Tiger football blog: Oct. 26

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

I like linemen.
I think it’s pretty obvious when you look at me, I wasn’t the runningback in high school.
I did have one glorious year of full back in seventh grade and spent another year at linebacker in eighth grade, but after that I was in the trenches for the rest of my career.
Maybe that’s why I have a thing for writing about those guys that don’t get much press time.
My first football story of the year was about the four returning linemen for the Tigers and in a couple other camp stories I focused on the linemen.
Now, in my mind, the offensive linemen have one of the most thankless jobs on the field. For the most part, if the line had a good game, no one said anything. But if the quarterback got sacked . . . let’s not talk about that.
The defensive line at least gets noticed for a sack or another big play, but still, on most teams their whole job is to keep the offensive linemen from reaching the linebackers.
Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann and the offensive skill players are a group of people that realize how well the offensive line has played and give credit. Every time I talk to the runningbacks, quarterback and receivers, they always give credit to the line.
They see the work their linemen do and they give them the credit that is due.
I’m probably pretty biased about linemen, but you can’t blame me. Not once in my career was I ever talked to by a reporter, not even when I sealed a playoff victory with an interception — which was caused by my fellow defensive lineman.
That’s why I enjoy talking to and writing about the linemen.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 25

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

The football playoffs are here and Marshall is in an interesting position.
They have a first round bye.
For some people, hearing of a bye means that the team just shuts down until they have to get ready for their next game, which is not the case. Although they may not practice quite as hard as usual, teams still practice as though they were playing the next game.
The Tigers will face Hutchinson on Saturday. Hutchinson has not lost a section game since 1995, said Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann.
“They are the favorites no matter what the seedings say until someone beats them,” said Bahlmann. “We are trying not to look to them, but everything is going to have to go through Hutch. Someone is going to have to beat them.”
I talked to Bahlmann on Tuesday afternoon since instead of writing a preview for Marshall’s first-round game, they were not playing.
In talking to Bahlmann, I found that we have similar views to a first round bye.
“If you are playing well, you like to keep playing,” said Bahlmann. “We felt we were playing well.”
When a team is on a roll like the Tigers have been on, taking a break is not always what you want, but I know that some of the players could use a little extra time to heal some injuries, which Bahlmann also touched on during our conversation.
“We gave the kids a couple days off over the weekend, hoping that we would come back fresh,” Bahlmann said. “The positives are we do have a couple guys with some nagging injuries and this gives them some more time to get going again.”
The Tigers have used their bye time wisely, working on some older things while adding a few new twists to their plan.
“We decided we are going to polish some of the things we do and put in a couple new things just to keep the kids thinking a bit and challenging as we go there,” Bahlmann said.
Since I have been working at the Independent, I do not remember the Tigers receiving a first-round bye in the football playoffs.
Having that bye, the Marshall coaching staff had an extra chance to get more information on Hutchinson, which beat Willmar on Tuesday night, 31-3.
“We try to gather some information on both of them as much as we can and try to put that together and have a plan,” said Bahlmann. “Once we find out Tuesday night who we are playing, then we are going to be scrambling, but we have a little preliminary work done so we can make it a little easier.”

Tiger football blog: Oct. 24

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

In trying to track down records and scores for past games, we will sometimes turn to the website www.minnesota-scores.com to find something that we don’t cover.
On Tuesday I was looking at some scores for section football playoffs, which started Tuesday night, and ran across their fan forum section for all the different sports.
I decided to click on the football forum and see what was being written in there and found some Marshall names.
Someone started a thread asking the question who are the best Southern Alliance Conference players by position.
Now, I don’t know who the people are posting the responses in the forum, but when I logged on, the first answer to the question had Marshall written by every position.
The second person on there said that they agreed, having been on the field against Marshall.
After that there were several people that listed players from around the Southern Alliance, but each list included at least one Tiger player.
While these forums can not be taken too seriously, they are fun to read and can also be informative as to what people away from the sidelines may think.
Either way, it is fun to read what other people in the area think.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 23

