Fairfield, Grinnell set for good ol? fashioned slugfest

An unstoppable force may be lining up against an immovable object.

In Wednesday?s Class 3A sub-state game, the potent Grinnell rushing attack will be going for all they can against a stout Fairfield run defense.

?I?m expecting them to run the ball down our throats, that?s for sure,? said Fairfield head coach Mike Schenck.

The Fairfield defense, led by big defensive lineman Matt Hotek and linebacker Jeff Guttry, haven?t allowed a team to pick up more than 100 yards on the ground in the last four games. Meanwhile, the Grinnell offense has been pounding away and running the ball for an average of 258 yards per game.

?I think we?ll match up well,? Schenck said. ?We?re a good defensive football team and especially good against the run. Based on that, I think we could give them some trouble.?

To make that happen, the Trojans will need to stop a handful of Tiger ball carriers including ringleader Jake O?Polka. Including O?Polka, the Tigers figure to hand the ball of to as many as four different running backs in addition to quarterback Darrin Chitwood taking off by himself.

?I don?t know if we can stop all of those guys, but it?s just a matter of playing solid defense and eliminating the big plays,? said Schenck. ?If they?re going to score ? make them run 13-14 plays to do it and hopefully we can catch them in some mistakes.?

While Chitwood has been an efficient passer, it has been the ground game that has carried Grinnell to an 8-1 record. Last week, Chitwood displayed some of his passing prowess to bring his team back from a 14-0 deficit vs. Carlisle that included 68-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Cole Tokle with 6:36 remaning. The Class 3A 10th-ranked Tigers? lone loss came to fifth-ranked, and undefeated, Centerville in a 29-21 game Oct. 9 that ended up deciding the district title.

?They?re a good team and they may be the surprise team out of their district,? Schenck said. ?They kind of had a difficult season like we had last year and have really turned it around this year.?

Similar to the Tigers, a big reason for the Fairfield turnaround has been a vastly improved running game led by junior Michael Hammes. Hammes is averaging 136 yards per game as a workhorse back for the Trojans and Schenck hopes to see just as much production Wednesday night. Tanner Metcalf and Jordan Leazer also figure to get involved with carries to spell Hammes.

Chariton and Oskaloosa represent the two common opponents between the two teams with Grinnell and Fairfield winning each match-up. The Trojans posted an early-season 14-7 win vs. Chariton and a 55-27 thrashing of Oskaloosa on Oct. 9 while Grinnell beat Oskaloosa 42-20 (Aug. 28) and Chariton 48-0 (Oct. 16).

While it?s the second-straight season in the postseason for Grinnell, the Trojans qualify for the round of 32 and into the postseason after sitting out last season. The Tigers dropped a 31-28 double-overtime game to Williamsburg to end their season in 2008, but the Trojans? inclusion this year has come as no surprise to Schenck.

?This is where I expected this team to be and what I had hoped for. We thought we had a chance to be competitive in the district ? and we have been ? and we?ve gotten better and better each week. We?re right where we deserve to be.?

Wednesday?s kickoff between No. 10 Grinnell and Fairfield is slated for 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to the semifinal round vs. either Williamsburg or Pella. In the quarterfinals, the winner will play for a trip to the UNI-dome and the Class 3A final four against Centerville, Washington, Clear Creek-Amana or Carlisle.