Veteran coach Ed Domsitz credited his older players.
“When you’re sitting at 3-5 and you’re Alter, that’s a difficult position to be in,” said Domsitz, whose team entered the season with high hopes after making the Division IV state championship game last season. “And our kids just kept pushing. I know there are coaches at times who say, ‘Well, once you get to Week 9, 10 or 11, you know, it’s pretty much a done deal as far as the level of performance,’ but truth the matter is that kids can continue to improve throughout the course of the year, and we’ve seen that.”
He has seen his squad do that, playing through injuries — including to senior quarterback Gavin Connor, who is still recovering from a broken arm — to put together a late four-game winning streak heading into a Division IV, Region 16 game against No. 6 seed Taylor at Fairfield High School on Friday night.
“I think that’s a tribute to the seniors particularly, but our kids in general,” Domsitz said. “Our coaching staff has done a great job with them. I’m real proud of what they’ve been able to do, and I’ll tell you: our parents have been very supportive, even when things weren’t looking pretty.”
In his 49th year as a head coach, including the last 26 at Alter, Domsitz noted the latter is no small thing in this day and age.
“Absolutely — kids go home every night, and I think if all they hear is negative talk from mom and dad that has to affect them, and I think the great majority of our parents have been supportive. They recognize what we’ve had to overcome. I have never in my 49 years as a head coach experienced the number of injuries that we’ve had this year. It’s been crazy.”
While some have been season-ending, others have healed up. Domsitz’s squad is not full strength at this point, but he pointed out no teams are at this point in the year.
Since dropping close games to talented teams from Badin and McNicholas, the Knights have put together a winning formula that is not unique among Domsitz teams: Relying on defense and the running game.
Drew Cripps, a 6-foot sophomore, ran for 216 yards in a 14-0 win at Eaton to open the playoffs two weeks ago then added 135 last week as the Knights thumped previously undefeated Wyoming 42-0.
Junior Noah Jones added 135 yards rushing last week in the dual role of running back and quarterback. Domsitz said he handles the offense in the shotgun while freshman Finn Freshwater takes the controls when the Knights get in the wishbone.
Defensively, Alter has allowed six points — all by Chaminade Julienne in Week 10 — in the last four games, and Domsitz credited many of his seniors with bringing the unit together.
“Kids like John Keighly, our leading tackler Connor Watkins, Jimmy Nagel, Okemdi Eze — those are all kids who have helped keep this thing together,” Domsitz said.
Next up is a big challenge in the form of Taylor quarterback Charlie Kantz, a sophomore who has thrown for 2,149 with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Easton Schrimpf has 894 yards rushing for the Yellowjackets while Aaron McFarland has 975 yards receiving and Brody Lehmann has 10.5 sacks.
“Offensively, they’re scary,” Domsitz said. “I mean, they’ve got a quarterback with a quick release. His release reminds me of (former Alter quarterback) Connor Bazelak. It’s that quick. He’s not the same size as Connor, but they’ve got a receiver (McFarland) who is a Division I prospect. He’s been offered, I think, by West Virginia and a couple of the other schools. So they’ve got some offensive firepower.
“Their defense is quick. They’ve got some size. They’re aggressive. So it’s, it’s a typical playoff game. Here in round three, you’re not going to come up against teams that aren’t any good.”
Taylor crushed Urbana and Valley View by a combined 85-16 in the first two weeks of the playoffs, so Friday night could feature a definitive clash of styles.
The Yellowjackets have won seven in a row since losing to the Wyoming team Alter beat last week.
Playoff experience is also decidedly different. While Taylor is in the playoffs for just the fourth time and has tripled its all-time playoff wins total with two wins this season, Alter is in the playoffs for the 30th year. That includes 58 wins and two state championships under Domsitz.
The winner of the Alter-Taylor game will play No. 5 seed Cincinnati Taft or No. 9 Indian Hill in the regional final at a neutral site.
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