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No. 4 Bison back home to take on Alliance
Friday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m.
Weiland Field, McCook
After what's felt like half a season, the McCook Bison finally return to the friendly confines of Weiland Field this Friday for a meeting with the Alliance Bulldogs.
McCook (3-0) is coming off a two-game swing through the Nebraska panhandle, which may make this week's homecoming game a little more meaningful.
For Bison head coach Jeff Gross, however, it's business as usual.
"For us, we don't let homecoming be a distraction," he said. "The kids prepare like they do every week."
Considering the three performances McCook has had to start the year, that should be easy to do.
Through their first three games, the Class B No. 4 Bison have put up impressive numbers.
You could start with the defense, which has given up an average of just 105 yards and six points per game. If defense wins championships, then the Bison have looked championship-caliber thus far.
Individually, Zach Schlager leads the unit with 30 tackles, including three tackles for loss, plus one fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown. DJ Gross has added 27 tackles, while Dunncan Fassler has 20 to his name.
There's also a number of other players with double-digit tackle totals, including Ben Bradley, Isaac Larson, Eric Langan, Kaleb Taylor, Easton Gillen and Jaret Matson. Don't forget the slew of players who don't have the numbers but still make a big impact.
That quality and depth has added up to a difficult bulwark for any offense to get past.
"(Defense) is what we hang our hat on," Gross said.
The offense has also done its part, rushing for an average of 320 yards and scoring over 40 points per game.
Fassler leads the offensive juggernaut with 295 yards and six touchdowns from his running back position. Schlager's close behind at 233 yards and a couple scores, thanks to his dual-threat abilities at quarterback.
Like the defense, there are other players who have stepped up on offense too. Cade Cappel (166 yards, one touchdown), Gabe Sehnert (131 yards, two touchdowns) and Gillen (128 passing yards, 67 rushing yards and two total touchdowns) have also moved the ball for McCook.
Of course, then there's the offensive line. You know, the ones responsible for creating those running lanes? You have not gone unnoticed.
Year of the Dawg
In recent years, Alliance has consistently been a middle-of-the-road team.
Since 2008, when the annual meetings with McCook began, the average win total has been four. That includes four playoff appearances, including a quarterfinals appearance in 2008.
During that stretch, the Bison enjoyed a 9-0 series advantage over the Bulldogs. The average margin of victory? 34-10.
Last season, the Bison escaped Alliance with a 28-12 win. The Bulldogs would go on to a 4-5 record, and qualified for the playoffs thanks to a win over Sidney in the season finale.
This year's Box Butte Bulldogs, however, have the bite to match the bark.
"This is the year they've been building towards," Gross said. "We escaped from Alliance with a win by the skin of our teeth in week one last year. That feels like an eternity ago, and they've just gotten better."
A big reason for this is a core group of seniors that have started since their freshmen and sophomore years. All that experience has coalesced, and Alliance is ready to put itself among the big dogs of Class B.
"It's a very experienced group," Gross noted. "This year, they're gonna have five to eight of the best players on the field, regardless of who they're playing. That includes when they play teams like us, Aurora and Scottsbluff.
The theme with this team is "three-headed monsters," according to Gross. Alliance has one on offense and another on defense.
"On offense, they have a really good fullback, in Jack Matulka, who has rushed for a ton of yards," he said. "Tyler Trout is a really good tailback. Finally, you have a great skill position player, in Brody Brennan, who runs jet sweeps and likes to get the ball in space."
Defensively, Alliance's terrific trio includes players at every level.
"They've got a great safety, in Brennan Brehmer, who was a force last year when we played them," Gross recollected. "At inside linebacker, Buster Wilson is their leading machine, who plays all over the field and is also a state champion-caliber wrestler."
Of course, there's also four-year starting lineman, Gage Rolls.
"You've also got the big boy up front," Gross said. "He's a defensive end who runs and hits like a truck."
While Alliance has exceptional players in their starting lineup, they have run into the same problems that many of McCook's opponents experience: depth.
"All of those players start both ways," Gross said. "We're gonna play over 20 kids, versus them playing 12 or 13."
Can McCook wear Alliance down like they have against their other opponents? That's the goal, according to Gross, but he noted that this is a well-conditioned group.
"(Depth) may be an advantage for us, but it doesn't seem to have affected them so far this season," he said. "They haven't wore down or gotten tired in any game."
After McCook, the schedule eases up for Alliance. Lexington, at Hastings, Sidney, and at Gering are all winnable matchups, which could set them up to be 6-2 or 7-1 (depending on how the McCook game goes) going into their week nine matchup against Scottsbluff. In that scenario, that week nine game would be a winner-take-all, de-facto B-5 district championship bout.
Final Thoughts
McCook is halfway through its nondistrict schedule, but Friday's game begins a tough stretch for the Bison.
After Alliance, the Bison will travel to take on No. 5 York, then return home to face off with No. 8 Scottsbluff.
With that in mind, the focus will be the same as always for the Bison: one game at a time. Yes, it's homecoming, but the Bison won't let that get to their heads.
There have been spirit themes all week at the high school. Friday's is 'dress up,' or professional, day. Expect that theme of professionalism to spill over onto Weiland Field, as the Bison look to notch another win Friday night.
Head coach Jeff Gross
On an improved Alliance team
"They have speed, they have size, and when you hit them you stop. They're thick kids, who have been in the weight room, so this is a tall order for anyone who plays them. I feel like this (game) would be our first big challenge after Aurora, and I believe that."
"I think the one thing they're looking for is that signature win. Last year, they went 4-5 in the regular season and snuck into the playoffs with a win over Sidney. Sidney turned out to be a .500 team, so I think they're still looking for that big win - A Scottsbluff, Aurora, McCook, or York. They got the talent to do it, and we just hope it's not against us. The rest of the way, I think this team will win 7-8 games, and we have to prepare for an all-out battle."
On Friday night
"We have to play sound defense, and make somebody besides the three-headed monster beat you. On defense, don't let the three-headed monster dominate. Play great team offense, take what's available and go from there."