Coalfield vs Wartburg Football Preview
By Greg Addington
Coalfield begins their 89th season of football on Friday night, hosting Wartburg on Rochelle Field. The Yellow Jackets are looking to extend a nine-game winning streak against the resurgent Bulldogs and in the TSSAA era (beginning in 1969) Coalfield has a home record of 18-9 in opening week games played on historic Rochelle Field.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are interested in turning the tables on their county rivals and want to continue the momentum that began with the hiring of head coach Kevin Human prior to the 2017 season. Wartburg reached playoff eligibility for the first time since 2011 last season before falling to South Greene 44-26 in the first round. Wartburg doubled their win total in 2018 and the Bulldogs are looking for more success in 2019.
The Bulldog offense is led by junior quarterback Tyler Davis, who has a stable of talented skill position players in senior wideouts Caleb McCarty and Colby Justes along with senior running back Saylor Jones. The Bulldogs run out of the spread formation on offense and will show multiple looks defensively.
With Peyton McKinney ineligible for this week’s game and Landon Lowe out with a pre-season injury, the Jackets will look to freshman quarterback Cole Hines to take the reins of the offense. Hines will have the services of senior running back Anthony Foster and junior Seth Lowe to help move the ball. Senior wide receiver Isaac Vanwitzenburg and junior Dawson Nitzschke will be Hines’ primary targets in the passing game, however don’t be surprised if Foster and Seth Lowe also catch some passes from the backfield.
Coalfield will lean heavily on their line, anchored by all-state senior Dylan Stewart. This line has all the ingredients to be a special group in 2019 with seniors Stewart, Carl Winegardner, Micah Jackson and Andrew Farmer joining sophomore Bryson Ridge.
The Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets square off Friday night on Rochelle Field, kickoff is set for 7:30pm.