Call it organized chaos.

Tuesday, November 07, 2000

Call it organized chaos. One look at the Coshocton Redskins offense and an opposing team can get totally confused. In fact, there have been 11 opposing teams who have been confused.

And steam rolled.

Averaging 45 points a game, Coshocton has breezed though almost every opponent this season en route to an 11-0 record, the No. 2 ranking in the final Associated Press poll, and a berth in the Division IV Region 15 semifinals Friday night against the Ironton Fighting Tigers at Groveport.

"They give you a lot of different formations and a lot of motion. They come at you from every direction. It can be confusing to a defense," Ironton coach Bob Lutz said.

That confusion has generated some lopsided wins. The Redskins have scored more than 60 points in a game three times and 50 or more in two other contests. They opened the playoffs with a 41-14 spanking of Bloom-Carroll, a team that beat defending Div. V state champion Amanda-Clearcreek.

The closest game for Coshocton was 30-28 over Millersburg West Holmes the third week of the season. The next closest was a 31-21 win over Dover, a team that made the Div. III playoffs but lost to Columbus DeSales in the first round.

Leading the offense are 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior quarterback Kyle Myers, senior fullback Ricky Ciccone (5-9, 170), and junior flanker/running back Bryan Davis (5-9, 170).

"Their quarterback is a heady kid who just makes plays for them. He does whatever it takes to get the job done," Lutz said.

"Davis has some speed and he has some moves about him. He can make you miss. And their fullback isn’t real big, but he runs hard and he’s a workhorse. He can carry the mail."

The difference between Coshocton and Ironton’s opponent last week, Martins Ferry, will be size. Ironton whipped up on a small Martins Ferry line last week in a 43-7 win. The Redskins have a bigger offensive line to match up with Ironton.

Junior Jimmy Watson (6-0, 190) is the center, seniors Chuck Crossley (6-0, 220) and David Crenshaw (6-1, 195) are the guards, junior Jarrod Tipton (6-4, 240) and senior Michael Jacobs (6-5, 245) are the tackles. and senior Josh Coffman (6-0, 195) is the tight end.

Other wide receivers in the trips, slots, and shotgun formations are junior flanker Stoney Nelson (6-2, 165) and split ends Ryan Forbes (5-8, 150) and Todd Stoffer (5-10, 160).

"Their guards are the key to their line. They like to pull them on traps and sweeps a lot and they do a good job getting there and getting up against you," Lutz said. "And their tackles are much bigger than Martins Ferry. It’s going to make it tougher on our defensive front."

Defensively, Coshocton has allowed 148 points or 13.4 a game.

Crossley and Watson are the ends, Jacobs and sophomore Mark Hepner (5-11, 230) the tackles, Coffman and Crenshaw the inside linebackers, Ciccone and senior Jesse Albert (5-9, 160) on the outside, Stoffer and Davis the corners, and Myers is the safety.

"They’re similar on defense as they are on offense in that they like to confuse you. They like to attack and bring a lot of people and confuse your blocking assignments," Lutz said.

Ironton, 9-1, was ranked sixth in the final Associated Press poll but finished second in the Region 15 computer ratings. Coshocton was third in the region.