Dixon looking to bounce back from first loss

For the first time this season, the Dixon football team is looking to bounce back.

After lopsided wins the first three weeks, the Dukes suffered their first loss last Friday, falling to Stillman Valley on the road. It was a tough environment for Dixon, which hadn’t experienced anything like it up to that point.

“Stillman is a very difficult place to play, and they do a really good job at what they do,” Dixon coach Jared Shaner said. “They made us play our worst game of the year. We did some things we that we hadn’t been doing in the first few weeks, so credit to them. Now we have to bounce back.”

Despite the loss, the Dukes (3-1) still had a pair of 100-yard rushers for the second straight game; they’ve had a 100-yard rusher in all four games, and quarterback Tyler Shaner has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each contest. Shaner is a dual threat, while Rylan Ramsdell and Zavion Johnson are a two-headed monster in the ground game.

“We can throw it, we can run it, and we need to be able to do both this week,” said junior right guard Matt Warkins, in his second year as a starter on the Dixon offensive line. “We’ve had a 100-yard rusher in every game, sometimes two, and I feel like our offensive line is really tight and together as one, and our quarterback has, I think, out performed what people thought he would.

“Our receivers are obviously amazing, and our running backs are strong. We’ve got Zabo [Johnson] who’s quick and shifty, Ramsdell can run you over and juke you, so we’re kind of multi-dimensional.”

Defensively, the Dukes have still allowed only 27 points through four games. With the offense scoring 161, Dixon has outscored its opponents by an average of 40.25-6.75.

The key will be the Dukes’ physicality. After being the aggressor in the first few games, Warkins felt it took a while for Dixon to get on track last week.

“We just need to be the more aggressive team, which I felt like we were the first three weeks, and it took us until the second half to get going last week,” Warkins said. “So this week, we need to be the more physical team right off the snap from the first play.”

Winnebago (2-2) is also a balanced offense that likes to run more than it passes. After losses to Genoa-Kingston and Byron the first two weeks of the season, the Indians have notched lopsided wins over Rock Falls and Oregon the last two games. They are outscoring their opponents 96-81 this season.

“Winnebago’s very similar to Stillman in that you know what you’re going to get,” coach Shaner said. “They line up in a pro-style offense, and you’re going to get the tailback, and a little divide action, a little bootleg action, and we have to be prepared. [And after a loss,] I know from a coaching perspective, we’re getting the players’ focus back and getting their attention.”

After a pair of road games, Dixon returns home Friday night. The Dukes have played very well at A.C. Bowers Field this season, and Shaner sees a homecoming crowd as an advantage.

“I think anytime you play at home, that’s an advantage. It just helps when you have 150 or 200 kids up in the student section being loud and noisy, and it’s homecoming weekend, so I have a good feeling that our stands will be packed,” he said. “It will be loud and the kids will have a lot of energy, so hopefully we can feed off that and get back to another win.”

Missed opportunities were a big reason why the Dukes lost last week, and Shaner hopes to see some improved execution this week. After limiting their penalties and miscues the first three games, both reared their ugly heads against Stillman.

“We moved the ball just like we had in the first few weeks, but we obviously didn’t score like we did, and that came down to some mistakes,” Shaner said. “... There was just a series of things that we didn’t execute well enough, and you have to be able to do that. So hopefully we’ll get back this week and capitalize on their mistakes and play well on our side of the ball as well.”

Warkins believes the Dukes’ focus is right where it needs to be, and he and his teammates know that they have to continue to play with determination and confidence as they navigate a tough stretch of the season.

“We knew that it was going to be tougher last week – and we know from here on out, it’s going to be even harder ... and we know we have to win out to win conference,” Warkins said. “We’ve shown that we can stop the pass, but now we’ve got to prove that we can stop the run. Our coach says no one runs the ball against us, and that starts again this week.”