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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
‘Charlie Jr.’ leading Fort Loramie
Matt Burgbacher’s family members have watched his father, Charlie, coach the Tippecanoe High School football team for 21 years.
Now that they’ve watched Matt coach his first season at Fort Loramie, they’ve come up with a nickname for the 32-year-old who has led the Redskins to their first-ever playoff appearance (in their fifth season with a team).
“They call me ‘Charlie Jr.,’ ” Burgbacher said Tuesday afternoon just before practice.
After playing quarterback and defensive back for his father at Tipp and and then serving as an assistant coach there for five years, Burgbacher is making the most of his first season as a head coach. Fort Loramie is 8-2 and a a No. 7 seed in Division VI, Region 24.
Tipp, meanwhile, is 8-2 as Charlie Burgbacher prepares to face 9-1 Sandusky Perkins in the first round in D-III, Region 10.
Fort Loramie’s first-round opponent, 9-1 Lockland, provides a major test, but the Redskins can be dangerous offensively behind running back Mitch Raterman, who has gained 1,400 yards and scored 24 touchdowns this season.
The Fort Loramie defense — led by senior inside linebackers Brad Frilling and Alex Wolf — has allowed a touchdown or less in seven games this season, and the Wing-T offense, led by Raterman, has been effective, scoring 35 points a game.
It was curious, though, that when describing Raterman, Burgbacher switched from using “Mitch” to “Mitchell.”
I asked which Raterman preferred.
“I call him Mitchell when I’m mad at him,” Burgbacher said.
And how often is that?
“Not very often,” Burgbacher said with a laugh.
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Week 1 win propelled West Carrollton
Things were still a little shaky for the West Carrtollton High School football team when the Pirates started their season.
They had won four straight to close the 2008 season, which provided plenty of confidence. But, before winning those four games, the Pirates had lost 25 of their previous 26 games.
Plus, there’s the uncertainty that always comes with the debut of a new coach, even though Rob Berger had been at the school as defensive coordinator.
Then came the opener against Wilmington. West Carrollton trailed 13-6 in the middle of the fourth quarter, which is a time in the past the Pirates might have slumped their shoulders and been discouraged.
This time, they turned it around. Sophomore Randy Stites returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown. After a defensive stop, the Pirates scored on a 25-yard slant pass to win 20-13 after scoring 14 points in the final six minutes.
With that, West Carrollton had started 1-0 against a team in Wilmington that would eventually also make the D-II playoffs.
Nine weeks later, the Pirates are 8-2 and preparing to face Tecumseh in the first round of the D-II playoffs on Friday.
That first win, Berger said, helped to make it happen.
“We had to come back to win, and I think it look the team know what they could do,” Berger said. “That started everything. Without that comeback victory, the season could’ve played itself out very differently.”
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