Tonight, the Paoli Rams (4-2) take on the Crawford County Wolf Pack (0-6) in IHSAA Sectional 40 regular season football matchup. That game will start at 7:00 PM at Cook Field in Paoli, Indiana. There will be a slight chill in the air as the temperature will dip below sixty at sundown, so make sure to bring something warm. Its also homecoming night, so make sure to pack those stands!
Crawford County has had a difficult season to this point. The Wolf Pack remain winless and have been held scoreless in all but one of their games this season. According to Jeff Saragin’s rating, Crawford County is the worst rank team in the entire state, and they have one of the weakest Strength of Scheduls in the state. It has just not gone their way in 2022, and it’ll probably get worse tonight.
Paoli has been playing their best football the last few weeks, regardless of the amount of injuries that the team is facing. The offensive and defensive line is basically an entirely different group then it was in Week 1, with several younger classmen stepping up. Coach Dittmer said at the beginning of season that they would need the help and they’re coming through.
We’re nearing the end of the season, and I’m sure fatigue is beginning to set in. I know it has been for me. The Rams will need to stay focused, regardless of the strength of the team they’re facing. I do see the Rams winning, and probably winning big, but we may see different offensive looks. More passing. A lot of player switches to work at new positions. Every Rams that’s eligible will probably get decent playing time tonight.
The score may be Rams – 60 or 70 to 0, based on how others have scored on Crawford’s County, and a lot of different Rams will have touchdowns. The Wolf Pack will try to throw the ball a little, which may bite Paoli a couple of times, but I think Rams will be keying on their passing defense to get experience in for Sectional time.
Let’s hope for a good game with good sportsmanship. I hope the game doesn’t get to out of hand and that everyone gets quality experience while they get playing time. The Rams need to come in execute and continue to work on their tangibles. Do not treat this as a walk in the park, because like I keep saying, Sectional 40 is going to be difficult to win a game in.
