Hartford Indian Football 2011

Hartford (6-2) @ Watervliet (7-1)

Game Time: 7:00 PM; Friday, October 21, 2011

Game Location: Panther Stadium

Head-to-Head: Watervliet leads 31-29-1

By Web Staff
October 21, 2011

   Well, Indian fans, we are back in the playoffs for the second straight year and 17th time overall! It's time to celebrate, right?
   Well, not so much. A little business to take care of first.
   This Friday night, in front of what will be a large population of both towns in the stands at Panther Stadium, the Indians and rival Watervliet will hook up in a game that has huge implications on postseason and conference divisional placing. The kickoff of the final game of the 2011 regular season will commence at 7:00 in Watervliet.

TEAMS AT A GLANCE

Record:	6-2	7-1
Win %:	.750	.875
Scored:	305	350
Allowed:	121	100
Streak:	Won 2	Won 5

The Indians come into the final game of the regular season at 6-2 overall and 2-2 in conference divisional play. They earned their playoff spot by winning 62-0 over winless Lawrence last Friday night on Hartford's Homecoming. The Indians led 42-0 after one quarter and, despite weather, kept scoring.
The Indians rushing game had a big game, with three rushers scoring two or more touchdowns. Gareth MacMillan had three rushing touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown. All told, he had 152 yards on five carries, while David Mireles added 66 yards and three

touchdowns on eight carries and Casper Aviles added 65 yards on nine carries.
   The Indians defense didn't have to do much work, but were led by Jared Meachum, who had ten tackles and was the only Indian tackler with double-digits in tackles.
   The Indians next opponent comes in the form of the rivals from the west, the Watervliet Panthers. The Panthers come into the game on Friday night sitting at 7-1 overall, coming off of a 33-0 shutout of Lawton last Friday. The Panthers, when all is said and told, probably has won the South Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference this year.
   The Panthers are a "Spread offense" type team, that many times favors the pass. While we were unable to attain overall numbers, quarterback Jake Cowsert threw for 199 yards on 12-of-27 passing with two touchdowns and an interception last week. He also rushed for forty yards, too. Javauntae Thomas and Tyler Scott are the leading rush candidates for the Panthers. Thomas had 93 yards last week in the Lawton win. When you look for receiving targets for Cowsert, look no farther than the trio of Travis Bolin, A.J. Crowe and Kyle Roberts. Each had two or more receptions last week, Bolin had six total for 113 yards and a touchdown to lead Watervliet.
   The offensive and defensive lines certainly control the games at the line of scrimmage. Those making huge impacts for the Panthers will include Nick Steinke, Jaxon DeHaven (a big impact on both sides of the ball), Brett Thumm and Kevin Bryant. This line has been known to step up in key situations and make big plays and that is where the game may be won or lost.
   The Indians may be in the playoffs after winning six games, but the season is 48 minutes from over. Make the trip five miles to the west to Watervliet and support the Indians in what has become a "hostile" Panther Stadium!

NOTES: The Indian Junior Varsity team finishes its 2011 season this Thursday night at Indian Stadium against Watervliet, with kickoff set for 6:00 PM. The JV Indians fell to 4-2 following a 34-6 loss at Decatur last Thursday night in a makeup game from two weeks ago. It will not be the last game of the season for some of those players, as likely some will be called up for Varsity action in the postseason. Watervliet won the last meeting at Panther Stadium in 2009, winning 24-13 in week five that year. Coach Dave Janicki is 4-1 against Watervliet since joining Hartford in 2006, the 2009 loss the only loss so far. Both of these teams will be playoff bound following this week. The weather forecast looks cool, but dry. There is a thirty percent chance of rain prior to noon on Friday, but chances of rain go down from there. Temperatures will be in the middle forties at game time, with temperatures around forty by the end of the game. Winds look light on Friday night.