Newark Catholic blocks out the future, stays focused on the present
NEWARK ― Complacency is not in Newark Catholic's vocabulary.
As the top-seeded Green Wave begins what it hopes will be another long run to a third consecutive Division VII, Region 27 championship, NC (7-1) remains firmly focused on the first task at hand: beating 16th-seeded Rosecrans, (3-7) which visits White Field at 7 p.m. Friday for a postseason opener.
"We have to focus on Week 1, what we can control, day to day," said senior center Tanner Wert. "Some good teams have lost if they look too far ahead. We saw it during our season, what can happen when we're not completely focused (in the loss to Licking Heights). We learned our lesson."
"If we're not focused on our preparation and getting ready, we're setting ourselves up for failure later on," coach Ryan Aiello said. "There's a continued growth mentality that we have to have. Understand what we can control with our preparation, the additional elements, the little things like blocking downfield and Miller (Hutchison) carrying out his fakes. But ultimately, the success for us will be decided up front."
NC looks to be in good hands there, with seniors Wert, twins Connor and Kyle Wright and Bradyn Ehret, along with seasoned junior Nate Willis.
The line has sprung Mason Hackett for 1,090 yards and 20 touchdowns in only seven games (he missed last week's win against Northridge with injury), while sophomore Mikey Hess has piled up 212 yards on just 17 carries the last two weeks (12.5 average) and three touchdowns. They have done a solid job of protecting sophomore quarterback Hutchison, who has hit on 74 of 115 passes for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns with three interceptions, with senior speedster Grant Moore hauling in 25 receptions for 535 yards (21.4-yard average) and nine scores.
"It's nice to have that experience up front, and it helps our running backs and quarterback to be playing with an experienced line," Wert said.
"We want to establish the run during the game, and that gets our passing game going," Connor Wright said. "We've done a pretty good the last couple of games establishing the run. It's all about doing your job, and playing with toughness. We have great team chemistry, and that helps."
Aiello said a couple of things about Rosecrans jumped out on film.
"Their quarterback and running back both do a great job," he said. "The quarterback (Brendan Bernath) does a good job getting it downfield and really throws a nice ball. They put him in a position where he can be successful. The running back (Brody Zemba) is hard-nosed, and they have good size up front and are physical kids." In Week 10's 43-13 win against Miller, Zemba rushed for 198 yards, Bernath threw a pair of touchdowns and Weston Hartman had six catches for 100 yards.
Despite its success, NC knows it must keep getting better.
"The Northridge game showed everyone on the team has to do their job, including the younger kids who played," Wright said. "We played a pretty good game, but there are still some things we need to work on."
"Just watching the discipline of Marion Local (in last year's state title game), on offense and defense," Aiello said. "We need to be working with that discipline, making sure things are in unison, which then opens up more opportunities for us."
Friday's winner advances to the regional quarterfinals the following Friday against the survivor of No. 8 Franklin Furnace Green (6-4) and No. 9 Portsmouth Notre Dame (5-5).
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark Catholic blocks out the future, stays focused on the present
