Lima Warriors Football

If Ploehn can turn things around from the first meeting, he’ll look to his trio of top targets: Brandon Anderson (#9), Randy Tessin (#13) and Steve Van Dam (#5).  Anderson is a dependable back-up QB and solid receiver, while Tessin is having a breakout season and leads the team in TD's. He’s caught 10 passes for 168 yards and 3 TD's in five games. Running Back Crockett (#15) from the University of Iowa stepped up his game and has run over defenders. His 323 yards and 3 TD's in five games is impressive and when you throw in his receiving yards, he's a force to be reckoned with.

Battle Creek's standout defensive players include lineman Martin Birchmeier, who has 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and is without a doubt, one of the best players on the Blaze defense.

Linebackers Shane Woody (#90) and Michael Bailey (#42) lead the team with 22 and 21 tackles and both are sturdy and quick linebackers that should test the Warriors offensive line. The secondary is nothing to write home about, but it’s United States Football Alliance football, so they’re just as capable as other defensive backs in the conference if Runion wants to put one up for grabs. If he plays smart, he could have a big day against this group.

NOTES: The game will pit the Warriors solid passing offense against a divisional rival who only allowed 21 offensive points in week 1… The Blaze are making their first trip to Lima… Against Northwest Ohio Raiders last game, Battle Creek posted a shutout…Lima has not lost two regular season games at home since it's debut season in 2001 .

On paper this game does not even appear as close as the mere 14-point victory in week one suggests. But Warriors fans who witnessed the first game have a healthy does of respect for Battle Creek no matter how badly they may be perceived. Outside of Detroit, perhaps no team has given the Warriors as much trouble as Battle Creek has. The week-one effort didn't translate to a win, but they brought a nail-biter. Lima should look to get an early lead executing what it feels are its best plays and then move on to address other areas of the game that need improvement. The continued evolution out of Runion and Andrew Cleckley running the new offensive scheme, plays out of the "I" and other formations will
probably move the ball with relative ease against this defense. Quite a few teams have put up sick rushing numbers against Battle Creek, but none had the firepower of those two doing it. Hopefully some early success and quick scores will mean a light day for Cleckley, the offensive line and some much-needed rest. He, along with the rest of the team took some shots in Toledo last weekend and need to get to as close to healthy as possible ahead of a game with the ultimate nemesis Grand Rapids in week 7. 
Cleckley's introduction to a new offense means David Phillips will get more opportunities to add to his hype since he’s arrived on the team. If he comes out and runs hard and has a great game like last week, the holes will also be open for Jeremy Bott, Myron Gregory and Deion Pearson to barrel through.

Good decisions are what this game should come down to for Runion. He got the huge win last game thanks to some quality catches and there was a stretch of about two quarters where he was completely zoned-in and making great decisions.

He’ll have some fresh faces at receiver with Joe Butcher still injured and rookie Corey Clarks speed coming through. Huttis and Clark look to be the primary beneficiaries, but teams can never count out Deondre Holt, Porfirio Sutton or Jeremy Bott. We don’t see them much, but when we do, they are taking balls to the house. There prescence always puts defensive coordinators in bad positions.

For the line, it’s crucial that they build on any type of momentum they generated in the Knights game. Though Runion didn't appear to feel much pressure last weekend, I’m sure Stafford and Co. will look for a repeat performance. With Battle Creek's defensive woes, the group has another chance to shine and that’s key if the team wants to take care of business when the meat of the conference schedule hits. The defensive front has to get pressure on Ploehn. I feel good about that happening because James Davenport is taking strides each week, Chris Brooks has been steady and newcomer Kenny Blake is really getting noticed. It’s hard telling who the team’s sack leader is from the fan's perspective since the defense swarms all over the backfield in group-fashion all season. Look for Isaac Melton who has really turned it on over the last handful of games. Against the Kentucky Wolverines and the Knights. Every year there’s a guy or three that starts to make progress once the "gut-check" games roll around and Melton appears to be one of those guys this season.  The secondary will once again do a solid job of coverage down the middle because if Ploehn doesn't have time, they’ll pick him apart. So far, they’ve shown a big desire to hit and stick opposing receivers and they are trying to build momentum before they meet the Thunder and the Detroit Wolverines.

Considering the undermanned Warriors blitzed a Blaze team in front of a home crowd earlier in the season, you have to like their chances of putting away a relatively easy victory. Battle Creek will have a chance — especially if Ploehn heats up, but Runion, Cleckley and a growing offensive line and defense should prove to be too much.

NOTES: Aaron Matthews will call the game live at 7 p.m. at  www.limawarriors.com

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