BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
LaVille (8-0, 6-0 Hoosier North) at Culver (5-3, 3-3), 7 p.m.
Culver might be known for its power-T formation, but they are not known for running a quarterback naked bootleg out of it.
Jason Cadle saw the opportunity against Pioneer last week, and with the Panther defense flocking to what they thought was an inside handoff, Cadle kept the ball and scooted around the left perimeter for a 41-yard touchdown.
It gave Culver a 14-0 win en route to a 28-8 win. Cadle later added a 44-yard run that set up another touchdown.
“Those were probably the turning points of the game really,” Zehner said of Cadle’s two long runs. “The 41-yard run, Cadle came over to me probably two or three plays prior to that and said, ‘Hey, I think I can keep it on a naked,’ and we’ve run that play in practice but haven’t really run it in a game before.”
Zehner said one of the keys was Cadle pausing to sell the handoff even more.
“He actually did a great job sitting for a second and then going where everybody bit on the fake to (Ethan) Binion,” Zehner said.
Cadle’s 44-yard run came on fourth-and-2. Zehner said he was going to punt, but when Pioneer coach Adam Berry called timeout to avoid an illegal substitution penalty for 12 men on the field, Zehner changed his mind.
“Let’s just go ahead and go for it,” Zehner said. “We’re pretty close to midfield. Our defense is playing pretty well. But that was a big play because if we punt to them, they could have taken the lead or tied it there with a drive. … Everybody went with Shuman on the fake, and Cadle pulled it out of the gun and went 44 yards there.”
Class 2A, No. 3 LaVille’s suffocating defense, which allows only nine points per game and which shut out North Judson in the second half and overtime in a 27-21 win last week, could be a different challenge.
“Being here at Culver for seven years now, I’ve watched this team come through the middle school and take it to everybody as well, them and North Judson,” Zehner said of LaVille’s program. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’re excited about the opportunity for sure.”
LaVille quarterback Lucas Plummer suffered an apparent arm injury against North Judson last week, and sophomore Collin Czarnecki finished the game at quarterback.
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