INDIANS OPEN 5A DISTRICT PLAY AGAINST VIANNEY

Sporting a record of 1-6, the Vianney Golden Griffins may not be a very good football team.

But they won't be intimidated.

Vianney will play host to third-ranked Jackson tonight when district play is kicked off statewide. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

"This'll be our eighth ballgame and it will be our sixth ranked opponent," explained Vianney coach Gene Gladstone. "We know what to expect, but we have to play a quality game against these quality teams."

A member of the tough Metro Catholic League, Vianney has been beaten by an average margin of 27 points in its losses. Vianney's only win was a 41-16 victory over Chaminade. The Golden Griffins suffered a 29-6 loss to St. Francis-Borgia, the seventh-ranked team in Class 3A last week.

Based on rankings and records, Vianney shouldn't pose much of a problem for the Indians, who enter Class 5A, District 1 action with a 7-0 record after a sparkling 42-0 drubbing of Hillsboro last week. Though Jackson's defense has held its opponents to 9.2 points per game and has generally been impossible to run against, last week was the Indians' first shutout.

To keep that momentum and to get off to the right foot in the first round of district play, Jackson coach Carl Gross said his team will need to be able to recognize and respond in the correct way to Vianney's various formations.

"They line up in every formation known to man," Gross said. "They're difficult to prepare for. You have to get lined up correctly. If you get lined up correctly, you just play football. If they get you outnumbered and you don't find the right guy, you're in trouble. It's a mental challenge as much as a physical challenge."

Gross said that once they shift and line up in all the different formations, the Griffins seem to run the same two or three basic running plays to set up bootlegs off the play action.

Defensively, Vianney poses some scheming problems as well. The Griffins' defensive line will often line up differently, forcing teams to read and adjust their blocking schemes.

Gladstone is faced with a different challenge.

His team will be physically outmatched in terms of speed and size.

"They're an excellent team," said Gladstone. "They play great defense and on offense they have the threat of all threats with Mario Whitney."

Whitney is not only putting up all-state caliber numbers (1,152 yards on 124 carries and 25 touchdowns), but he's starting to establish himself as one of the best running back prospects in the Midwest for the class of 2002.

"He's certainly the fastest guy we've seen," said Gladstone. "When you put his speed with that package of linemen, he'll be the best running back in anybody's state."

But there's more problems for Gladstone.

Whitney was held to less than 100 yards last week and Jackson still won by 42 points. The Indians, led by Ray Goodson's 134 yards on seven receptions, had more than 200 yards passing. After a couple of games struggling with the pass, quarterback John Jackson completed 11-of-14 passes for 190 yards and was not intercepted.

Gross said he encouraged Jackson in practice last week to not to try to be too perfect. He told Jackson that even if the receiver didn't catch it on the run and take it in for a touchdown even if he had to stop in his tracks to catch it -- a 15-yard completion was better than an incompletion.

Jackson took his advice and not only completed the "non-perfect" passes to wide-open receivers down field, but he stepped up in the pocket and delivered some bullets also.

And Jackson's well-executed play-fakes to Whitney made it that much more difficult for Hillsboro to cover the Indians' receiving crew.

As if that wasn't tough enough to defend, Jackson fullback Brad Berry has averaged nearly eight yards per carry over the last two weeks.

"We've seen a combination of five of their games," Gladstone said. "Any time you play a team of their caliber, you know they can move the ball on the ground and through the air. And they're good on special teams, too.

"But I think anybody's priority is to try to force Whitney to make a drive out of it and not just let him break one off. But seven other teams have said the same thing and they haven't been able to do it very well."

Vianney is led offensively by tailback Mick Henderson (5-10, 175), who has 463 yards this season and averages 6.26 yards per carry; and tight end Steve Campbell (6-5, 215), who has caught 12 passes for 158 yards.

Defensively, Vianney is led by linebacker Dave Bleitner (6-0, 225).