ROXANA - Roxana and Southwestern are a pair of teams who love to square off against one another each year and the 2015 battle is at 7 tonight at Southwestern.
Roxana enters the game tied for second with Carlinville High School in the South Central Conference; the Southwestern High School Piasa Birds are 3-5.
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Shells Head Coach Pat Keith has plenty to be proud of as his team enters the last game of the regular season.
Having only lost the first two games of the season against Carlinville and Pana High Schools, the Shells overcame the obstacles necessary to come out on top for the past six games. The team has a 4-0 record when traveling and have scored an average of 32 points per game this season.
Except for a pair of early-season losses, Roxana has been as tough as nails.
"After losing our first two games our players have put some good games together and are getting better each week," Keith said. "We want to take that into playoffs.
"I think the kids are focused on what we are doing. We are paying more attention to little details, from running our offense or alighning correctly on defense."
Ryan Paslay has been the leading rusher for the Piasa Birds through the season, carrying 123 times for 798 yards. Quarterback Caleb Robinson has completed 93 of 209 passes for 10 touchdowns. Jesse Arnold leads the Piasa Birds in tackling with 72 overall tackles.
The Piasa Birds are 3-5 and tied for fourth place with Greenville High School in the SCC, and are 2-1 at home this season. Three of the five losses this season for the Piasa Birds are results of scoreless games. Otherwise, the team has scored an average of around 21 points per game.
Southwestern’s Head Coach Aaron Fricke is looking forward to Roxana coming to the Piasa Birds’ home turf and showing them what his team has to offer.
Fricke said he knows Roxana is a "very hot team" coming into the contest with six straight wins.
"We have 19 senior boys who will be playing their final game here at home," he said. "They know it's going to be quite a challenge, but they are ready to go out strong. The key to winning will be stopping their incredible ground attack. They have a big bruiser at fullback, who is a ton to bring down."
Fullback Jordan Hawkins has lugged the ball for 960 yards so far this season and has been a key to the Shells' success with his other backfield members and offensive and defensive line.
"Southwestern is always very athletic and is very well-coached," Keith said. "It will be a battle for us. They are always ready for us. We will try to concentrate on the little things and do them correctly. It is a big game. The game is important for us on how we are seeded in the playoffs."Madelaine Gerard also contributed to this story.
