The basics
Who: Hartland (4-4) at Plymouth (3-5) in a KLAA crossover
Where: Canton
When: 7 p.m.
Broadcast: On The Livingston Post, starting at 6:50 p.m. Click here for the link!
At stake: A possible playoff spot for Hartland with a win.
A final surge
Hartland has won three out of four games to get to this point, and quarterback Collin Arnold has been a key player since taking over the job at midseason. “I think his experience and being in the program a couple of years has been a key,” Coach Brian Savage says. “Zach (Trainor, the starter at the beginning of the season) is a ninth-grader, and as he matures and grows he’ll be a good one, eventually. But the experience (of Arnold) is strong right now.”
About Plymouth
The Wildcats are the only team representing to play for a state championship, falling in the 2010 final. “They’re a good team,” Savage said. “They lost a quarterback a couple weeks ago, a kid who was pretty mobile. They’ve got some big offensive and defensive linemen who are going to present a big challenge this week.”
Offense options
The Eagles showed their versatility in a 28-13 win over Howell. Arnold threw a pair of touchdown passes to Logan Tobel, while Tommy Lappin and Reece Potter shared the carries in the ground attack. Asked if that meant the offense was coming together at the right time, Savage said, “I hope so. It did last week. We have to continue that this week and be more multi-dimensional instead of trying to just rune the ball.”
Scoreboard watching
The Eagles need wins by Salem and Stevenson, two teams it has beaten this season, to help boost their playoff numbers. Savage, like most coaches, prefers to think about the next game rather than worry about factors, like the playoffs, his team can’t control on Friday. “I think our kids have been pretty focused on what our job is this week. They’ve done a good jbo of getting ready for Plymouth. Being in the back of the mind isn’t a bad thing. At least there’s a possibility, where a few weeks ago I don’t know if we would have through that. Hopefully it’s there, but hopefully its a motivating factor where we go out and play well.”