Waverly entered last week’s game with Clinton-Massie averaging nearly 40 points a game this season.
The Tigers scored 40 or more points in seven of the first nine games this season.
Clinton-Massie’s defense held Waverly to 255 yards and 28 points in a 49-28 second round playoff win. Fourteen of those points came in the fourth quarter with Massie already up 42-14.
“Felt like our defense played one of the better games of the season,” CM head coach Dan McSurley said. “Really giving up 14 points and stopping for the most part a couple nice receivers and their school-record breaking yardage offense was big. That should give us a lot of confidence going forward.”
The Falcons will face another great offense this week in No. 1 Wyoming. The Div. IV Region 16 semifinal game is set for a 7 p.m. Friday kickoff at Little Miami High School.
“It seems like every year it’s between Wyoming and us and sometimes another team that has one of those special years,” McSurley said.
Wyoming defeated Graham 30-6 last week to get to the Falcons. The Cowboys were balanced on offense (227 passing yards, 220 rushing yards) while holding Graham to just 260 yards total.
Sophomore Quaid Hauer, the WHS quarterback, was pinpoint with his accuracy, completing 15 of 16 passes. He also had 10 tackles on defense. He is completing 71 percent of passes for the season with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jared Hancock also had 10 tackles against Graham to move his season total to 34.
In Massie’s aforementioned win over Waverly last week, the Falcons totaled 475 yards of offense, all on the ground on 53 rushing attempts. Carson Vanhoose ran for 220 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The offensive line of Garrett Vance, Adam Frisch, Lane Schulz, Isaiah McCoy and Owen Trick was overpowering.
“Hard working group,” Vanhoose said of the big guys up front. “Without them there wouldn’t be any holes (to run through). They do all the dirty work.”
Wyoming’s offense was good and the defense even better in last season’s 28-9 win over Clinton-Massie.
“Wyoming had a really good defensive line,” said Vance. “They came out ready to go.”
Schulz said the Falcons were able to move the ball against the Cowboys.
“We just couldn’t capitalize in the red zone,” he said.
Vanhoose, who leads the Falcons run game, said Wyoming’s effort last season came as no surprise.
“Wyoming’s defense was great, coached very well,” he said. “Their linebackers were tough.”
Coming in to this year’s game, Vanhoose said he feels much better physically than he did in 2020.
“I feel healthy,” he said. “Last year I felt banged up, so did a lot of kids.”
