Van Wert Football Preview

Last year they did it. Van Wert hit the top of the mountain and won the state title. Everything seemed to go their way when it mattered most. They won some close games and had some easier weeks. They only lost one game and that was on the road at Ottawa-Glandorf right in the middle of the season. They took the loss on the chin and never looked back. The Cougars are led by Head Coach Keith Recker. Recker was the man behind the run last year and relished the moment. In an interview after the championship, he talked about why the community of Van Wert was so special and how it starts and ends with football with them. He loves the small town and how they conformed around the football team. However, he couldn’t celebrate the championship too long because he lost a bunch of key pieces to graduation. It’s never easy replacing key starters. It’s even harder to do, and sometimes impossible to do, when you’re replacing your Star QB. The Cougars are now without Owen Treece. Treece was the man for the Cougars. The quarterback led the team through the air, was a great runner when he needed to, and was the team leader. He’s now graduated and now playing football at Wittenburg University. The player that hopes to replace Treece is [player_tooltip player_id="" first="Aidan" last="Pratt"]. Will he? We don’t know yet but he wants to. He’s transitioning from playing WR/DE and we don’t really have much, if any tape, on Pratt at quarterback. He will still likely play defense because he makes an impact. He’s a very lengthy kid and stands at 6’4" and 195 lbs. He's recently updated all of his social media and HUDL page to say QB. He wants the job and has been working for it this offseason. Luckily for the Cougars, Nate Jackson, their Star RB, is returning. Jackson will be there to take a ton of pressure off the new QB. Typically, it’s a good idea just to give him the ball. Anytime he touches the ball he makes something happen. He’s 5’10" and 180 lbs and plays right into his frame. He’s returning for one last run and he’s going to be key for that offense. They will roll with Jackson heavily in 2021 and he’s definitely ready for the challenge. Van Wert has a secret weapon. Maddix Crutchfield is an ATH who plays all over the field. He will line up at RB, FS, TE/WR. He will catch passes and makes plays and then turn around and go line up on defense and make plays there. He graduates in 2023 and still has plenty of time to grow. He’s going to be much better this year and they are going to need him to step up. If he can make a bigger impact in a few different spots it’ll make up for some of the loss of the seniors from 2020. In 2021 Van Wert is going to get everyone’s best shot. They are the defending champs and everyone wants to take down the king. They start their title defense on the road at Bryan on August 20th at 7 PM. They will bounce back and forth with home and away games before they finish at home against Bath on October 22nd at 7 PM. A state championship, replacing their QB, and everyone gunning to take them down. 2021 is going to be such an enticing season for the Cougars.