Margaretta braces for rugged road stretch

CASTALIA — Margaretta hasn't been challenged the last three weeks. That's about to change. The Polar Bears are off to a 4-1 start and coming off three wins in which they outscored their opponents by a total score of 139-21. At the midway point of the regular season, the Bears are a factor in the SBC River Division and pushing for a home playoff game. "We have great team chemistry; we're just one big family," senior quarterback Jake Bouy said. "We know we can rely on each other, whether we're winning or losing." Up next for Margaretta is a Friday trip to Woodmore, which is 5-0 and led by All-Ohio running back Landon Rich, who has rushed for 935 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. In two weeks, Margaretta travels to undefeated Hopewell-Loudon. Margaretta, Woodmore and Hopewell are off to 2-0 starts in the SBC River. In three weeks, the Bears head to Tiffin to face Calvert. "Coach (Gary) Quisno's made it pretty clear that the next three games will be hard games," senior Judah Keller said. "We really gotta have the right practice mindset. We've gotten better every day and we have to keep doing that." Woodmore, coached by former Monroeville coach Scott Stecher, has blown out its first five opponents, scoring at least 42 points every time out. Margaretta has given up a total of 42 points all season — half of them coming in a 21-20 Week 1 loss to Vermilion. Keller (48 tackles, 2 interceptions) and senior linebacker Brett Miller (47 tackles, 3 sacks) lead the Bears' defense. "Brett's the quarterback of the defense. He gets us lined up and calls everything for us," Quisno said. "He's done that for two years; he's a good veteran for us." Added Miller: "We just love to fly around. We're so physical and we feed off each other." Quisno likes what he's seen from his defense, which includes 10 Bears with more than 20 tackles. "Defensively we've played well," he said. "Probably gonna jinx myself by saying it, but the varsity hasn't given up a touchdown in the last four games. The points have been scored on our JVs. We've had running clocks and we're getting everybody in the game." Margaretta defeated Woodmore 26-7 last year in Week 5 with Tyson Bailey playing quarterback for an injured Bouy. It was the Bears' first win of the season and the Wildcats' first loss. "A lot computer points on the line," said Quisno about the Woodmore game. "They're undefeated. It'll be a good test for us. They've put up a lot of points and haven't given up very many. Kind of like us. "They've gotta lot of guys coming back with a year of experience. Good football team." Margaretta's offense has been effective in keeping the Bears' defense off the field. The Bears' Wing-T is averaging 246 rushing yards per game. Keller has 512 yards and eight touchdowns and is averaging 9.3 yards per carry. Bouy has rushed for 280 yards and seven touchdowns and has thrown for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Bailey has rushed for 160 yards. "We play smash-mouth football and we get yards on the ground," Keller said. "That's what we want to do." There's a lot of football to be played this season, but one big goal for Margaretta's senior class is a home playoff game. The last time the Polar Bears hosted a postseason game was 2002. "That's been a huge goal," Miller said. "We're super excited for the opportunity and it would be great to play a playoff game here." Margaretta has a small roster, but has managed to stay relatively healthy. "In our junior-senior class, we have 18 kids we feel comfortable with on Friday nights," Quisno said. "We get them in and out and try to keep some kids fresh and so far that's worked pretty well." The Bears have made the playoffs in each of the last three years, but lost in the first round to higher seeds. Right now, Margaretta is seeded No. 5 in Division VI, Region 22. Woodmore is No. 4. The top four teams in each region get first-round byes in the playoffs. The Bears want to string together more wins to set up a favorable postseason scenario. "Knock on wood, we've stayed relatively healthy," Quisno said. "That's been a big difference for us to get going this year. They're a year older — all these guys played last year. They've improved both physically and football wise. We've got some momentum going. We want to keep it going."