Rivalry renewed as Tipton travels to Adrian

The Tipton Cardinals are no strangers to their quarterfinal round opponent.

The Cardinals and the  Adrian Blackhawks, who have met five times since 2004, will meet at 1:30 p.m. today in Adrian for a berth in the Class 1 state football semifinals.

Tipton (12-0) won four of those five matchups, including a 44-43 win in the 2007 state quarterfinals.

“This rivalry dates back to 2000,” Tipton coach Tony Braby said. “They’re one of the best football programs in Class 1, and we’ve faced them several times over the years. Even though we haven’t played for two years, it’s still a team we know very well.”

The home-field advantage bodes well for the Blackhawks, who sport a 6-0 record at home. The Blackhawks have a nine-game winning streak since losing 27-7 to Class 3 Galena — which is still alive in the Kansas state quarterfinals — and 14-12 to Class 2 Sherwood (9-3).
Adrian’s defense has posted five shutouts and allowed 20-plus points only twice.

Led by a balanced attack, the Blackhawks (10-2) average 32.5 points and fewer than 300 yards a contest.

The offense starts with quarterback Trevor Gregg, who has completed 52 percent of his passes for 1,364 yards and 14 touchdowns.

His main weapon downfield has been Skyler Kariker, who has made 34 receptions for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The ground game has  contributed about 200 yards a contest, finding the end zone 37 times behind backs Erik White, Tuff Wimberly and Luke Hough.

White has been Adrian’s lead back, amassing 761 yards and 14 touchdowns. Wimberly and Hough have rushed for more than 500 yards each and a combined 17 TDs.

“After the El Dorado game around Week 4, our offense really caught fire,” Adrian coach George Bruto said. “We’ve got a (quarterback) that can throw the ball, a great receiver who can catch and a run game that can move the chains.”
Braby agrees.

“They’re an offense where you seldom say we can shut them down,” Braby said. “They’re going to score, but we just have to do a good job limiting their impact.”

The Cardinals counter with an offensive attack that averages nearly 35 points a contest, featuring a powerful ground game, a solid aerial attack and a dominant receiver in Chris Bracht.

As the primary weapon downfield, Bracht has caught 18 touchdowns, including back-to-back three-touchdown efforts in the playoffs.

Quarterback Marcus Brinkley threw for more than 900 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for nearly 600 yards and nine scores during the season.

He did not throw a pass in Monday’s 49-7 victory over University Academy after suffering a shoulder injury last week.

The Cardinals have other options in the passing game. Zack Knipp and Keil Allison teamed up for three touchdown passes last week.

“Marcus is still sore, but he can still throw short slants if we need him to,” Braby said. “We’ll try to limit him but we will entertain halfback and fullback passes like last week because they’ve worked and they add depth to our system.  

“We’ll just take what the defense gives us, but we’re really an offense that depends on the run.”

Running backs Dallas Peoples and Burt Barbour and fullbacks Jonathan Loganbill and Allison give the Cardinals options in the backfield and have combined to rush for more than 200 yards a contest.

The defense has been a constant for Tipton, holding opponents to just 8.25 points a contest. The Cardinals have garnered two shutouts and held five opponents to single-digit points, allowing 20-plus points only once during the season.

“It’s going to be a defensive showdown,” Braby said. “I don’t want to go to the old cliché, but whoever makes the fewest mistakes, holds onto the ball, tackles well and does the little things will win. This may just end up being a contest where the team who has the ball last wins.”

CLASS 1 STATE QUARTERFINAL
Tipton at Adrian
1:30 p.m. Saturday