'Championship mentality' at South Winneshiek

CALMAR - South Winneshiek is surrendering home-field advantage, gaining an opportunity.“You can't pass up something like this,” said Coach Jason Ohrt.Class 1A fifth-ranked South Winn faces No. 6 Denver in a 1A District 3 showdown at 8:30 tonight at the UNI-Dome. Both teams are 6-0 overall, 4-0 in the district.“We set this up last spring,” Ohrt said. “This game was supposed to be at our place, but I figured this would be a great experience. I didn't realize at the time how big a game this would be.”The Warriors are hoping this isn't their only Dome appearance. They would love to return in November, when the state semifinals and championship game roll around.All of the pieces appear to be in place.“We're not very big, but we have a lot of talent, a lot of strength and a lot of heart,” said Jordan Andera, who plays a myriad of skill positions.South Winn has rolled up some gasp-inducing numbers. The Warriors have outscored the opposition by a 318-20 margin and are gaining 8.7 yards per play from scrimmage.The line is short on beef, full of brothers. Matt and Nick Schmelzer are the center and right tackle; Aaron and Austin Ashbacher are the left guard and right guard.“(The brothers are) always trying to outdo each other,” said Matt Schmelzer, who has collected 17 tackles for loss on the defensive side. “We keep each other on our toes.”And they keep the offense humming. Andera has run for 11 touchdowns, passed for 11 more.Sometimes, he's the quarterback. Sometimes, a running back. Sometimes, a wide receiver.Always, a leader.“Jordan's the kind of kid that comes around once every 10 years,” Ohrt said. “His athletic and leadership qualities are amazing.”Andera said leadership “comes pretty naturally. I work hard and I love sports. That makes it easy to lead.”Everything has been easy so far for the Warriors. It's about to get more difficult.After the Dome date with Denver, the Warriors close with Aplington-Parkersburg at home and Turkey Valley on the road.“We can't afford to slow down,” Schmelzer said.South Winneshiek has played three postseason games in its history, losing all three - including a substate defeat last year to eventual state champion Emmetsburg.Now, expectations are higher.“There's a different feeling this year,” Andera said. “Everybody has a championship mentality.”