Springville enters high school football postseason on 5-game win streak

Springville opened the fall like a bird with a broken wing.

The Orioles were grounded early, facing a loaded schedule and dealing with injuries. Players healed, depth developed and Springville experienced a drastic turnaround.

Now, the Orioles seemed more like a phoenix, resurrecting its season and soaring into the 8-Player high school football postseason with a five-game win streak. Springville travels to Turkey Valley Friday night for a first-round playoff game.

“Our ultimate goal to the beginning of the year was to be in the playoffs,” Springville Coach Joe Martin said. “Even being 0-4, our goal was still in front of us, so that was huge, if those would have been four district losses, then you’ve got a whole different ball game that you're looking at.

“Getting healthy. We knew our guys were coming. It was just trying to maintain to get through it. I would attribute a lot of it to some of our senior leadership. They knew it was their last season and even being 0-4 they knew there were a lot of things ahead of them.”

Injuries made an impact. Seniors Mason Hoy and Luke Lansing missed multiple games. Junior Jace March has dealt with a shoulder injury suffered during baseball, while Isaac Hill was also hurt. All four received all-district honors last season and were out or limited through the first four weeks.

“At the beginning of the season we had high expectations for ourselves,” Orioles senior Conlin Rouse said. “We fell short of that but we had a lot of injuries to start out with. We knew in the back of our minds we can come back and play better.”

All four losses are to top-10 teams, including unbeatens No. 4 Iowa Valley and No. 6 Edgewood-Colesburg. Losses to No. 9 Montezuma and No. 10 Easton Valley were by a combined seven points.

The players rallied around each other and refused to feel sorry for themselves. The Orioles (5-4) remained confident and were optimistic about their postseason aspirations.

“After the four losses, some of us were down but most of us kept our heads up,” Quarterback Braden Jordan said. “We talked to each other and saying those games are out of the way. Now, our goal is still playoffs, so we can make it. We just made it tougher on ourselves. We could win out. We just had to make game plans and play our hardest.”

Martin praised the leadership of a large senior class. Many have been three-year starters and have been playing football together since elementary school. They served as the glue to keep the team together.

“It means a lot to us,” Rouse said. “We put in a lot of time and dedication over the summer.

“When the season started, we knew we can't keep playing like this. This is not what we worked for, which it goes back to trusting each other. We've all worked hard. We're all going for the same goal. So, kind of just pulling that together.”

Struggles were a blessing in disguise, according to Martin. Inexperienced players were thrust into action, receiving meaningful game reps. They embraced the opportunity, learning and improving. Up to 15 players are capable of playing in games thanks to the trial by fire in the first half of the season. A luxury many 8-Player teams don’t have.

“It's been a total team effort,” Martin said. “Stat wise, we got a couple guys that do pretty well but we don't get that, obviously, if we don't have the other guys, too. It’s been one of my more enjoyable seasons in the 15 years that I've been doing it.

“Resilient is the biggest word I would use, not only for the kids to come back from injury but the kids that were there to pick up the pieces. It's helped our depth.”

The Orioles were forced to diversify from their run-oriented attack, especially with Hoy unable to carry the ball. They were able to pass the ball with Jordan, who has 985 yards and 19 touchdowns. The offense is more versatile with the pass complementing the rush attack.

“We were able to use that now,” Martin said. “We're a little bit more balanced running and passing. We're still more run heavy, but it's definitely more balanced and allowed us to do some things.”

Springville had some defining moments during the win streak. Rouse said the 49-12 Calamus-Wheatland provided the spark. Scoring 50 unmatched points in a 50-18 win over Lansing Kee propelled the Orioles into a 52-33 victory over WACO, another playoff team.

Springville outscored its last five opponents by a combined 252-107.

“We knew that we could come back from adversity,” Rouse said. “Once again, we trusted each other and knowing we're kind of getting back to what we should be.”

Rouse leads the team with 84 total tackles with Jordan next at 74.5. Lansing has climbed into a tie for third with 40 since returning. Lansing also has nine tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Lansing is also third with 373 rushing yards.

March leads the Orioles with 403 receiving yards and is tied with Rouse for a team-best seven touchdown receptions.

Hoy has been productive since his return. He leads the team with 912 rushing yards and 14 TDs – all in the five victories. Hoy has 99 yards and two scores on eight catches.

“He’s kind of e a little spark for our offense because he's a really good dynamic player,” Rouse said. “Luke Lansing was playing injured most of the start of the year. He had a really good year for us on defense last year. So, just getting them back kind of kind of helped.”

Springville achieved its goal of qualifying for the playoffs. The Orioles are flying high and have a challenge with a disciplined Turkey Valley (5-3). They want to keep good things going.

“We just have to be able to execute our jobs, our positions,” Martin said. “As we've talked, it’s about the team. It's going to be a team effort. We got to be able to execute what we’ve seen on film and be able to transfer it to Friday night.”

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