Indians Make 2017 Playoffs – Will Travel to Xavier For First Round Action
Seth Howard runs for an Oskaloosa touchdown on Friday night.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The long bus ride back from West Burlington Friday night was filled with excitement coming off the win against West Burlington/Notre Dame 56-13.
There was some apprehension on that ride home, not knowing for sure if that was going to be the final game of the season, or if their slim chance at making the playoffs would become a reality.
Before the bus rolled into Oskaloosa, the team knew they would make the 16 team cut for Class 3A. They will be taking on Cedar Rapids Xavier on Friday night, at Xavier.
After the game, Oskaloosa Indians Head Football Coach Jake Jenkins said that the team came out and played hard. “A lot of emotions on the field tonight on both sides of the ball, being the end of the year.”
“Our guys executed well,” added Jenkins.
Tyler Miller once again displayed how dangerous the Oskaloosa special teams are when he returned a 99-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. “He’s explosive,” said Jenkins of the Oskaloosa sophomore. “If you look at that play, there’s lots of guys blocking all over the place. There’s a lot of guys giving really great effort.”
“Their dive is impressive. When I saw them score on Solon, I said, these guys are good up front,” added Jenkins.
Jenkins spoke about the difficulty the defense had, at times, of stopping the triple-option offense of the Falcons. “Triple option is not easy to stop. You have midline, veer, and you have speed option. I thought they ran hard.”
Blake Van Veldhuizen, who is being heavily scouted by division one schools for his ability on the line, got the opportunity to run in for a touchdown against the Falcons. “He’s a special kid,” said Jenkins. “He’s one of the best linemen Oskaloosa’s ever had, and that is saying something because Oskaloosa has a rich tradition with football. To say that about Blake, that means a lot to me.”
The Indians had a total of 383 yards of offense on the night, with 220 of those coming in the air. West Burlington/Notre Dame had a total of 169 yards, all happening on the ground.
Seth Howard completed 10 of 14 passing attempts for a total of 138 yards. Cole Henry was 5 of 6 in the air, gaining an additional 82 yards.
On the ground, Howard rushed for 87 yards on eight attempts and two touchdowns. Casey Hill rushed for 57 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. Tyler Miller had 18 yards on the ground on two carries, while Blake Van Veldhuizen had one rushing attempt resulting in a yard and a touchdown.
Tanner DeKock lead the Indians in receiving with five catches for a total of 81 yards. Jarad Kruse had three receptions for a total of 20 yards. Seth Howard pulled down two receptions for 68 yards, while Alex Chapman caught 2 for 14 yards. Tyler Miller had 26 yards on one reception. Casey Hill and Levi Fresquez each ended the night with a reception each.
Blake Van Veldhuizen lead the Oskaloosa defense with 13 total tackles, with four Indians: Tanner DeKock, Calvin Silvers, Nikolas Dykstra, and Jarad Kruse registering seven tackles of their own.
Keaton DeKock added six tackles, while Jaden Van Roekel, Casey Hill, and Kenny Settimi added five tackles each.
The 6-3 Oskaloosa Indians will travel to 9-0 Xavier of Cedar Rapids on Friday night in the first round of Class 3A playoff action. Kick-off will be at 7 pm.
