10-08-2010, 08:54 AM
Holmes football standout Damian Oden has had it with the naysayers who believe the Bulldogs have been fattening their 6-0 record with cupcakes on the schedule
Oden figures the only way to silence the doubters is for the Bulldogs to beat a quality team.
They will have that opportunity Friday night when Holmes, ranked sixth in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, plays at fifth-ranked Dixie Heights (3-4).
The Colonels' losses have come against the top four teams in the poll. Dixie has beaten eighth-ranked Beechwood and 10th-ranked Conner.
"It's really important we win Friday night. We have a point to prove," said Oden, a two-way player at tailback and defensive back. "Everybody keeps saying we have a weak schedule, so we want to be 7-0 with a win against a team everybody knows is always good."
Holmes has outscored six unranked foes by an aggregate score of 290-43.
The Colonels are capable of posing match-up problems against the smaller but quicker Bulldogs.
Dixie Heights is a physical squad, with eight players in the team's 1,200-pound weight-lifting club. First-year starting quarterback Zeke Pike, a son of former NFL player Mark Pike, is 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, and is rated as a four-star prospect by several college recruiting services.
The strong-armed and hard-running Pike, who can be erratic as a passer as he learns to master the intricacies of playing quarterback, has thrown for 1,089 yards with a completion rate of 52 percent. He has passed for seven touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he has rushed for 535 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"We have to work as a team and gang-tackle," said linebacker Tommy Courtney, who will act as Holmes' quarterback spy. "Whatever (Pike) does, it's my job to stop him."
Holmes coach Stephen Lickert agreed that containing Pike is job No. 1 for the Bulldogs. But there are other concerns.
Tailback Seth Bruns has rushed for 602 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and has 10 touchdowns for the Colonels. Receivers Bobby Leonard, a co-captain, and Tyler Cohorn, one of the strongest wideouts in the area, have combined for 781 yards and six touchdowns and together they average 18 yards per catch.
"Zeke can have guys hanging on him and throw 30 yards down field for a completion," Lickert said. "He's got that play-making ability. But what makes him so good is the guys around him. Dixie has some really talented players, so it's not all about stopping Zeke Pike. It's stopping all those other guys, too."
The Dixie defense expects to have the same problem, facing an abundance of talented athletes who make big plays for Holmes.
"It's a challenge for us," Colonels coach Tom Spritzky said. "They're very athletic and it looks to me like they play really sound football and don't make many mistakes. I think their quarterback (Jesse Jensen) is probably underrated, and they have a lot of talent around him."
Jensen has completed 63 percent of his passes, totaling 10 touchdowns without throwing an interception. He's also averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has scored eight rushing touchdowns.
Thirteen players have scored for Holmes, including Oden, tailback Tyrique Simpson and receiver Desean Peterson, who have six touchdowns each.
Oden, who leads Holmes with 552 yards rushing, averages 9.1 yards per carry. Simpson averages 7.8 and Greg Clemons 6.8. Jonathon Scruggs leads the team with a whopping 11.6 yards per carry, and Peterson averages 17.5 yards per catch.
"We've got the talent and the heart to beat Dixie," Oden said. "All we have to do is win."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../10080389/
Oden figures the only way to silence the doubters is for the Bulldogs to beat a quality team.
They will have that opportunity Friday night when Holmes, ranked sixth in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, plays at fifth-ranked Dixie Heights (3-4).
The Colonels' losses have come against the top four teams in the poll. Dixie has beaten eighth-ranked Beechwood and 10th-ranked Conner.
"It's really important we win Friday night. We have a point to prove," said Oden, a two-way player at tailback and defensive back. "Everybody keeps saying we have a weak schedule, so we want to be 7-0 with a win against a team everybody knows is always good."
Holmes has outscored six unranked foes by an aggregate score of 290-43.
The Colonels are capable of posing match-up problems against the smaller but quicker Bulldogs.
Dixie Heights is a physical squad, with eight players in the team's 1,200-pound weight-lifting club. First-year starting quarterback Zeke Pike, a son of former NFL player Mark Pike, is 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, and is rated as a four-star prospect by several college recruiting services.
The strong-armed and hard-running Pike, who can be erratic as a passer as he learns to master the intricacies of playing quarterback, has thrown for 1,089 yards with a completion rate of 52 percent. He has passed for seven touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he has rushed for 535 yards and 10 touchdowns.
"We have to work as a team and gang-tackle," said linebacker Tommy Courtney, who will act as Holmes' quarterback spy. "Whatever (Pike) does, it's my job to stop him."
Holmes coach Stephen Lickert agreed that containing Pike is job No. 1 for the Bulldogs. But there are other concerns.
Tailback Seth Bruns has rushed for 602 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry, and has 10 touchdowns for the Colonels. Receivers Bobby Leonard, a co-captain, and Tyler Cohorn, one of the strongest wideouts in the area, have combined for 781 yards and six touchdowns and together they average 18 yards per catch.
"Zeke can have guys hanging on him and throw 30 yards down field for a completion," Lickert said. "He's got that play-making ability. But what makes him so good is the guys around him. Dixie has some really talented players, so it's not all about stopping Zeke Pike. It's stopping all those other guys, too."
The Dixie defense expects to have the same problem, facing an abundance of talented athletes who make big plays for Holmes.
"It's a challenge for us," Colonels coach Tom Spritzky said. "They're very athletic and it looks to me like they play really sound football and don't make many mistakes. I think their quarterback (Jesse Jensen) is probably underrated, and they have a lot of talent around him."
Jensen has completed 63 percent of his passes, totaling 10 touchdowns without throwing an interception. He's also averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has scored eight rushing touchdowns.
Thirteen players have scored for Holmes, including Oden, tailback Tyrique Simpson and receiver Desean Peterson, who have six touchdowns each.
Oden, who leads Holmes with 552 yards rushing, averages 9.1 yards per carry. Simpson averages 7.8 and Greg Clemons 6.8. Jonathon Scruggs leads the team with a whopping 11.6 yards per carry, and Peterson averages 17.5 yards per catch.
"We've got the talent and the heart to beat Dixie," Oden said. "All we have to do is win."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../10080389/