By BUTCH HARMON
Led by a skilled offensive line and a stingy defense, the Fowler Eagles are back in the state playoffs for the fourth year in a row and for the 21st time in the last 23 years.
This season, the Eagles are looking to duplicate the success of last year’s team that advanced to the Division 8 state title game, where it fell to Mendon.
The Eagles opened this season against Mendon and dropped a 27-7 decision. After that, the Eagles reeled off eight straight wins and ended the regular season with a 21-7 win over Manchester, a playoff-bound team out of the Class C Cascades Conference.
Improvement has been the name of the game for the Eagles, who have shown plenty of it since the opener against Mendon.
“We have seen improvement each and every week,” coach Craig Koenigsknecht said. “We had a lot of nerves and a lot of jitters in that game against Mendon. It was the opener, and Mendon is a good team. It was an excellent team to play right out of the gate.”
After allowing 27 points in the opener against Mendon, the Fowler defense only allowed 67 points total in the remaining eight games of the regular season.
Offensively, the Eagles have a strong ground game, led by Tyler Koenigsknecht. Koenigsknecht rushed for 233 yards in the win against Manchester and has over 1,300 yards rushing this season. The Eagles have a balanced ground game, though, as both Napoleon Watts and Austin Feldpausch have rushed for over 500 yards.
“As a whole, our team defense has been real strong,” coach Koenigsknecht said. “Our offensive line has also done an excellent job for us.”
The Eagles offensive line is comprised of Travis Shafer, Cameron Bongard, John Schafer, Kevin Koenigsknecht, Quinn Myers, Chandler Campbell, and Jacob Schmitt. Strong offensive line play has been a staple at Fowler and is a big reason for the success the Eagles have experienced every fall.
Leadership has also been a key element in Fowler’s string of playoff appearances. “The leadership is a big key,” Koenigsknecht said. “Our kids are very unselfish and follow well. We also don’t have to be a senior-dominated team. The kids don’t care if it’s a freshman or a sophomore playing a certain position. They don’t care if it helps get us to where we want to go. They all push each other. They push each other in the off-season and it all adds up to success in the regular season.”