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

What a ride it has been.
The Marshall football team has been on a tear this season, running through the Southern Alliance undefeated, claiming the title with a 37-0 win over Worthington on Wednesday night.
The Tigers deserve a big hand for winning Marshall’s first conference football title since 1991.
It is a huge accomplishment to take the top spot in the conference, not to mention the top seed in Section 2AAAA football playoffs.
But now comes the hard part.
I’m not trying to say that the first eight games didn’t mean anything, or that the Tigers’ accomplishments to this point are on a lower level, but the playoffs are here.
With the playoffs comes that mentality of one more game.
Just keep playing one more game.
Back in 1997 when my high school football team went undefeated, winning the conference championship, we had our fun for the weekend, getting a few extra days of rest, much like the Tigers are right now.
But when we came back to practice on Monday, our coaches were ready to gear things up for us.
In the playoffs, everything is do-or-die. If you lose now, your season is done. There is no rebound game.
Marshall will have to get through some tough teams if they want to advance deep into playoffs.
Luckily the Tigers will have a first round bye, thanks to being the No. 1 seed, but things do not get any easier.
Marshall will face either Willmar, the No. 4 seed, or Hutchinson, the No. 5 seed in the second round.
Hutchinson ended the Tigers’ season last year, something that I am sure will be on the players’ minds next week.
Marshall’s season has reminded me a lot of my senior season. Similar records, similar wins and we also had a pair of stand out runningbacks with about five behind them that could have been starters on other teams.
The farther you get into the playoffs, the more the other newspapers in the state start to take notice.
In covering the Tigers for the Marshall Independent, I try to stay objective as possible.
In my memory, I do not remember ever making too bold of claims about future games. I try to use the stats to back up my claims.
When I was a senior at Sisseton (S.D.) High School, the Argus Leader out of Sioux Falls, S.D., did match-ups of each playoff game.
We were playing Madison, a team which had taken us out of the playoffs my junior season, if I can remember that far back.
The Argus Leader sports writer had a sentence that has been burned into my memory that will be there for a long time.
“Madison doesn’t have what it takes to win it all, but they have what it takes to win this game.”
As you can imagine, all that did was fire us up and we were able to win the game.
All week long, that phrase was on our minds, making us practice even harder.
I try to watch the Star Tribune to see if there are any pieces about local athletes, and to see what they have to say about key games during the season.
One thing I hear a lot about Hutchinson football is how they play bigger teams and how their conference is much tougher than Marshall’s. And don’t forget, Hutchinson won last year.
I hope that the players are able to use whatever motivation they have, be it internal or external, and make a good run in the playoffs.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 18

By Alex Oey
Independent sports writer

I try not to be a homer when I am covering the Marshall football team, which is hard sometimes since I have watched these seniors come up since they were freshmen.
That’s why when the Tigers played Pewaukee, Wis., in the Metrodome last Saturday, I was pretty worked up.
I had the same nervous feelings that I used to get when I played football, which was kinda funny considering I would have no affect on the outcome of the game.
When I watched the punt snap sail over Adam Oakland’s head, my stomach dropped pretty low. Not because of the points scored, but because I could imagine what the team was thinking.
Not even four minutes into the game and it was 2-0 in favor of the Pirates.
I walked by Oakland soon after he came off the field and out of the corner of my eye, looked to see what kind of emotions were on his face.
I didn’t see any look of disappointment from him or the other players.
They all kept trying to keep each other up. The first lightening of the mood came when Nick Ritter recovered a fumble when Pewaukee was driving deep into Tiger territory.
I could literally hear a sigh of relief when Nate Baumann went into the end zone on a two-yard touchdown. After Clay Welch scored the two-point conversion, making it 8-2, that’s when the Marshall ball started rolling.
Turnovers helped keep Pewaukee out of the end zone and the Tigers were able to keep moving the ball on their way to a 35-15 win.
I love being on the sidelines during games. There isn’t much that will make me go either into the stands or the press box. I think that I got a much better feel of the game when I am on the sidelines, plus I get to hear what the coaches and players are saying.
Sometimes it is hard to not congratulate the players or the coaches while the game is going on. I would like to think that my presence on the sideline doesn’t bother the players or the coaches. After a nice touchdown I may say a few words of congratulations to a player, or even just nod my head at them.
There was nothing that would have had me anywhere else during the game in the Metrodome. The experience of being on that field is one to enjoy.
I hope to be there again in about a month.
Alex Oey can be reached at aoey@marshallindependent.com. This blog can also be read at http://tiger-football.blogspot.com.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 14

