Football: Saints, Pioneers set for the 'big' game

Friday, August 31, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Central Catholic High School senior lineman Zach Eyre wanted to make one thing clear about tonight’s 5 o’clock battle against University High in the Intercity Doubleheader at Hancock Stadium.

“It’s not just another game,” Eyre said. “It’s our big rival, and we get pumped up for it.”

Motivation definitely won’t be a problem for U High, which will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak against the Saints.

“This year it’s a completely different mindset for us,” said U High junior running back/linebacker Will Brucker. “I’m expecting it to be a good game and hopefully we can come out with a win.”

Both teams are coming off season-opening Corn Belt Conference victories. Central Catholic gave coach Bobby Moews his 100th career win by blanking Eureka, 29-0. U High downed Olympia, 53-31, behind a ground attack that erupted for 538 yards.

Brucker rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns to lead U High’s offense, while fellow running mates Sean Hastings (135) and Caleb Katz (123) also broke the century mark.

“The thing that jumped out at me was their speed,” Moews said. “Their three running backs just flat ran away from guys. When they got in the open there was no catching them, and we’re not going to catch them, either. We’re going to have to keep them in front of us and not let them have any open area.”

Central Catholic senior defensive back Javier Safford is confident the Saints can contain the Pioneers.

“We know we’ve got to defend well,” Safford said. “Our linebackers know what they’re doing and they read their keys, and our defensive line gets into the backfield pretty well.”

U High coach Kurt Olson downplayed the victory over a struggling Olympia program that has lost 25 straight games.

“The final result was a win, and we’ll take a win anytime we can get it,” Olson said. “But early on we struggled with a lot of turnovers. Our special teams gave up a lot of big runs, and there were also times our defense had some mental lapses. We need to work on a lot of areas.”

Central Catholic also struggled with turnovers against Eureka as junior quarterback Adam Rebholz threw four interceptions in his first varsity start.

“I’m sure Adam was nervous and probably put added pressure on himself,” Moews said. “I told him this week he’s our quarterback and whatever happens, he’s still going to be in there. He’s got nowhere to go but up.”

Senior tailback Ryan Waldron rushed for 121 yards and two TDs to lead the Saints. Michael Fenger gave the Saints a special teams boost by kicking field goals of 42 and 27 yards.

“Central lost a lot of seniors but they’re reloading, they’re not rebuilding,” Olson said. “It’s a typical Central Catholic team. They’re well-coached, disciplined and they’re hard-nosed kids. They’re going to fight until the end of the game. We’re going to go out and try to do the best we can to keep it close.”