Elder tackles Moeller with strong defense BY KEN · c ROBINSON t ·b t tD /·.,.1/ '!I nqmrer on n u or By now, the film of last Friday's Elder-La Salle game has entered circulation. If y~u're affiliated with the Panther program and enJoy some serious defense, the performance gets two thumbs up. If you're a future Elder opponent, you're probably worried. Moeller coach Steve Klonne, whose No. 3 Crusaders encounter No. 2 Elder tonight at 8 p.m. at Elder Stadium (a.k.a. The Pit), viewed the grim footage and offered this review. "I think their defense is as good as we'll face all season. Massillon was strong, but Elder has better balance," Klonne said. . La Salle coach Jim Louder added this critique on the Lancers' 38-3 loss. "Elder's defense is the best I've seen in the city," Louder said. "They're intense, united and have a lot of fun playing. We took an old-fashioned puss-pounding. " Elder's unit is characterized by major college-type size, speed, athleticism, a willingness E
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. . • TENNIS: G1rls sect1onal results/8-2. • FOOT~A~L: Dave Sc~utte's picks/ 8 -5· • GOLF. Fairfield surpnses/ 8 -5. . to ~al?ble and a. hi_gh_ ra~e of success. The statistics are also mtlmidatmg. . Th~ 5-0 Panthers, with shut.outs over La~ota and Withro:v, have spared thetr opponents JUSt 21 total pomts. Yardage allowed averages out to 137 a game. "Some of the kids we knew would be starters, but they made the jump in .ability on the field," Elder coach Tom Grippa explained. Elder's three enormous junior linemen Nate Fecke, Tom Rosenberger and Craig James ~have simply owned the line scrimmage. The tno averages dimensions of 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds. "They'll all be Division I players," Grippa said. "They've been just destroying blocks."
The pant her 1·me bac kers, who specia · 1·Ize m · big plays, are seniors Matt Rauen and Keith Witsken, junior David Ginn and sophomore Kit Hoffman. Dave Becker, Josh yoss, Tom Ludwig an? Matt Deters - all semors - form an expenenced and proficient secondary. . "The key to their defense is how they're extremely good getting off the ball," Louder said., "When th~y come at you, it's a sellout. That s the way It should be done." The 4-1 Crusaders, also 1-0 in Greater Catholic League play, try to solve the Panther defense in a game that's special in rivalry and crucial in league and playoff outcomes. Elder will play at Moeller Oct. 25 in a non-league game, too. "It should be a big step forward to winning the league and, down the road, who gets in the playoffs," Klonne said. "This is probably the wrong year to play them twice." A few hundred tickets are available today at Moeller only, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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The Cincinnati Enquirer/Joanne Rim
Elder defensive linemen Nate Fecke, Tom Rosenberger and Craig James are formidable, averaging 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds. _