Friday’s game
What: Valley View (2-0) at Madison (1-1), 7 p.m.
Where: Brandenburg Field, 5797 West Alexandria Road, Madison Twp.
Last meeting: Valley View won 36-10 in 2014
Unbeaten and still improving is a good combination for Valley View High School’s football team.
“We play a lot of sophomores and juniors, so they’re still learning the game itself,” Kris Ketron said of his Spartans, who will travel to Madison on Friday night. “Our effort’s been good. The desire is there. We’ve got to continue to make small strides each week.
“I’ve been part of a 1-9 team, and I understand that any win is a good win. The bummer about football is the celebration can only last for a few days, a day maybe, and then it’s right back into the grind. Each week is a season in and of itself.”
Valley View fought off West Liberty-Salem (37-31) and Versailles (31-22) in its first two games. Offensive leaders have included quarterback Kole Smith (18 of 29, 330 yards, three TDs), running back Jake Neatherton (19 carries, 212 yards, three TDs) and wideout Micah Matheson (eight catches, 138 yards, two TDs).
“Kole’s strong point is decision making, and so far he’s been able to manage the game well and keep us in good spots,” Ketron said of his senior quarterback, who has no interceptions.
Ends Konner Smith and Logan Coffey have collected 3.5 and 2.0 sacks, respectively, for the Spartans.
“Our front seven guys have been the staple on defense,” Ketron said. “We’ve forced situations where the offense has had to throw the ball, which has created some stats for those guys on the back end of the defense.”
Madison (1-1) certainly doesn’t want to throw the ball. The Wing-T Mohawks are all about ball control, but they looked lethargic last Saturday in a 34-0 loss to Monroe.
“It looked like a walk-through for us,” Madison coach Steve Poff said. “We’ve got to play with more emotion and give more effort. That’s what we’ve been talking to the kids all week about.”
Zach Friend (22 carries, 209 yards, two TDs), Nick Svarda (30 carries, 150 yards, one TD) and Stephen Melton (19 carries, 96 yards) do most of Madison’s running. Svarda is battling an ankle injury.
“They were a league championship team last year, so I don’t know that anybody needs to take one game and think, ‘All right, Madison’s down,’ or take them lightly,” Ketron said. “We’re expecting a very physical team.”
Poff said Valley View is impressive, but he’s more focused on his squad.
“We love our kids. We feel like we can win every game on our schedule,” Poff said.
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