OTIS — When the Otis-Bison High School football team steps on the field tonight at 7 to clash with Ashland, it will be with best defense among the final four in the Eight-Man Division-II state playoffs.
The Cougars have allowed an average of only 6.4 points per game this season. Hanover gives up 8.2, Ashland allows 8.4 and B&B Baileyville averages 11.
Otis-Bison athletic director Stan Ewy said that the Cougars’ success comes from preparation and motivation.
“What really impressed me is when (the players) did their running workouts,” Ewy said. “Sometimes as a coach, when you watch kids run, they have a tendency to slack off, but the seniors we have this year, their leadership was just tremendous.
“They have one goal in mind and when they’re done running, it’s like ‘state on three.’”
Ewy said that the coach’s connection with the kids helps the team’s improvement.
“One thing with Coach (Travis) Starr and Coach (Kyle) Bahr is how well they connect with the kids,” Ewy said. “They are both young coaches. The respect that they get from the kids and the hours they put in are impressive, but their rapport with the kids is tremendous.”
The defense is almost entirely intact after last year’s seniors graduated, except for Kevin Wissman, who led the Cougars with 66 tackles last season.
“We just got past where we did last year,” Ewy said of the team making the third round of the state playoffs, “and basically with the same bunch of kids, except without Kevin Wissman. These kids have experience and that’s going to help them out. They’ve been there.”
Otis-Bison senior Michael Hlavaty, who leads the team with 34 tackles, said that with Wissman gone, several players have stepped up to fill in.
“I think it is more of a team defense this year,” Hlavaty said. “Last year, Kevin did a lot for us, but I think this year we are a little more balanced as a team and there really is no weakness in our defense.
“I think a lot of people have stepped up. There has not just been one or two. We lost a lot last year, and we know everyone has to step a little bit. Everyone accepted the challenge very well.”
Hlavaty, who had a slow start to the season due to an injury, now leads the Cougars rushing offense as well.
“At the beginning of the year, I didn’t get as many carries,” Hlavaty said. “I figured during the playoffs, I would get some more carrie,s so I have to do what I can.”
Hlavaty leads the Cougars with 717 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, just ahead of junior running back Patrick Piper, who has sprinted for 671 yards and 14 scores.
The running backs’ success this season, Hlavaty said, is largely due to the offensive line.
“Our offense is awesome,” Hlavaty said. “Our offensive line is one of the best lines in the state, I think. We are pretty much seniors and juniors across the board so there is a lot of experience.”
Regardless of the source of the success, Ewy said that these players are at the center of something special this season.
“A lot of the kids were eighth graders when Starr came in,” Ewy said. “When some of these kids were coming up like Mike Hlavaty and Dominic Trapp, you just knew there was something special about that. They were a good group of kids.”