South Vermillion looks to continue winning ways

As he enters his second sectional tournament as head coach of the South Vermillion football team, Cory Miller likes what he has seen from his team. 

The Wildcats ended the regular season at 5-4 and enter the postseason with a little momentum, having won two of their last three games. 

"We finished the regular season last year 3-6 and went 5-4 this year. I am incredibly proud of our players and what they have been able to accomplish. I think we are proud of the season. I think they achieved above expectations when it comes to play, and there are some games that could have gone one way or another, especially the Parke Heritage game. It is what it is. We didn't play our best against Seeger, but the big thing is we learned lessons from those. Practices have looked really sharp, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished," Miller told The Parke County Post. 

Along the way, South Vermillion has also found a leader  in quarterback Ben Shyrock. 

"Ben has done an absolutely phenomenal job. He has played well throughout the year, no matter the competition. Last year, he completed under 50 percent of his passes, threw for 11 or 12 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and accumulated a little over 1,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards. You look at his numbers this year, and he has thrown 11 touchdowns and three interceptions, with two coming in the first game. He has done a phenomenal job of handling the football and has really settled in. Everything has slowed down, and there's things he has done this year that have absolutely shocked me," Miller said. 

South Vermillion will open the Class 2A Sectional 38 tournament against Greencastle at home Friday night. The Tiger Cubs enter having won their last two games and are 4-5. The winner will play the winner of South Putnam and Cascade in the second week of the tournament. 

Miller said his team is excited about the opportunity to play Greencastle.

"It's someone new, and you know there is great competition that is going to come with it. Obviously, Cole Stephens has had a phenomenal career, and they have some really good players there. It was exciting for us to draw Greencastle, and it will be an exciting game. For us, it couldn't be better. I went back and looked and South Vermillion has never won a sectional and been out in the first round all but six years I believe since 1994. We wanted someone we could have a competitive game against and want to get that feeling of what it means to play in the second round. That is up to them and how they show up Friday, but it is great to see some really good, competitive competition in the second round," Miller admitted. 

Stephens enters 346 yards shy of becoming the state's all-time passing yards leader, and Miller knows his team has to defend him. 

"They have a lot of really good athletes from top to bottom. They have a really good wide receiver and his getting off the line is the best I have seen all year. They have a physical running back, a nice, big tight end and an offensive line that is going to block well. Defensively, they get after it and they'll bring pressure, stack the box and make you throw the ball outside. They have a super, physical team on defense. They want to try to get explosive plays. It will be a lot of high action on offense with them and physical on defense," he said. 

What will it take for South Vermillion to advance?

"For us, we want to keep the ball out of their hands and control the football on offense. We want to run the football anyway, and we have done a decent job of that, but we need to control the football. We have to be methodical on offense, and on defense, we have to keep him contained inside the pocket. He is one of the best quarterbacks around and his receivers come down with the football. We have to force them to do things they don't like," Miller said.