BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITORUBLY – History has a way of repeating itself, but Genesee hopes that isn’t the case this week.
When the Wolves take on Ubly this Friday at 7 p.m. in a battle of undefeated teams, they will be looking to exorcise their playoff demons, which include a pair of losses to the Bearcats by a combined score of 108-6.
But if there is one thing certain about this year’s Genesee team, it is that they are much improved compared to the Wolves teams that previously lost to Ubly. “They are the most talented opponent we’ve played all year,” Bearcats coach Bill Sweeney said.
That talented team includes quarterback Garrett Cook who scored six TDs in a 43-8 win over Brown City in last week’s pre-districts. On the ground, Cook rushed for 112 yards on 19 totes and had three touchdowns, while adding 173 yards in the air and two TDs on a 9-of-21 passing effort. Cook also scored on an 85 yard kickoff return.
If those numbers aren’t impressive enough, for the season Cook has passed for 1,605 yards and 26 touchdowns, while adding 947 yards rushing and another 16 scores. “Cook is tough to stop and he has three or four guys he can throw it to,” Sweeney said in reference to receivers Tyler Peltonen (530 yards, 11 TDs), Carl Youry (374 yards, six TDs), Donnovan Aleman (342 yards, five TDs) and Thomas Jean (319 yards, two TDs).
“He is tough to contain and he is a great player,” Sweeney added.
But containing Cook is exactly what Ubly did last year, as Genesee’s potent offense was held in check to the tune of just six points. “He was a great player for them last year, too. We were just fortunate enough to get out ahead of them early,” Sweeney explained.
As for how to contain Cook this year, the team will look to the success they had against another scrambling quarterback, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest’s (RHLN) Alexander Massell, who they held to 26 yards passing, while the team was held to just 39 yards of total offense.
“We were able to differentiate between the run and the pass with Rochester Hills blocking scheme; that was the biggest thing,” Sweeney said. “We were working a lot with the defensive line and the linebacking core on reading their keys and being able to stop them.”
Sweeney thinks the key against the Wolves will be to stop Genesee’s run game. “It starts with their run game; we have to shut down their run game,” said Sweeney. “We can’t let them be a dual threat run and pass, so we have to shut down the running game as far as I’m concerned.
“They are going to complete passes, because this kid puts the ball on the dime,” he added. “We’re going to have to be in the right spots and tackle.”
Ubly also had the advantage of seeing Genesee play in person against Brown City last Saturday, which has given them a greater insight into this week’s opponent. “They have some size and some speed and we are really concerned. They are an excellent team and they shut Brown City down,” Sweeney explained.
Defensively, Sweeney describes the Wolves as “big and hard to move.”
He explained, “They remind of some of the Harbor Beach teams of the past.
“They have a couple of guys that are 6’4” and 250 pounds at the defensive end spots and they are hard to move. We told the kids that we are going to have to drive our feet and neutralize their size.”
While he wouldn’t go into specifics in terms of his gameplan, Sweeney explained that his staff has several ideas as to gameplan for Genesee’s size. “There are wrinkles you have in your offense and you try to counter what they are doing. You try to make them adjust and get them out of their comfort zone,” he said. “Against Brown City they looked pretty comfortable, but we saw some things that we hope we can accomplish against them.
“Come Friday night we’ll have to do that.”
“We know what is at stake, a district championship. The kids just have to be ready to play,” Sweeney said.
