Tri-West Hendricks vs. Owen Valley Preview

A ticket to Semi-State will be on the line when Tri-West Hendricks and Owen Valley meet up this week. The DNA of the two squads shows that this will be one of the most interesting matchups on Indiana’s Regional slate. Tri-West has a stymieing defense. Owen Valley brings an offense that can run the ball with the very best. This game promises to be a physical contest to decide who will take home a Regional Championship trophy. Tri-West Hendricks Tri-West Hendricks has an outstanding defense that conceded only a dozen points last week. That defense will once again be put to the test by an outstanding Owen Valley ground attack. The front seven for Tri-West will need to have a great performance. The leaders in the front seven for their defense are [player_tooltip player_id="98019" first="Alex" last="Covey"] and [player_tooltip player_id="147061" first="Ethan" last="Depinet"]. Covey is an outstanding defensive lineman who can win the battle at the line-of-scrimmage and he can get penetration- disrupting the running-game and applying pressure on the quarterback. Depinet is a high-level linebacker who covers a lot of ground and plays the run very well. Both are terrific tacklers, something that takes on a higher level of significance in a big game such as this one. Offensively, Quarterback Ty Owens has been extremely efficient leading the Tri-West offense. Owens has done exactly what a quarterback needs to do: lead the offense to the end zone and protect the football. Owens has thrown 25 touchdown passes and only two interceptions this year. He will need to continue to avoid costly turnovers. A giveaway in a game like this can be a massive momentum swing. Leading rusher Davon Brown will be critical to the team’s hopes of controlling the tempo of the game. When looking for a big play through the air, Jeff Marsh- who currently leads the team in receiving yards- will be the man to look to. Owen Valley Without question, Owen Valley’s formula for success in this game has to be centered around their ability to run the football. The team has two players who have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Dual-threat Quarterback Brody Lester is a playmaker. Like Owens, Lester has only thrown two interceptions during this campaign, demonstrating his ability to take care of the football. Lester can make big throws, but Tri-West Hendricks will have to be prepared for him to run the ball. Lester is Owen Valley’s second-leading rusher this year with 1,280 rushing yards. As impressive as that is, [player_tooltip player_id="185251" first="Christian" last="McDonald"] has managed to top that mark. McDonald has run for over 1,400 yards this season. Both of their astonishing totals make life difficult for any opposing defense. Keeping tabs on two huge threats each play is far from easy. When Owen Valley does take to the skies, leading receiver Chris Zeilstra can be a difference-maker. On the defensive side of the ball, Owen Valley has one of the very best pass rushers in the state. Senior Jerry McBee has posted 17.5 sacks on the year. He has been a consistent performer all year. As such, he will require the full attention of Tri-West’s offensive line. If McBee can get the penetration that he has all season, it would be a huge boost for his team. It will be crucial for Owen Valley to find ways to slow down the Tri-West Hendricks passing attack.