Execution key for Warriors

REMUS — The word of the week for the Chippewa Hills football team has been execution.

The Warriors travel to Ogemaw Heights for the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 4 playoff contest tonight. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The winner faces the winner of the Comstock Park-Grand Rapids Catholic Central game next week in the regional final.

The Falcons rarely give the same look twice in a row, both offensively and defensively. Ogemaw Heights will use multiple formations while running the veer offense, while mixing up its defensive fronts in an effort to not letting opposing offenses get comfortable.

It will be recognizing everything the Falcons throw at them and then properly executing the game plan that will hold key for the Warriors.

“They are not a plain vanilla team,” Chippewa Hills coach Larry Jose said. “They have multiple defenses, moving people around in the secondary and have multiple formations (offensively) to keep you guessing.”

That is why execution will key Friday night.

“We will have to play assignment football, which is important, but beyond that the challenge of spreading the field (offensively) and playing assignment football is tough because you can get hurt with the play-action,” Jose said.

Helping the Warriors defense this week has been the junior varsity team, which went undefeated this year and has some good athletes.

Mixed with those players are the varsity players, who are able to give the Chippewa Hills starting defense good looks this week in practice.

“That really helps with tempo and give us a good look,” Jose said. “The only thing you can’t recreate is their size and how fast they come off the ball.”

Chippewa Hills would like to have its own success running play-action against the Falcons. Jose believed the Warriors running game was instrumental in setting up the pass in gaining the win over Big Rapids last week in the first round of the playoffs.

“For us, it will start with the run,” he said. “As much as I would like to start with the pass, we have to establish the run and be able to run the ball early.”

As the Warriors advance, the keys to gaining a victory haven’t changed.

“They are similar to last week, we have to win the turnover battle and when our offense does falter, we have to get the ball back as soon as possible,” Jose said. “We also have to win the special teams battle — not be even, but score.”