The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

High School Sports

Discussion

September 6, 2012

McAuley, Miller match potent offenses

By Richard Polen Globe Sports Writer

— McAuley Catholic takes its high-octane offense on the road at 7 p.m. today at Miller, the defending champion of the Spring River Valley Conference.

McAuley, 1-1, scored five touchdowns in the first half of a 42-6 victory last Friday against Jasper. The Warriors are averaging more than 400 yards per game passing.

Miller, 2-0 and ranked No. 5 in Class 1 by the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, has a prolific offense as well. The Cardinals have scored 99 points in their first two games, including a 46-0 victory against Liberal last week.

“They’ll hit you from every angle possible,” said McAuley head coach Brenden Gubera. “They’ll run inside and they’ll run outside. They can take a two- or three-yard gain and turn it into a touchdown.”

The Cardinals run a spread offense guided by quarterback Dalton Gulick, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior who rushed for about 1,100 yards, passed for 1,800 and accounted for 42 touchdowns last season.

“We’re a run-first spread team, but we can definitely throw it, too,” said Miller head coach Dustin Baldwin, who is in his fourth season. “We always try to be balanced. The defense has to make a decision to defend the run or the pass.”

Gulick has rushed for 253 yards and five touchdowns on 17 carries in two games. The Cardinals also have experience at running back with Derrick Estell, Brenden Richardson and Chance Taylor. Baldwin said Richardson averaged 10 yards a carry last year as a sophomore.

“All of their guys run hard,” Gubera said. “What we’ve preached this week is gang tackling and getting to the football so we can make the plays we need to make.

“They’re bigger up front than we are and they play hard,” he said. “Something we have to do a good job of is keeping our heads up and our eyes up.”

The challenge for Miller’s defense begins with McAuley quarterback Mitch Wear, who has completed 34 of 60 passes for 835 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.

The Warriors’ leading receivers are Shaw Robertson, who has 13 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns; Greg Carney, who has 11 receptions for 346 yards and four touchdowns, and Cole Lowry, who has caught six passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns.

Wear leads the Warriors with 98 yards rushing on 10 carries.

“They have a lot of talent with their skill position players,” Baldwin said. “They’re going to get their yards. There’s no question what they want to do. It’s going to be a challenge to cover everything. You just try to contain it.”

Text Only
High School Sports