Class 1A playoffs: Strasburg survives Meeker in first round

The Strasburg Indians did not face much of a challenge during the regular season. In five games, the Indians outscored their competition 325-0 to earn the No. 2 seed in the Class 1A state playoffs. They knew things would be much tougher in the postseason, starting with the No. 7 seed Meeker Cowboys in the first round. Meeker proved to be an opponent of similar caliber to Strasburg as they drove down the field and scored on the opening drive of the game to give the Indians their first deficit and touchdown allowed on the season. The Cowboys would also take a lead in the second half, putting Strasburg in unfamiliar territory so far in 2020. In the end, the championship pedigree of Strasburg allowed them to overcome some big plays from Meeker and to hang on for a 36-34 home win to advance to the semifinal round of the state playoffs. <h3><strong>Game recap</strong></h3> Meeker needed nine plays to go 50 yards for an opening touchdown drive with a <strong>Jeremy Woodward</strong> touchdown run of one yard. Strasburg answered with its own lengthy drive, an eight-play, 51-yard drive with quarterback <strong>Collin Russell</strong> sneaking it in over the goal line from two yards out. The Indians would extend their lead on their third offensive drive of the game with Russell getting to the outside on a scramble and finding the corner pylon for a five-yard touchdown run. It appeared the Indians would find a way to lead at the half, but Meeker got a big kickoff return from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="58953" first="Kelton" last="Turner"]</strong> for a touchdown and a two-point conversion that resulted in the game being tied 14-14 at the half. Another lengthy drive from Strasburg to start the second half was capped by a jet sweep to <strong>Trystan Graf</strong> for a six-yard score to put the Indians back in front. Meeker answered with another big scoring play, this time a 53-yard touchdown run from Woodward and a two-point conversion to take a 22-21 lead. The lead did not last long with Strasburg going 69 yards in 10 plays on the next drive with Graf scoring on another jet sweep to go up 29-22, which would be the score going into the fourth quarter. A trick play on a reverse gave Turner an opening to break free for a 43-yard touchdown run for Meeker in the fourth quarter, but a failed two-point conversion kept Strasburg in front by a point. The Indians got a big touchdown run from <strong>Tallin Hall</strong> that put them up by eight points with 5 minutes, 12 seconds remaining. Meeker would then put together the longest drive of the game, going 73 yards in 17 plays and aided by a few defensive penalties from Strasburg, to score on a touchdown pass from <strong>Ryan Phelan</strong> to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60905" first="Spud" last="White"]</strong>. It was the Strasburg defense who made two big plays in the final minute of the fourth quarter to seal the win. First was a stop on the two-point conversion by <strong>Keegan Tiffany</strong> and <strong>Cole Leiker</strong> that kept the Indians up 36-34 with 45 seconds remaining. They would allow Meeker to recover the onside kick, but Russell sealed the win with an easy interception two plays later. Below are the game balls handed out to some of the top performers in the game. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Trystan Graf, 2021, 5’10, 165, RB/DB, Strasburg</strong></span> It was clear that Strasburg wanted to feature Graf in the run game. They lined him up all over the field to carry the ball. He was the tailback in the I-formation and followed his fullback to run between the tackles, and he also lined up as a slot receiver and went in motion to take some jet sweeps to the edge. His versatility in running downhill in the power game and using his speed to get outside allowed Strasburg to stay ahead of the chains most of the night. Graf would score multiple touchdowns and proved to be a difference maker on the ground in the win. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">AJ Hemphill, 2021, 6’1, 205, WR/LB, Strasburg</span></strong> When Strasburg did go to the air on offense, Hemphill was the go-to target, and he proved why. He was a versatile wide receiver and showed he could win a 1-on-1 matchup against the corner on the edge. Like Graf, he also showed versatility in how he was used, from getting to the sideline on short passes to the outside or willing to go over the middle of the field. He showed good skills in the scramble drill when his quarterback moved out of the pocket and was able to find some open spots to target him. In addition to his skill set and sure hands on offense, Hemphill had multiple tackles on defense and played good defensive coverage. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Collin Russell, 2021, 5’11, 160, QB/DB, Strasburg</span></strong> One key for Russell: he showed an ability to extend plays in the passing game. While he did leave the pocket early at times, he showed that he could scramble and find receivers down field for some big passes in the scramble drill. His legs helped him score a pair of first-half rushing touchdowns. And when the team needed to make a defensive stop to secure the win, it was Russell who got the lone turnover of the game, the game-winning interception on a deep pass in the final minute of the game. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Colby Clatterbaugh, 2021, 6’1, 210, RB/LB, Meeker</strong></span> This young man was flying all over the field on defense. It seemed like every other play you would see him sticking his nose into a ball carrier to make a tackle. He showed great closing speed and sure tackling in space, a key to prevent Strasburg from breaking as many home-run type of plays as they have during the regular season. He recorded double-digit tackles in the game and was part of a linebacker core that was racking up the tackles for Meeker. <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="58953" first="Kelton" last="Turner"], 2022, 5’9, 170, RB/LB, Meeker</span></strong> Another linebacker who found himself with a high volume of tackles, Turner was doing a good job of getting to the edge on Strasburg’s jet sweeps to make stops there. His speed was reliable in the special teams department when he returned the opening kickoff to midfield to set up the first touchdown drive of the game, and then he broke an 80-yard run with one cut and a burst of speed for a touchdown. The speed flashed on the field and Turner proves he will be a key player coming back for the Cowboys next season. <span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Cooper Main, 2021, 6’2, 180, OL/LB, Meeker</strong></span> Versatility is a theme for our key athletes who stood out. Perhaps the man who showed the most with that is Main. On offense, he played at the left tackle spot, protecting the quarterback’s blind side in the passing game and bringing a physicality to the offensive line in opening up some run lanes for a number of big plays that resulted in touchdowns. While his power was critical on offense, he was playing at linebacker on defense and tasked with stopping the run and being able to cover in space. He showed the ability to block and protect in the pass game on offense while covering wide receivers and making tackles in space against the pass on defense. He also recorded a high volume of tackles for the Meeker defense in the game.