninth-ranked Loudonville (10-1) will carry into its Division V regional semifinal Saturday against Huron (8-3) in Medina. Basically, weve been able to out-speed everybody up front, but its not like I have little guys that move quickly, Todd said, these are decent-sized kids who have really good strength and also can sustain some blocks. And when Tristan hits you, Ive seen him double people over quite a bit where they no longer want to catch the football, he added. Hed rather hit you than pick it off. Hitting the home-run play against the Redbirds has become about as close to impossible as it gets. Getting the equivalent of a bunt single is starting to seem just as daunting. As of now, Loudonville has the first defense in the area since Ashland and Crestview in 2002 to not allow more than 26 points in any contest. In last weeks 20-8 first-round win, Loudonville strapped down Northwesterns offense to just six points -- 22 fewer than it had scored in any game all season. The Huskies, who scored their other two points on a safety, entered the showdown with a school-record 414 points, but left with their lowest point total in a home game since 2009. It was a matchup that featured four of the areas biggest offensive threats, but it became a defensive extravaganza. By the end, Loudonville had posted just the 11th playoff performance in area history of allowing single-digit points. We stress being physical and being aggressive, said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Bender, who said the defense has played all year with a sense of urgency. We want to make people remember that Loudonville hits. We had that never fail mentality (last week), end Blake Cary (6-1, 200) added, and it was just about being tenacious. Five times this season, the Redbirds have allowed a touchdown or less. In Week 4 against a Division II Logan team that finished its year 6-4, Loudonville allowed minus-11 yards of offense. That was one of eight games the Redbirds have won by at least 24 points, and what has made it that much more impressive is that defensive effort has come behind a line rotation with an average size of about 6 feet, 200 pounds (Artrip is the biggest at 6-3, 225). Young jokingly flexed when the group was asked who its biggest weight-room junkie seemed to be, but he comes in at 5-10, 195. Artrip has a max weight on the bench press of about 300 pounds, so the guys quip and call him Big Joe. All-Ohio linebacker Ryan Weber (19 tackles, 3 sacks last week) certainly gets to make plenty of the big hits (Bender says Weber squats a small school bus in the weight room), but Todd said a lot of that wouldnt be possible without the guys on the line. Its a unit that switched from a four-man front last year to a three-man scheme this season. I think (the switch) really enhances our strengths because were not the typical big linemen who are 250 pounds or more, Young said. We use our quickness as our strength. I think weve gotten better at doing our assignments, Quay (6-1, 200) added. We have to make up for our lack of size by being more aggressive. Todd said Graham (6-0, 197) has been the key to it all, forcing double-team attention that frees up the others. He was a linebacker when the season started before the coach tried him at nose guard in an attempt to find a guy who was unblockable by one person alone. Graham (47 tackles, 13 for loss) is the only lineman who doesnt leave the field on defense. Last week he had three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. That production is a perfect complement to Benders sky-high digits as the last line of defense, where he has 134 tackles (seven for loss), including 16 last week. Last year as a sophomore, Bender was sixth in the area in tackles (98), and the junior has gotten high praise from Todds uncle, who is close friends with former Ohio State and New Orleans Saints safety Rob Kelly. He said, Thats as close to a Rob Kelly type of kid as Ive seen, Todd said. And what made Rob Kelly so special is that he could move so well, but he had zero fear; he had no regard for his body or the persons body that he was gonna hit. Thats how Tristan is. After last weeks hard-hitting effort at Northwestern, Loudonvilles front- and back-end men are just hoping for more of the same against Huron. We know were playing for our football lives, especially the seniors, Cary said, so weve just got to keep playing with the physicality weve had all year. Contact Doug Haidet, sports editor, at 419-281-0581, ext. 245, or dhaidet@times-gazette
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 19:38:22 +0000
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