Game preview: Gardner Edgerton, 12-0, vs. Hutchinson, 12-0

Gardner Edgerton, 12-0, vs. Hutchinson, 12-0•WHEN/WHERE: 1 p.m. today at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium, Emporia

•TV/RADIO: No TV; KOFO (1220 AM).

•COACH: Marvin Diener of Gardner Edgerton

•DIFFERENCE MAKER: Bubba Starling. He’s the star for Gardner Edgerton, and he’ll have to play like it. Diener is adamant that Starling, a junior quarterback, is made better by the players around him, like leading rusher Brett Jensen and his 1,454 yards and 20 TDs on the ground, but Starling is the Trailblazers’ motor. With 1,336 yards and 19 touchdowns on only 102 carries, Starling is a big-play threat with his legs, but he can sling it, too. He’s 56 for 101 for 1,258 yards with 16 TDs and only four interceptions and must be sharp against the Salthawks. Starling’s ability to keep plays alive, make defenders miss and turn potential negative plays into positive gains will be crucial.

•X-FACTOR: Senior wide receiver Justice Berry. His circus, tip-drill catch just before halftime, which went for a 72-yard touchdown, broke the spirit of St. Thomas Aquinas in the semifinal round. There’s probably no breaking the Salthawks’ will, but Berry needs to try anyway. With 32 catches for 735 yards and seven touchdowns, he’s the best deep threat, which makes him Gardner Edgerton’s best hope to keep Hutch honest on defense.

•BY THE NUMBERS: 152 — That is the number of tackles by senior linebacker Jeremy McLennan through 12 games, a average of more than 12.5 per game. Along with the rest of the Gardner Edgerton defense, McLennan must be exceptional and sure in his tackling for the team to have a chance against running backs Josh Smith (190 carries, 1,818 yards, 33 TDs), Deveon Dinwiddie (131 carries, 1,396 yard, 22 TDs) and DeShawn Dinwiddie (106 carries, 530 yards, 6 TDs).

•WHY GARDNER EDGERTON WILL WIN: For starters, when Diener-coached teams face squads with Randy Dreiling on the staff, Diener is 7-0 all time (2-0 since Dreiling took over at Hutchinson). Of course, it’s been a half-decade since the two outspoken gridiron chess masters have met. Most teams have lost to the Salthawks before the ball is even snapped, but the Trailblazers don’t lack confidence and genuinely believe victory is attainable. That’s half the battle. Now, it’s about winning individual matchups on the field.

•WHY HUTCHINSON WILL WIN: That’s all that the Salthawks do. They’ve won five straight state titles, the first four in 6A and last year in 5A. Hutch’s triple-option attack is nearly unstoppable, but its defense is perhaps the team’s strength, led by defensive end Geneo Grissom, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound freak athlete. He has 67 tackles, including 20 for losses, and 5.5 sacks — and that’s with teams running away from him as often as possible. Fellow DL Justin Goetz has even better numbers: 73 tackles, 23 for losses and 9.5 sacks.

•HE SAID IT: “They put pressure on you every snap and can wear you down, so it’s going to be a slugfest. But we’re not going to be cute about it. We’re going to be right there and play as hard as we can. There’s a reason they are ranked No. 2 in the nation. But what a great chance for our program, … trying to establish ourselves as one of them as well. This is the kind of game that can push our program ahead by years.” — Gardner Edgerton coach Marvin Diener

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