Colfax-Mingo’s defense has passed numerous tests this season that have involved shutting down an opponent’s running game.
To advance in the first round of the Class A postseason, the Tigerhawks will have to do it one more time.
Hosting its first playoff game since 2003, the Tigerhawks welcome Earlham to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff Wednesday.
Similar to when they played Montezuma, Lynnville-Sully, Belle Plaine and North Mahaska, Colfax-Mingo will have to shut down the Cardinals’ running game if it wants to move on to round two.
“They like to load it up and run the ball,” Colfax-Mingo coach Jeff Lietz said. “We’ll need to stop the run and not them kill the clock and keep our offense off the field.”
Earlham advanced three rounds deep into the postseason last year and knocked off the 2014 Class A District 7 champion Montezuma Braves in round two.
This year’s Cardinal team is different though. Earlham (6-3) has only defeated one playoff team — fourth seeded Bedford — this season. Of its six wins, only one has a winning record and four of them — Woodward Academy, Southeast Warren, Clarinda Academy and Martensdale-St. Marys — were 2-7 or worse.
“They are different than last year. They are much younger for one,” Lietz said. “But they are well coached and they’ll be ready to go. We know they’ll be confident after their run last year.”
The Cardinals’ losses came against 1A No. 7 Van Meter (42-0), Class A No. 9 Mount Ayr (42-0) and Class A No. 10 Pleasantville (40-0).
Earlham’s offense is as close to one-dimensional as it comes. Cardinal quarterback Ben Clement has only thrown 56 passes this year, and in the three losses to ranked foes, Earlham attempted only seven passes.
Jason Hopp leads the rushing attack with 690 yards and eight touchdowns, but he was injured in Week 5 and hasn’t been as effective since. Paxton Groves also has rushed for 572 yards and seven touchdowns.
In all, five running backs have rushed at least 39 times and all five have gained at least 346 rushing yards.
When Earlham (6-3) does throw, Clement will look first to Joey Harkins, who has nine catches for 231 yards and seven touchdowns. Harkins averages 26 yards per reception, and he leads the defense with 44 tackles and four sacks.
“We have been preparing for this type of offense all season long so that will help,” Lietz said. “We have to give our offense some opportunities and to do that we’ll have to stop their run and get off the field on third down.”
Colfax-Mingo’s big-play offense is led by one of the state’s leading passer, Jared Myers, who has thrown for 2,317 yards and a Class A-high and school-best 29 touchdowns. He needs 348 passing yards to set a new school record for most passing yards in a season. The current record is 2,664 set by Mitch Larson back in 2011.
The next catch Jake Lietz hauls in will set a new school record. He comes in with 52 receptions, which is tied with Joe Borts, who set the mark in 2010.
Jake Lietz and Blake Summy both need two receiving touchdowns to tie a single season school record, too.