Sports
Marauders eye state championship Saturday
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9:21 AM EST
OVID-ELSIE - After handing the state's second-ranked team, Standish-Sterling, a 55-20 drilling in the Division 5 state semifinals last weekend, it's not surprising to see Ovid-Elsie is geared up for a shot at a state championship.
And to a point, the players are. They're confident and seem focused in preparation for the state's top-ranked team, Muskegon Oakridge, which they will face Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Marauders look the way a team should at this point in the year, and not much different than they did a week ago. There is however, one key difference this week, said coach Jerry Goosen.
The Ovid-Elsie players have actually become more relaxed on the eve of the biggest game of their lives.
“I think it's a sense of relief,” said coach Jerry Goosen about the week leading up to the game. “There was far more anxiety before in coaches as well as the players.”
So forget the fact the Marauders have a chance to win the first state football title for the school, or even the fact that they could become only the third area program to win one.
In their eyes, they've already accomplished what they set out to do.
“The atmosphere we face now is ‘we made it,' ” Goosen said. “There is nothing we can accomplish more now than to win. Some people say there's a difference between going there and winning. And there is, but only a slight one.”
Don't try telling that to quarterback Jason Goosen. After injuring his arm against Standish-Sterling, X-rays revealed a broken ulna bone in the senior's left wrist. He played with the injury for three quarters last week and has no intention of missing any time in his final game.
“Just the fact that it's the state finals, you want to put in that much more effort,” he said. “I've never really had any other injuries so it's kind of a bummer. (But) anybody else would probably play too.”
Goosen has thrown for a school-record 1,317 yards - breaking Pete Hurst's 1982 record of 1,182 yards.
Regardless of how much action the starting quarterback and safety sees Saturday, the Marauders will be playing the underdog role yet again. They face a team that comes in 13-0 after playing a considerably difficult regular season, and of course, postseason schedule.
Of Oakridge's quality wins thus far, the one that is most noticeable came in West Michigan Conference play against Montague in Week 7. Montague (12-1) finished the league campaign with only one loss, and will be playing Leslie for the Division 6 state crown this weekend.
Oakridge also dismantled Ravenna 39-7 in Week 3. Ravenna (10-3) reached the state semifinals.
“The kids really stepped up to the test and we've been fortunate to not have many injuries,” said Oakridge coach Jack Shugars.
“Three conference teams played in the semifinals - that's kind of unheard of.”
Oakridge won both matchups during the season, then stormed through the playoffs, including a 27-16 win over Jackson Lumen Christi in the semifinals. The Eagles are loaded with talented running backs, and with quarterback Conor Sullivan putting up big numbers as well, the stable has rushed for more than 3,000 yards combined this season.
Ovid-Elsie will face its own challenge in stopping Oakridge back Matt Eacker. Eacker was named the Division 5-6 AP Player of the Year this week. Eacker, who also plays corner, had 1,237 yards in the regular season and 19 touchdowns.
“We run the football, and I know a lot of teams put eight, or nine people in the box so we just have to find a way to be able to run,” Shugars said. “Our backfield has over 3,000 yards from four backs, so we have versatility, which is nice. It's not just one back.”
Shugars noted the same is true for Ovid-Elsie, despite the notion that a majority of its offense comes from junior Chris Robinson, who has rushed for 2,727 yards entering this game.
“I'm really impressed with Robinson, he's one of the most outstanding running backs we've seen all year long,” Shugars said. “And (Nick Madden) and (Cameron Hurst) really jump off the page. So there's a lot of quality guys on their team.”
Last week, all three players found the end zone on the ground, combining for seven touchdowns. Of those, five belonged to Robinson, who also added 346 yards.
Madden, the Marauders' full- back, has more than 450 yards rushing, but he's also the team's leading receiver with 34 catches for over 800 yards.
“We have to tackle (Robinson) on the shoelaces because that's how we can get him,” Shugars said. “I watched the Standish-Sterling tape and he was bouncing off guys like a ping pong ball. They were not making good tackles.”
And last week, the team that put 55 points on the scoreboard was a team coach Goosen was worried about having to fight off nerves.
This week, that doesn't sound like as much of a problem, as the players have just tried to enjoy the moment.
“It's weird because all offseason you wonder what it would feel like (to be in a state final),” Jason Goosen said. “Now we're here, and you almost can't believe it.”
Deb Hoyt wrote on Nov 30, 2008 11:17 AM:
Class of 1970 alumni "