Snider at Bishop Dwenger Sectional Championship Game Preview

Snider and Bishop Dwenger have been locked in one of the Fort Wayne area’s greatest gridiron rivalries for many years. Over the years, this rivalry has seen many classic games, elite performances and nail-biting finishes. But for all of the history that these two foes have against one another, they have never played each other in the postseason. But that will be changing this Friday when the Panthers travel to take on the Saints with a Sectional Championship at stake. As such, previewing this big-time matchup seemed all too appropriate. Snider Panthers For as great of a rivalry at Snider versus Bishop Dwenger is, the Panthers’ main rival would have to be the school that they share a stadium with, the Northrop Bruins. Unlike, Snider-Dwenger, which has been very even historically, the Panthers have long had the upper hand over the Bruins. Yet, Snider had to come from behind in the fourth quarter and come up with a late defensive stop to advance past Northrop just to get this far. Snider will need to be better if they are to come away with the road victory. They will have to follow their traditonal formula of runnung the ball effectively and winning the battle up front- something which they have done most of this season. Key to winning that battle is offensive linemam [player_tooltip player_id="39043" first="Demon" last="Moore"]. He is a dominant player who can wear down the opposing defensive line and open up big running lanes. Offensively, the X-factor will be quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="185238" first="Luke" last="Haupert"]. Haupert has come on strong throughout this season and if he can make timely throws, Snider will be very difficult to stop. Defensively, Snider will need to count on their leader, linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="39054" first="Domanick" last="Moon"]. The Purdue commit provides outstanding effort and does well covering from sideline-to-sideline. His ability to stop the run will be critical this week. On the back end, the work of defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="107221" first="Jackson" last="McCullough"] will be extremely important. Bishop Dwenger has an outstanding group of receivers that can test any secondary. If McCullough can lock things down in the defensive backfield- and maybe even come up with a takeaway- Snider could be in serious business. Bishop Dwenger Saints As if the motivation of win-or-go-home is not enough, Bishop Dwenger will also be playing to avenge their regular season defeat at Snider. Like the Panthers, the Saints were tested at home a week ago by the North Side Legends, with Bishop Dwenger escaping with a 10-7 victory. Without question, success for the Saints will hinge on their abilty to get their playmaking receivers involved. Tight end [player_tooltip player_id="98063" first="Rocco" last="Ciocca"] is a threat anywhere on the field, but in short yardage and goal-to-go situations, he is very difficult to defend. Henry O’Keefe enters this week as the team’s leader in receiving yards. If O’Keefe and Ciocca can have big performances, not only will that help Bishop Dwenger’s passing-game, but that would open up opportunities on the ground. Junior quarterback Bhode Dickerson will need to make some big throws on key plays and he has proven that he is more than capable. Dickerson can also use his legs effectively, meaning that the Snider defense will have to be on their toes at all times. On defense, the Saints are going to need to find a way to slow down Snider’s potent rushing attack. If they can limit the running-game, that may force Snider to throw the ball more than what they would like to. When the Panthers do go to the air, the ability to get after Haupert will be very important for the Saints’ defense. Randy Carey has posted seven sacks on the year. If he can get penetration in this game, that could give Bishop Dwenger the advantage.