Gap keeps growing

SWOOPE

On the surface everything looks the same at Buffalo Gap. The Bison are still perfect, it’s still cold in Swoope and the road to the Group A, Division 1 semifinals still goes through William Campbell.

Despite the similarities, this isn’t the same Bison squad that hoisted a championship banner in 2007.

“This year has been a lot tougher,” said Gap senior Ian Rosenfeld. “We had to work a lot harder in practice.”

The Bison have a bull’s-eye the size of the mountains that look over their home field on their backs.

“It’s not what we have done different, its that they’ve seen it all before,” Rosenfeld joked.

Through 11 games the Bison are averaging eight more yards and five more points a game but are having to find new ways to produce on offense.

“We haven’t thrown the ball around as much,” said Buffalo Gap coach Rob Maxwell. “We are seeing eight and nine men in the box more, and with that it’s hard to get more yardage. We have adjusted. We probably need to throw the ball more, but we will see.”

Last season Gap hosted the Region B final against William Campbell and won on a two-point conversion in the final seconds. This year the Generals are the No. 1 seed in the region and Gap will have to play on hostile ground.

“We have been down there before,” Maxwell said. “[Riverheads] coach [Rob] Casto and myself have done nothing but run to Naruna in the Region B playoffs I think ever since ’03.”

New leaders have had to emerge over the season to fill in for the departed Josh Wenger and Travis Morris. Michael Johnson, Ryan Sheridan and Boone Jones have added to the scoring threat of Pickle Nuckols along with a strong offensive line.

“I think our O-line has come a long way,” Maxwell said. “They had some return, but they weren’t a solid unit. They are going to take us where we need to go.”