RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: Coldwater will throw the ball — a lot

State Championship Preview

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The Vindicator Sports Writer Joe Scalzo talks to Mark Porter of ScoutingOhio.com about Cardinal Mooney and Ursuline playing in the OHSAA State Championships.

'09 Ursuline Highlights

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The Cavaliers will also take some chances on defense by blitzing.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

Coldwater coach John Reed’s recipe for beating Ursuline in Friday’s state final sounds a lot like the one he used to stun Cardinal Mooney two years ago.

“They’re so explosive,” Reed said of the Irish. “We can’t allow ourselves to get frustrated.

“They’re going to make unbelievable plays. We’ve just got to try and hang around, hang around and create some big plays for ourselves.”

Coldwater (13-1) won’t be the most talented team on the field against Ursuline, but it will be the most tested.

The Cavaliers played two overtime playoff games — including a four overtime epic against St. Henry in the regional final — and went 4-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer.

Ursuline (10-3), meanwhile, played just one game decided by fewer than 14 points (a 27-22 loss to Mooney in Week 9) and is fresh off a 48-6 pasting of West Lafayette Ridgewood.

“This sounds like coach’s talk, but it’s the will of the players sometimes that makes the difference,” said Reed. “Both games in overtime we could have easily lost the game.

“These guys believe in themselves and they don’t want to let one another down.”

Although the Cavaliers are Ohio’s winningest team this decade, and although their one loss came against Division VI finalist Delphos St. John’s, Reed insists he didn’t see this coming.

“I think our team exceeded expectations,” said Reed, whose team lost to Ursuline in the 2000 Division IV state championship game. “I don’t think most people at the beginning of the year would have thought we’d be able to achieve what we have.

“It shows what you can do when you set your mind to it.”

The Cavaliers are led by senior quarterback Keith Wenning, a Ball State recruit who has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and 37 TDs and has rushed for 959 yards and 11 TDs.

Wenning was a backup quarterback on the state championship team two years ago, catching a lateral late in the fourth quarter, then throwing it for a 35-yard gain to set up the game-tying score against Mooney.

That play came after an 80-yard touchdown on a double reverse pass, as the Cavaliers used trick plays and a blocked extra point to ruin the Cardinals’ undefeated season.

Coldwater is again a pass-heavy team — four receivers have at least 500 yards — and the offense is averaging almost 35 points per game.

The defense, however, isn’t as stout as it was in the 2005 and 2007 championship years and will blitz often to try and counteract Ursuline’s speed and explosiveness, Reed said.

“We have to [blitz],” said Reed. “No way can we physically set and play read-and-react defense. We just don’t have that kind of size.

“We have to bring people. Sometimes that can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes you’ll be the one to make the play and sometimes you’ll run yourself out of the play.”

scalzo@vindy.com