Tell City will try to contain Raider runners

By LARRY GOFFINET
Sports Editor

TELL CITY—Southridge, a team with a varied running attack, will visit Tell City for a PAC football game Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Tell City Coach Ryan George said the Raiders have “good” team speed and Daniel Perez, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior, is their fastest back.
Perez, who rushed for 994 yards last year, “is a good running back for them,” said George. “He’ll run inside and outside.”
Fullback Brad Haase, a 6-1, 165-pound senior, is another running threat for the 3-2 Raiders.
Luke Stetter, a 5-8, 145-pound sophomore left-hander, quarterbacks the Raiders. “He’s not a big kid but he does a good job running their offense,” said George. And though the Raiders prefer to run, “he does a good job throwing the ball.”
Nate Tretter, a 6-2, 185-pound senior, is his top receiver.
Cody Moesner, a 6-2, 275-pound senior, is the Raiders’ top lineman, George said. A two-way player, he made All-PAC last year at defensive tackle.
“He’s a load—he’s a good one,” said George. “He caused us a lot of problems in both games last year, especially in the sectional game.”
The Raiders often run a straight-T offense and will also use some wing sets.
“It’s kind of a throwback, but they’re good at what they do,” said George. “Their linemen are very active.”
The Raiders have used a lot of four-man fronts on defense, with some five fronts mixed in. “I would anticipate we’ll see more of the five front so they can put more people in the box (to try to stop Tell City’s running game),” said George.
Besides Moesner, a defensive standout is Brett Nordhoff, a 6-1, 175-pound sophomore linebacker.
As for what the Marksmen will be able to do best against them, “we’ll have to see how the game unfolds and what they give us,” George said.
The 3-2 Marksmen, who are above .500 for the first time since 2006, will go into this contest with a better mental outlook than they’ve had in some games after beating Perry Central 34-7 on the road last week.
“I think that was big for our kids’ confidence,” said George. “I thought our offensive and defensive lines started playing like we’re capable of.
“Against Heritage Hills I don’t think our players thought they could win. But that shouldn’t be the case any more.”