Football: Knights going for first win against IM since ‘01
Norway hasn’t beaten Iron Mountain in a football game since 2001. Maybe this is the year the Knights win.
Technically, it was more recent, but only because of an asterisk. Iron Mountain forfeited the 2005 season, giving the Knights a win even though they lost 22-20.
Last year, the Mountaineers beat Norway 28-7 at Ronberg Field.
Regardless, the playoff-bound Knights (7-1) are primed to end the losing streak on the field in Friday’s game. Despite being 1-7, Iron Mountain still presents a challenge to Norway, Knights head coach Bob Madigan said.
“I think Iron Mountain’s going to be ready to play. They played a really good game last week against Gladstone,” Madigan said of Iron Mountain’s 28-12 loss after being tied 12-all at halftime. “If we don’t go up there Friday night with a lot of emotion and ready to play, they could beat us. It’s always been a rivalry. We have to play with the same emotion we played with last week against Lake Linden. By no means do you take them lightly. You play against them four quarters.”
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Mountaineer Stadium. It’s the first time the Mountaineers will miss the playoffs since going 4-5 in 2013. It is essentially a playoff game with seniors playing out their final high school game.
“We’re hoping to finish the year strong,” Iron Mountain head coach Robin Marttila said. “We took a step forward as a football team last week against a very good Gladstone team.”
The Mountaineers lost quarterback Jacob Tucker to an injury last week and Marttila said it’s “50-50” if he plays this week. Gavin Goulette is also questionable for the game. Injuries have plagued the Mountaineers throughout the season, limiting an already short roster.
Injuries has been something the Knights have been fortunate in avoiding. Madigan said although injuries haven’t been an issue, sometimes the challenge has been focus and concentrating on the game at hand. Though Norway has had well-documented off-field events including the death of Bryan Stanchina last summer. Various events at Ronberg Field just before games have been understandably emotionally draining for the team, Madigan said, but the team has to stay focused on the game and the opponent. Two weeks ago, the Knights lost their first game 28-14 against Newberry.
“We’ve been working and priming. I think that game against Newberry a couple weeks ago shook us up and it was probably good for us,” Madigan said. “We really started going hard in practice. This week we’re doing the same thing. If the kids can’t get ready for Iron Mountain, they’re not getting ready for anything, because this has been a rivalry.”
Marttila said Norway’s depth makes it challenging to hone a defensive gameplan around one dimension when the Knights are able to seamlessly adjust into another strategy.
“In terms of Norway, they are a talented, deep football team. I know they have good numbers on their team in terms of roster. They’ve had really good playing time,” Marttila said. “I know they’re talented in terms of playmakers that they have including Josh Plante, Mitchell LeGrave, Micah Wilson, Josh Boulden at the tight-end spot. Just well balanced in terms of size, speed, athleticism. It’s hard to find a weakness.”
Marttila said his team feels inspired after a strong showing defensively against Gladstone’s spread offense.
“I thought we played well defensively against a very athletic quarterback,” Marttila said. “We were able to make some tackles in space so that was a bright spot. we made some plays in the passing game. Charlie Gerhard made some catches and credit the offensive line.”
The biggest challenge for Iron Mountain has been its offense. Through the first eight games last year, Iron Mountain scored 237 points (29.6 points per game). This year, the Mountaineers have scored 89 points (11.1 ppg).
Iron Mountain’s defense has also given up 264 points (33 ppg), 10 more than all of last year, which included two playoff games. Through the first eight games last year, the Mountaineers gave up 161 points (20.1 ppg).
“This year we’ve struggled to put points on the board,” Marttila said. “That’s always a work in progress.”