Central preps Carter Schenk for possible start at quarterback against Bishop Guilfoyle
Carter Schenk
Jake Kissell
Carter Schenk
Jake Kissell
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Going into last weekend, Central and Bishop Guilfoyle Academy's football teams were both searching for an offensive spark.
The Marauders seemed to find it during a 38-14 win over previously unbeaten Huntingdon while the Scarlet Dragons were shut out, 20-0, by Bellwood-Antis.
BG senior running back Jake Kissell, who will be the feature back going forward after Taurean Consiglio was lost for the season with an injury, ran for 158 yards and four touchdowns on just nine carries.
"I was happy," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. "There's always room for improvement, but we were clicking when we were running and throwing the ball. Most importantly, we got six or seven people involved in the offense. We're going to let Jake be Jake, but we also have to find some guys to support him. I thought Saturday night we did that."
Central, which will host BG tonight at 7, is also dealing with an injury to a key player as quarterback Jesse Muthler exited a loss against Tyrone two weeks ago and missed last week's game at Bellwood.
Carter Schenk stepped in and ran for a touchdown as the QB against Tyrone.
"Schenk is stepping into a position he's not really comfortable with," Central coach Jerry Albright said. "We're going to really try and limit exact plays we run on offense so that he can focus on some of the passes on the specific reads he has to make."
Wheeler said Central is a different team with Muthler and the Marauders will prepare for him in case he is cleared.
"I got the chance to see (Central) live Friday night," Wheeler said. "I have watched their tapes, and they are definitely a different team with Muthler in. We'll have to prepare in case he's back. He's a talented kid that can get the ball out and throws the ball well. They are a team that stresses your perimeter with a quick passing game. They run a ton of screens and delays. We'll have to be disciplined."
Albright also watched BG live last week and left impressed with what he saw.
"I was in (Saturday) evening to watch them, and their speed is unbelievable," Albright said. "I knew their linemen were big and strong, but I was really impressed with their speed and how they covered so much ground in a limited amount of time. We don't have that, so we're going to have to make adjustments and try to anticipate some of the things they do."
Albright is pleased with the steps Central has taken improving its defense since giving up 48 points in its opener against Philipsburg-Osceola but said Friday the Dragons will have to take some chances to slow the Marauders.
"Our defense is getting better week by week," Albright said. "I think they have a better idea of our expectations. We try to prepare them against certain formations and tell them what they need to look for, and they are taking that information and using it to their advantage. Even though BG does a wide variety of things, they still run the ball probably 75 percent of the time. They have guys we will have trouble tracking down if we don't get ahead of them and anticipate things better."