The South Callaway defense expects to see plenty of Hallsville senior running back Skyler Creed. The Bulldogs are just not sure to what extent.
Top-seeded South Callaway - undefeated at 10-0 and ranked third in the state - hosts Creed and the No. 4 seed Indians (8-2) tonight in a Class 2, District 7 semifinal. Kickoff is at 7. In Friday night's other District 7 semifinal, No. 2 seed Lafayette County (10-0) - ranked seventh - will be at home against No. 6 seed Cole Camp (9-1).
With senior quarterback Joey Forge leaving the game with an apparent ankle injury late in the first half, Hallsville leaned on Creed as he rushed for 214 yards on 30 carries in the Indians' 21-17 quarterfinal win at home over No. 7 seed Father Tolton last week. Creed scored on a 24-yard run and also tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass off a trick play.
If Forge can't go, South Callaway head coach Tim Rulo was left to wonder if that would force Hallsville to alter its offensive plans while increasing the volume of Creed's workload.
"If anything, that's kind of the million-dollar question," Rulo said after practice Tuesday night. "What offense are they going to run? All of a sudden, they could come out all wildcat (formation) and try to bowl us over, and just direct snap it to (Creed).
"I mean, I have no idea."
Creed has carried the ball 223 times (22.3 per game) this season, gaining 1,364 yards (6.1 average) and scoring 22 touchdowns. He is also a threat as a pass-catcher, entering last week's game with 26 grabs for 528 yards (20.3 average) and four scores.
"You're going to have to find out where No. 9 (Creed) is," Rulo said. "... He's getting the ball. He's elusive, he's got good speed, breaks tackles well."
In readying itself to face Creed, South Callaway's defense can refer to its performance against senior running back Adam Holt in the Bulldogs' 55-7 victory at Bowling Green on Oct. 17. Holt accounted for the Bobcats' only score on a flashy 93-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs confined him to a meager 42 yards (2.2 average) on his remaining 19 carries.
While noting that Holt is the faster of the two, Rulo explained that Creed has the moves to make tacklers miss and runs behind a bulkier offensive line.
"They do a good job of getting Skyler Creed the ball in multiple ways," Rulo said. "They run a lot of inside zone, they run some power, they run some sweep.
"... Skyler Creed has the ability, just a little bit of wiggle, to get to the next window (opening). We'll really need to make sure we fit up the window, all at the same time. It can't be one guy fits up and the other guy's too slow to get there."
Rulo stressed that South Callaway's defensive unit was also preparing as if Forge will be under center tonight for the Indians. He threw a 20-yard touchdown pass before exiting last week's game with his injury and was replaced by freshman Graham Moser.
Coming into last week, Forge had completed 67-of-157 passes (43 percent) for 1,344 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
"He weighs 200 pounds, he's a big, old quarterback," Rulo said. "Runs pretty well, throws pretty well. ... Their offense didn't change when the Forge kid was out. In my mind, it's a matter of us being prepared and ready to go.
"Their offense is definitely centered around those two guys (Creed and Forge)."
In the meantime, South Callaway's typically quick-starting offense encountered a rare hiccup in the early going of last week's 56-0 quarterfinal blitz of No. 8 seed Knob Noster in Mokane. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs and then lost a fumble on their first two possessions, before righting themselves and reeling off 21 points over the final 4 minutes, 19 seconds of the first quarter.
"It was a good reminder and a good lesson that we need to take care of business," Rulo said. "It was also a good chance to deal with the adversity of not scoring on the first drive or the second drive, and what that's like."
South Callaway eventually piled up 479 yards of total offense, including 397 rushing. Senior quarterback Troy Hentges threw touchdown passes of 27 and 16 yards to senior receivers Cory Hanger and Caleb Sconce, respectively, and Hentges also scored on a 16-yard run.
Senior slot receiver Mason Shoemaker added touchdown runs of 51 and 9 yards.
Rulo emphasized that the Bulldogs' offensive line will need to pay attention to details when tangling with its larger defensive counterparts on the Hallsville side.
"You have to do the little things even better," Rulo said. "You've got to block to the whistle, you've got to make sure your hands are in the right spot, you've got to keep your feet going all the way through. ... You're not going to overpower them, it's not like you're going to roll over them - they're bigger than you are.
"As well, for us, it's got to be figuring out what they're doing (defensively), what are they trying to take away, and then, how can we take advantage of that with the athletes and players that we have."