| 11/6/2008 2:30:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | |||||
NEW MARKET – Only two days before Friday night’s Indiana High School Athletic Association Sectional 21 title game and Logan Petry still remains a little stunned. He’s never played in a game with a magnitude quite like this. There’s a Class 3A sectional championship on the line pitting two county- and Sagamore Athletic Conference foes against each other, along with the chance for Southmont to win its first football sectional. Plus, the junior quarterback will be involved in the first match-up between Montgomery County teams for an IHSAA sectional football championship. “It’s unbelievable right now,” Petry said. “It’s crazy to think that we’re here. We believed in ourselves at the beginning of the season. But not a lot of people believed in us. Our offensive line has really stepped up. When they step up and play well, our running backs can step up and get the job done.” Southmont (6-5) travels to Class 3A No. 3 North Montgomery (11-0) for a 7 p.m. IHSAA Sectional 21 championship game. North Montgomery defeated Southmont 42-19 in a Sept. 5 regular-season match-up. North Montgomery has won 11 straight games, scoring 40-plus points in all but three of them. The Mounties enter this game on a five-game winning streak, having knocked off conference foe Western Boone (33-12) and non-conference opponent Greencastle (21-14) in their two sectional wins. They already have their first sectional wins in seven years and now are aiming for their first sectional football title. Until this season, Southmont hadn’t reached a sectional championship game in a decade and has only played in three in its school history. But the Mounties must remain focused on their goals. They remember their loss to the Chargers, a game which they led in during the first half. But North Montgomery reasserted itself in the second half, with its running game and big-play offense, scoring on three plays of 20 yards or more. This time around, Hannum has challenged the Mounties to shut down the Chargers on third-down conversions and take care of the ball. “We have to eliminate the big plays and create big plays for ourselves,” Hannum said. “Defensively, we know they have a good running game. We have to make sure we get off the ball and tackle.” One of Southmont’s four-headed rushing attack members was out sick Wednesday. Junior running back Jordan Burkett (61 carries, 390 yards, four touchdowns) missed Wednesday’s practice with strep throat, Hannum said. He said Burkett went to the doctor’s office to get some antibiotics and he expects him back for practice today. Petry and the Mounties have had a busy week, studying for finals along with preparing for this game. After struggling a little with the blitz and going only 2-of-5 for 29 yards in last week’s win against Western Boone, Petry has worked on improving his movement in the pocket. During practice and seven-on-seven drills, Hannum has sent lots of blitzes coming Petry’s way. That’s forced him to step into his throw so he can complete the pass. “Last week, when [Western Boone] brought pressure, our line did a good job of picking it up,” Petry said. “Last week, I was antsy. I threw a bad ball trying to avoid the hit. As a quarterback, you have to take the hit. They brought a lot of pressure and I have to step up and step into my throw. I have a lot more confidence and it helps.” Before the season started, Petry and the Mounties’ defense set seven interceptions for their team goal. They’re well ahead of that goal (19) and have that many interceptions in the past three weeks – recording two against Sagamore Athletic Conference rivals Western Boone and county- and conference rival Crawfordsville and three against Greencastle in their opening-round sectional game. Besides being a force on the offensive end, Petry is also tied for the team-high in interceptions (five) with Burkett. “Our defensive line has helped us in that aspect,” Petry said. “They’ve put more pressure on the quarterback. Our linebackers have filled the holes a lot better. The [defensive backs] just sit back and pick off passes. It’s fun when you’re playing centerfield.” | ||||||
