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BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Culver (0-9) at South Central (Union Mills) (3-6), 7:30 p.m.
(Winner plays Triton-North Newton winner in Class 1A, Sectional 41 semifinals)
The Culver football team finished a winless regular season with a 52-0 loss to LaVille, a top five team in Class 2A last week.
“Obviously, it’s a good program,” Culver coach Austin Foust said. “Same look, physical, things like that, that (former) coach (Will) Hostrawser did that (current) coach (Jeff) Kaiser is keeping on. I felt that one good thing it did for us is help solidify the belief going into South Central.
“Again, take the score aside, and people that were there during the torrential rain, I thought we played a pretty good first half. We were down two starters in the rain. You’re coming in as an 0-8 ballclub, and you wonder just how inspired of a football game your kids are going to give, and I thought we came out a little more inspired than them, I would say. We came after them a little bit. We forced a three-and-out. We moved the ball offensively. Did a pretty good job. Had a fumble there. So I thought we did some good things that help solidify to our kids that when we play with good effort and good energy, we have the ability to play with some good football teams.”
Foust said quarterback Jonas McCuen “played his best game” and tight end Brady Kindernay had more success catching the ball in the rain than in previous dry-weather games. Hayden Parker ran the ball well from the slot position. Foust said he also did not give Jack Rodgers many carries to “try to keep him healthy.”
A healthy Rodgers and the rest of the Cavaliers will play a South Central team in the sectional quarterfinals that lost their last two regular season games to River Forest and Whiting to finish a 3-6 regular season.
One of their three wins was a 44-22 triumph over Culver at home on Aug. 25.
Quarterback Zack Hanchar guided the Satellites in that game, but he will miss this game due to blood clots in his arm. Running back Aaron Hogan has also been out due to injury.
Without Hanchar and Hogan, South Central scored only 16 points total against River Forest and Whiting.
“I think that’s something that everybody was excited about,” Foust said of the draw. “I remember when we lost to them in Week 2, we had some guys that didn’t play the whole game because of injuries and other things, and I remember walking off the field saying, ‘Hey, I hope we draw them for sectional.’ Because I felt like it was a closer game than what the final score said, and obviously, they are a different-look team than we are. And we have some guys out just like they have some guys out. So it’s going to be a different kind of test for us, but I think our kids are excited.
“We’ve had a good week of practice so far. It’s fall break, so we’ve been going in the mornings.I think there’s some excitement to keep playing. That’s a big thing when you’re an 0-9 club and you get to Week 10, and it’s do you have a team that wants to keep playing? And I think we do.” If Culver wins, they will host either Triton or North Newton in the sectional semifinals.