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

Today is a big day for both Marshall and Pewaukee, Wis.
No matter the reason, a football game in the Metrodome is a big deal.
I have been fortunate enough in my football career to have been a part of teams that have played in the three domes in the region.
And each time was exciting.
As a senior we reached the South Dakota Class A football championship game.
The school felt that it was important enough to send us to Fargo, N.D., to practice in the Fargodome for an afternoon.
I had been in the Fargodome for games and a camp, but it was a great feeling to have the dome to ourselves to practice.
After that we traveled to Vermillion, S.D., for the championship game played in the Dakota Dome.
I had been in it before, but when we were on the field for the game, it was a great feeling, even though we lost the game.
The sounds of the crowd and the feel of the turf under my new turf shoes had me wishing that I could keep that feeling forever.
As a freshman football player at Southwest Minnesota State University, we traveled to the Metrodome for a game and we were allowed to dress.
Though I didn’t get to play, I did get on the field during warmups and to help carry an injured teammate off the field.
I hope that the players from both teams are able to take in the excitement of playing in the Metrodome. It is something that they will have forever and be able to talk about.
A game in such an important venue, that is a memory they will cherish forever.
Alex Oey can be reached at aoey@marshallindependent.com. This blog can also be read at http://tiger-football.blogspot.com.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 11

By Alex Oey
Independent Sports Writer

As a sports reporter at the Marshall Independent, I deal with many different players and coaches in our coverage area.
When Monday came, I began my weekly routine of contacting the head coach of the Marshall High School football team’s next opponent.
I have had the privilege of covering the Tigers the last three years, and I have gotten to know the majority of the Southwest/Southern Alliance Conference coaches well enough that when I e-mail or call them, they know what to expect.
That made this Monday a little different for me.
With Marshall playing Pewaukee, Wis. in the Metrodome on Saturday, I didn’t know what to expect when I tried to get ahold of the Pirates’ head coach, Clay Iverson.
I e-mailed coach Iverson on Monday around noon, not expecting to hear from him until Tuesday.
To my surprise, I received an e-mail from him 15 minutes later with complete season stats and phone numbers where I could reach him.
Now that was nice.
Sometimes it takes several days to hear back from coaches, sometimes I never hear from them, but Iverson got right back to me, even giving me a time when he would be free on Tuesday morning.
I called him on Tuesday morning, not sure what to expect. For some coaches, any information about their team is a closely guarded secret, but Iverson didn’t hold anything back.
We talked about what his team does, what he looks to do against Marshall and about the opportunity that both teams will have playing in the dome.
He was very nice to talk to and kept telling me how good the Tigers looked on film.
He commented on Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann and how both coaches were working together to make this game possible for the players.
They have traded game tapes and information about their own teams. Iverson even said that there are no secrets between the coaches.
Iverson is my kind of coach. He doesn’t hold anything back and was more than willing to talk to the media, even if it was in another state.
I am looking forward to Saturday’s game and getting the chance to meet such a quality coach face-to-face.
Alex Oey can be reached at aoey@marshallindependent.com and this blog can also be read at http://tiger-football.blogspot.com.

Tiger football blog: Oct. 4

Two hundred sixty-nine is a big number.
Especially when it is yards gained by a football player.
Marshall High School’s Tony Awoleye accomplished that feat on Friday night when the Tigers defeated Pipestone Area 58-7 during homecoming.
For some people, personal accomplishment is bigger than any team goals. In professional sports there is so much made of the individual awards that sometimes the team aspect is taken away.
But not for Awoleye and not for the Tigers.
I talked to Awoleye and Chris Bailey after the game and the resonating theme of their answers was teamwork.
Awoleye scored three touchdowns and Bailey added two in Marshall’s romp over the Arrows.
Both players had nice runs, but the talk of the night was the 269 yards rushing by Awoleye, which was capped off with an 80-yard run.
When I asked Awoleye about that run, all he could do was give credit to his teammates.
It was the same with Bailey. On his touchdown catch, he talked about how the other receiver drew the coverage, making it possible for him to be open. He talked about how every player was making a block on his rushing touchdown, allowing him to score.
Teamwork is something that can be overlooked when an individual player has a great game, but so far this season, not a single Tiger football player has taken credit for anything.
They always credit their teammates..
While this may not seem like a big thing to those that don’t play, it means the world to a teammate.
The good players understand that without the other 10 players on the field, they would not be able to accomplish what they do.
And the Tiger skill players are no exception.
Every time I’ve talked to any of the runningbacks, quarterbacks or wide receivers, the first thing they do is give credit to their linemen.
As a former lineman myself, it’s nice to hear the skill players recognize their linemen and all the work they do.
Football is a team sport and so far the Tigers have held strong to that belief.
They realize that without everyone, they would be no one.