Turkey Valley defense continues to excel

CEDAR RAPIDS - The numbers are not gaudy. The plays are not flashy.

The results however, are very effective for Turkey Valley. The Trojans smashed their way to a 7-1 record Friday night by defeating Cedar Valley Christian, 68-7, at LaSalle Middle School.

'We just came in here like any other game, looking for a win,” Trojan sophomore Cody Hackman said.

Turkey Valley prides itself on stout defense, which is a rarity in a class that scores points by the dozen. The Trojans have held all but one opponent under 30 points. Including last night, the Trojan defense has held four of eight opponents under 20 points. The formula for defensive success for Turkey Valley is a simple one.

'Tackle the guy with the ball,” Coach Mark Scott. 'We work on tackling almost every day.”

Scott said the majority of the Trojans would rather line up on defense than offense.

'Our kids like to hit. They like the physicality of it,” Scott said. 'They are physical farm kids who like to get after it.”

On the offensive side, the Trojans spread the ball to a variety of backs.

Heading into the game with Cedar Valley Christian, Turkey Valley had five running backs north of 250 yards rushing this season. Combined, those five running backs have tallied 1,834 rushing yards. Senior Justin Hackman leads the way with 519 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

'It helps our offense to utilize so many guys,” Scott said. 'Teams have a hard time keying on one guy. Then we can go left, right, up the middle, inside, or outside.”