DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
What’s one more upset?
Any team still thinking the South Adams Starfires are the same squad that started 1-3 this fall had better be ready to switch to their winter sport, because no one has been able to stop the South Adams offense in the last five weeks.
Averaging 47 points a game over that span, the Starfires have a chance to defy the odds again Friday night when they travel to North Judson.
The Blue Jays have suffered three consecutive defeats on this weekend over the last three years and all have come to Adams Central, with the Jets running over North Judson for five or six touchdowns each time.
The 2022 version of the North Judson football team had a 12-1 record with just 121 points allowed when they took on AC and fell 35-0 in the semi-state game. This year’s team is 13-0 with 100 points allowed.
How can the Starfires take it to that North Judson defense? Simple. Use the weapons they have in the arsenal of QB Tytus Lehman. Dylan McKean could pass 1000 yards receiving Friday and Caiden Neuenschwander leads the team with 12 TDs. Wes Summersett has been key to the Stars’ turnaround.
When the passing game opens up for Lehman, it gives opportunities for Will Patterson and Dillan Ramirez to pick up important yards on the ground with the defense on their heels.
North Judson QB Jesiah McDaniel averages just 50 yards a game in the air and that bodes well for the Starfires, whose excellent coaching staff will be even more effective in planning for a one-dimensional offense.
It’s no secret what the game plan will be for the home team Friday. North Judson are a team with over 5000 yards rushing. McDaniel himself is a 1000-yard rusher. Kole Wilcox could conceivably reach 2000 yards against the Stars in this game. Brock Benson has 1455 yards on the ground this year.
The Stars have seen this game plan before when they took on Madison-Grant. The lesson learned there was that the Starfires had the offense to strike back even when the Argylls put together a good drive and scored. Momentum was key in that game and when Madison-Grant felt threatened, they made mistakes, knowing that they could not afford to trail the Starfires.
The same will be true in Friday’s game. North Judson will know that they will need to score first and stay out in front of the Stars. South Adams will have nothing to lose, and if they win the toss and have the first possession of the second half, they can feel confident of pulling off the upset even if they trail by two scores at half time. That’s the kind of confidence this team has right now.
Kaleb Minger, Nathan Plattner and Grant O’Dell will all need to stay disciplined and hold up the big three of the Blue Jays, but if the Stars can hold their own against a big and tall NJ O-Line, this game could quickly transform into a repeat of that Madison-Grant game – and that bodes well for an upset.
Could the Starfires pull off one of the more improbable runs to the State Finals in recent history? Look no further than the fact that the undefeated, unanimous #1 team in 1A is listed as only having an 81% chance by John Harrell to beat an unranked team that started the postseason with a losing record.
Come on, Starfires, let’s make this Friday night a night that will go down in history in Berne.
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