By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Oswego High School football coach Andy Fewin and his players, even though they are 10-0, realize that tonight they can earn oodles of respect across Kansas.
The task is daunting, however.
Olpe, another 10-0 team, visits the Indians in the second round of the Kansas 2-1A playoffs with kickoff scheduled for 6 at Arrowhead Stadium.
Olpe, which lost in the final last season, is ranked No. 2 behind defending champion Smith Center by the Wichita Eagle.
“They are a very good team,” Fewin said of the Eagles. “We’re still trying to earn respect for our program.
“They do a lot of things similar to us,” Fewin said. “They’re physical, hard-nosed, aggressive and rely on running the ball.”
Olpe coach Chris Schmidt agreed with Fewin.
“We also basically run the same defenses,” Schmidt said. “We both want to run the ball and naturally stop it. Both of us have done a good job doing just that. A defensive key is to make any team one-dimensional.”
Olpe has allowed 24 points and posted five shutouts. Oswego has permitted just 26 points and logged seven shutouts. Olpe has scored 428 points — one win was a forfeit — and Oswego has 436.
Schmidt, a graduate of Olpe and nearby Emporia State, is in his third year as head coach (30-5) after 15 as an assistant.
Fewin singled out three opposing players as standouts from a 13-1 edition — wide receiver Bradley Argabright (Dad Michael was a teammate of Fewin’s brother, Broc, at Wichita State), quarterback Matt Redeker and tailback Linden Stueve.
Stueve has rushed for 1,302 yards on 125 carries. Redeker has thrown for 698 yards on 29-for-53 accuracy. Argabright, who has 15 receptions for 363 yards, returned a kickoff for a touchdown last season against Smith Center.
Redeker rushed for three touchdowns and threw for one and Argabright had three scores in the Eagles’ 42-6 opening playoff win against Chase County.
Oswego statistics include Damon Trotnic (117 carries for 951 yards and 17 touchdowns), Lane Martin (97-625-16) and Nick Billingsly (65-551-2).
Martin has completed 38 of 93 passes for 701 yards and 13 touchdowns. Hunter Cline and Michael Bullard have combined for 23 receptions, 511 yards and 10 scores.
Trotnic and Martin have scored 130 and 128 points, respectively.
Bullard has 105 total tackles, four fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. Martin has eight interceptions.
Fewin, a graduate of Oswego and Bethel College, is in his second year with the Indians and No. 26 overall in education. He spent 13 years at Remington and briefly was in private business before coming to Oswego.
“We’ll go out and do what we’ve done all season,” Fewin said. “We want to be aggressive.”
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