WILLIAMSTOWN — Susquenita is a new addition to the Tri-Valley League this season. The Blackhawk’s debut has been anything but stellar as they entered Friday’s game with Williams Valley winless.
Vikings coach Tim Savage knows opponents like this can lead to a letdown among his players. So he threw this into his pregame speech prior to Williams Valley’s 35-7 victory at Stauffenberg Field at Viking Stadium.
“I told them that it’s harder to play against a team that’s struggling as opposed to a good team,” Savage said. “You have to take care of your business and look like you know what you’re doing. We practice all week to do that whether the team is 0-7 or 7-0.”
Since the Vikings (5-3, 5-1 TVL) is vying for a spot in the District 11 Class A playoffs, as well as a Tri-Valley League title, Savage added more motivation for his players to perform well.
“I have to know which players I can rely on down the road when things get tougher,” Savage said. “And that includes the playoffs. If you want to keep your spot, you have to play well.”
The Vikings, who won their second straight game Friday after losing two straight, did just that as they used a balanced offensive attack to produce 464 total yards that put the game in mercy rule mode early in the third quarter.
Running back Matt Miller earned a personal milestone when he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. He had 141 yards and scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 74 yards in the first half to give the Vikings a 21-0 lead.
Quarterback Nick Rodichok completed 10-of-18 passes for 195 yards, including an 11-yard scoring toss to Albert Wolfgang on Williams Valley’s first possession to give them an early 7-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ defense held Susquenita (0-8, 0-4 TVL), a Perry County school that formerly played in the Mid-Penn Conference, to 99 yards of offense and didn’t allow a score until after Williams Valley pulled its starters in the second half.
“I wanted to see what we could do both running and passing,” Savage said. “We’re trying to get our quarterback some confidence. Matt got his 1,000 yards tonight. We’re ready to contend but we have to keep winning.”
Savage said that his team is injury free going into the final two regular season games against Line Mountain and Juniata and will probably need to win both of them to guarantee a post-season appearance.
Game Summary
Susq (0-8, 0-6) 0 0 0 7 — 7 WV (5-3, 5-1) 14 14 7 0 — 35
WV — A. Wolfgang 11 pass from Rodichok (Hill kick)
WV — M. Miller 1 run (Hill kick)
WV — M. Miller 74 run (Hill kick)
WV — Harris 31 run (Hill kick)
WV — Harris 29 run (Hill kick)
S — Kenny 7 pass from S. Smith (Dackota kick)
Susq WV
First Downs 5 17
Rushes-Yards 16-51 30-269
Passes 8-15-1 10-18-0
Passing Yards 48 195
Total Yards 99 464
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties 4-17 3-15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Susquenita — Kenny 3-36, S. Smith 6-27, Neumayer 5-(-5), B. Smith 1-(-2), Diebler 1-(-5). Williams Valley — M. Miller 13-141, Harris 6-96, Kemble 5-32, Rabuck 1-5, D. Wolfgang 2-7, Hand 1-(-3), J. Wolfgang 2-(-9).
PASSING: Susquenita — S. Smith 8-15-1, 48. Williams Valley — Rodichok 8-14-0, 169; J. Wolfgang 2-4-0, 26
RECEIVING: Susqunita — Rivera 3-17, B. Smith 2-16, Kenny 2-13, Neumayer 1-2. Williams Valley — C. Miller 4-97, Ross 2-37, Hand 2-26, M. Miller 1-24, A. Wolfgang 1-11.
INTERCEPTIONS: Williams Valley — C. Miller