Three touchdowns, three field goals.
That is all the points Spring Mills has given up all season through 12 games as the No. 2-seeded Cardinals prepare to host No. 6 Hurricane on Saturday at Cardinal Stadium in the semifinals of the Class AAAA playoffs.
Two of those touchdowns came in one game, as did one of the field goals. That was in a 17-12 loss to No. 1 Martinsburg Ƶ the only contest Spring Mills (11-1) has lost this season.
The other touchdown came in a 14-7 win over Morgantown last Saturday in the quarterfinals. Spring Mills only allowed two field goals to University during the regular season while shutting out the rest of its nine opponents.
Hurricane coach Donnie Mays said Spring Mills doesnƵt have just one playmaker on that side of the ball that makes the Cardinals so good.
ƵTheyƵre unique,Ƶ Mays said. Ƶ(The players) are all the same. TheyƵre a solid group of kids playing as a single unit.Ƶ
Cardinals coach Marcus Law said he credits the defenseƵs success to defensive coordinator Buddy Hesen.
ƵHe has a tremendous knowledge of what he does,Ƶ Law said. ƵWeƵve got guys to the outside who can swarm to the ball.Ƶ
Still, Law said that unit will be tested against an offense like Hurricane, which he called explosive.
ƵWe have to have our best game on defense,Ƶ Law said. ƵWe have to move the ball and lock in. We cannot start behind the chains.Ƶ
Offensively, Spring Mills has Max Anderson at quarterback. He has passed for more than 1,000 yards this season and 16 TDs but can do a lot of damage to defenses as a rusher.
The senior rushed for 101 yards on 17 carries and scored both of Spring MillsƵ TDs in the quarterfinals win over the Mohigans.
ƵThe quarterback is their leader,Ƶ Mays said. ƵThey have a 6-5 kid. He is the quarterbackƵs brother. He goes and gets the deep ball.Ƶ
Mays said Spring Mills doesnƵt do anything offensively that Hurricane has not seen before, but what the Cardinals do is executed well by the players they have.
The battle, Mays said, will come down to the line of scrimmage.
Hurricane has a strong, experienced offensive line which will face a Cardinals defensive line that is strong and likes to pressure the quarterback. Mays said Spring MillsƵ defense is quick too and will blitz.
The Hurricane running game will have to be as good as it was against Jefferson, if not better, to counter that speed.
Hurricane running back Kylan Grace rushed for 165 yards against Jefferson and said his team is ready.
ƵI definitely think theyƵre for sure a good team,Ƶ said Grace, who has 1,327 rushing yards this season. ƵI think our team can do what it takes. Getting to the championship has been our goal since January.
ƵThey definitely have a strong defense, but we have a game plan. I think their D-line is strong up front. They have some great players, but weƵre going to make a game plan, and weƵll execute it to the best of our ability.Ƶ
Hurricane quarterback Noah Vellaithambi and his ability to run as well as pass will be instrumental too. With 925 yards rushing, second on the team behind Grace, and 2,815 passing yards, the QB can be a dual threat that could spell trouble for the Cardinals.
SaturdayƵs 1:30 p.m. kickoff will be the first meeting between the two schools, with Spring Mills opening as a school in 2013.
