The hamstring injury came at an especially inopportune time, and it victimized the player Ravenswood could least afford to lose.
The hamstring injury came at an especially inopportune time, and it victimized the player Ravenswood could least afford to lose.
In the Red Devils' regular-season finale against Ripley Nov. 6, quarterback Cole Starcher suffered the injury in the third quarter and sat out much of the game.
A week later, as the Red Devils played host to James Monroe in a Class AA playoff opener in Jackson County, Starcher was back on the job, helping his team to a 24-14 victory, but Ravenswood coach Dick Sturm took a cautious approach, knowing that a tight hamstring can be a delicate and unpredictable thing.
"We protected him,'' said Sturm. "We tried to hold him back on some running plays, and he didn't return kicks, but he picked up some first downs.''
In the third quarter of that game, Starcher connected with Bobby Rymer on a 98-yard touchdown pass to break a 14-all tie, but he carried just three times for 14 yards - numbers far below his norm.
In nine regular-season games, including the 10-7 loss to Ripley, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior rushed for a team-leading 1,349 yards on 161 carries (8.4 average) and completed 70-of-126 passes for 983 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
"He's a major factor,'' said Sturm, "because he can hurt people with his arm and his legs.''
A fully healthy Starcher will be needed, of course, when the No. 8 Red Devils (9-2) visit No. 1 Wayne (11-0) for a quarterfinal game that begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Sturm believes a full recovery by Saturday is a reasonable expectation, although not a certainty.
"He's on the mend,'' said the coach. "It doesn't bother him until he tries to accelerate. He's been working with a therapist doing some stretching exercises.''
Regardless of Starcher's situation, the Red Devils will depend heavily on Luke Corley, a 5-8, 160-pound sophomore who rushed for 1,039 yards on 153 carries (6.8 average) and scored 12 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
The hamstring injury came at an especially inopportune time, and it victimized the player Ravenswood could least afford to lose.
In the Red Devils' regular-season finale against Ripley Nov. 6, quarterback Cole Starcher suffered the injury in the third quarter and sat out much of the game.
A week later, as the Red Devils played host to James Monroe in a Class AA playoff opener in Jackson County, Starcher was back on the job, helping his team to a 24-14 victory, but Ravenswood coach Dick Sturm took a cautious approach, knowing that a tight hamstring can be a delicate and unpredictable thing.
"We protected him,'' said Sturm. "We tried to hold him back on some running plays, and he didn't return kicks, but he picked up some first downs.''
In the third quarter of that game, Starcher connected with Bobby Rymer on a 98-yard touchdown pass to break a 14-all tie, but he carried just three times for 14 yards - numbers far below his norm.
In nine regular-season games, including the 10-7 loss to Ripley, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior rushed for a team-leading 1,349 yards on 161 carries (8.4 average) and completed 70-of-126 passes for 983 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
"He's a major factor,'' said Sturm, "because he can hurt people with his arm and his legs.''
A fully healthy Starcher will be needed, of course, when the No. 8 Red Devils (9-2) visit No. 1 Wayne (11-0) for a quarterfinal game that begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Sturm believes a full recovery by Saturday is a reasonable expectation, although not a certainty.
"He's on the mend,'' said the coach. "It doesn't bother him until he tries to accelerate. He's been working with a therapist doing some stretching exercises.''
Regardless of Starcher's situation, the Red Devils will depend heavily on Luke Corley, a 5-8, 160-pound sophomore who rushed for 1,039 yards on 153 carries (6.8 average) and scored 12 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
"He runs a legitimate 4.4 [40-yard dash] on natural grass,'' said Sturm.
In Saturday's opening-round playoff game, Corley carried 21 times for 65 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run to open the scoring.
Another big offensive contribution came from Chad Small, a 6-1, 240-pound junior offensive-defensive lineman who has contributed in short-yardage situations all season.
Small carried 13 times for 51 yards, including a 13-yard scoring run that gave the Red Devils a 14-0 second-quarter lead in Saturday's victory over James Monroe.
"We use him in an I-formation,'' said Sturm.
"We have a couple kids in front of him as lead blockers, and we power up in there. He's good in short yardage. He's got good speed for his size.''
The Red Devils' leading receiver is Luke Murray, a 6-1, 170-pound senior, who caught 28 passes for 518 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season. Against James Monroe, he caught four for 59 yards.
Tanner Hunter has booted six field goals and 28 extra points.
Linebacker Jonas Jelich leads the team with 130 tackles, including 15 for losses.
Reach Mike Whiteford at 304-348-7948 or mikewhitef...@wvgazette.com.
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