cbanks1972

✈️ Trojans at Big Reds: Ground & Pound or Will the Planes Take Off?

🐾 DOG HOUSE GAME PREVIEW

✈️ Trojans at Big Reds: Ground & Pound or Will the Planes Take Off?

Fairfield at Centerville — Paul Johnson Field

Friday night at Paul Johnson Field, we’re going to find out what kind of football game this becomes.

Will this turn into an old-fashioned ground-and-pound fight, where the offensive lines and running backs decide who survives?

Or will the planes take off with their pilot, Mack Murdock, commanding the Centerville air attack?

The numbers suggest Centerville would be perfectly happy clearing the runway.

✈️ CAPTAIN MURDOCK IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

Junior quarterback Mack Murdock has been slinging it.

Through two games, Murdock is 43-of-67 for 620 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception, completing 64.2% of his passes.

That’s 310 passing yards per game.

Those numbers tell me something about Coach Matt Kovacevich’s Big Reds: they’re not afraid to put the football in their quarterback’s hands.

And why would they be?

Murdock has a receiving corps capable of making Fairfield defend every blade of grass.

Abram Decena has caught 18 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 16.9 yards per reception.

Sloan Phillips has 12 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

Then there’s Makoa Kaleponi, who has eight receptions for 78 yards in addition to being the Big Reds’ workhorse on the ground.

That’s a lot for a defense to account for.

If Fairfield starts committing extra bodies to stop the run, Murdock may get clearance for takeoff.

💪 BUT DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE BIG REDS’ HAMMER

Here’s what makes Centerville dangerous:

They don’t have to throw it 40 times to beat you.

Makoa Kaleponi has carried 31 times for 182 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

Centerville has rushed for 279 yards and seven touchdowns as a team.

That’s where this becomes a defensive nightmare.

Load the box?

Murdock throws it.

Play lighter to protect against Decena and Phillips?

Hand it to Kaleponi and let the big man go to work.

That’s football’s oldest numbers game, and Centerville has the personnel to make Fairfield choose.

💥 FAIRFIELD IS COMING TO HIT

Don’t mistake all this talk about Centerville’s offense for overlooking Fairfield.

The Trojans are heading to Paul Johnson Field looking to turn this into a physical football game.

And Fairfield has players capable of changing momentum defensively.

Blake Burnett leads the numbers shown with 7.5 tackles, while Ethan Bisgard has 5.5.

But Bisgard has done more than tackle.

He has an interception returned 30 yards for a touchdown and has been credited with two forced fumbles.

That’s exactly the kind of defensive play Fairfield may need.

If you’re facing an offense capable of producing more than 300 yards through the air, stealing a possession becomes enormous.

🛡️ CENTERVILLE CAN HIT TOO

This isn’t just an offensive football team.

The Big Reds’ defensive numbers show 94 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Senior Curtis Mathes has 12.5 tackles, while Sloan Phillips has 8.5.

Cory Kratofil has eight tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Decena has 7.5 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Centerville has athletes flying around on both sides of the football.

That’s why I expect the pads to be popping at Paul Johnson.

🎙️ COACH BANKS’ DOG HOUSE BREAKDOWN

This is the question I’m asking Friday night:

Ground and pound—or do the planes take off?

I think we’re going to see both.

Kaleponi is too productive for Centerville not to feed him the football. Let him pound away at Fairfield’s front and force those linebackers and safeties to start creeping toward the line of scrimmage.

Then comes the chess move.

Play action.

Murdock pulls it.

The linebackers take one step forward.

The safety hesitates.

And the runway opens.

That’s when Decena and Phillips become extremely dangerous.

Murdock isn’t just throwing the football around for the sake of throwing it. Five touchdowns against one interception tells you he’s been productive while generally protecting the football.

If Centerville establishes Kaleponi early, I think Fairfield eventually has to commit additional resources to stopping him.

And when that happens?

✈️ CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

That’s when I expect Pilot Mack Murdock to go upstairs.

Kaleponi supplies the ground attack.

Decena and Phillips provide the air support.

And Murdock sits in the cockpit.

Fairfield’s mission is to keep those planes grounded.

🐾 THE DOG HOUSE OUTLOOK

Friday night at Paul Johnson Field should have a little bit of everything.

Hard hits.

Physical line play.

A bruising running game.

And an explosive passing attack waiting for its opportunity.

Fairfield would love to turn this into a four-quarter street fight.

Centerville can play that game.

But the Big Reds have another weapon.

They have an Air Force.

Will it be ground and pound?

Absolutely.

But eventually, I think the tower gives Murdock clearance.

✈️ The runway opens.

✈️ The planes take off.

✈️ And Pilot Mack Murdock goes to work.

The Trojans are coming to Paul Johnson Field. Expect some hard-hitting action—but keep your eyes on the sky.

#DogHouse #CentervilleBigReds #FairfieldTrojans #MackMurdock #MakoaKaleponi #FridayNightFootball #IowaHighSchoolFootball #CoachingCultureInAthletics

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Published by cbanks1972

## Charles “Chuck” Banks ### Founder and Voice of Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network Charles “Chuck” Banks—known to many throughout the tri-state sports community as Coach Banks or “Chuck the Tank”—is the founder and lead broadcaster of the Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network. Built from more than two decades of coaching, teaching, leadership, and relationship-building, the network is dedicated to telling the stories of the coaches, athletes, schools, and communities that make local sports special. A native of rural Iowa, Banks has spent 20 years in education and more than 25 years coaching football. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education from Graceland University in 2004 before completing a master’s degree in Secondary Education and Educational Administration and a specialist degree in Educational Leadership. Throughout his coaching career, Banks worked with programs across southeastern Iowa. His stops included Centerville, Central Lee, and Fort Madison, along with seven years coaching girls basketball and additional experience in junior-high track. At Central Lee, Banks served as an assistant defensive coach and activities director before becoming the Hawks’ head football coach from 2020 through 2022. Central Lee reached the playoffs during his final season. He was also part of multiple playoff teams and a district championship during his time with the program. At Centerville, Banks spent nine years as an assistant and helped the Big Reds capture a district championship and earn multiple playoff appearances. Most recently, he coached at Fort Madison under Head Coach Derek Doherty, helping develop younger players within the Bloodhound football program. Banks’ defensive coaching journey evolved from the traditional 5-2 defense to the 3-3-5 before he found his preferred home in the 4-2-5. However, his coaching philosophy has never been limited to schemes, formations, wins, or losses. He believes the greatest responsibility of a coach is to build relationships, develop leaders, create belonging, and prepare young people for life beyond the playing field. That belief became the foundation for Coaching Culture in Athletics. What began as an effort to create meaningful conversations about coaching and leadership grew into a full sports-media and broadcasting network. Coaching Culture in Athletics now serves as the umbrella for Dog Pound Radio, The Coach Show, the Dog House Tour, Dog Pound U, Hound Talk, the Dog House Saturday Morning Blitz, live game broadcasts, team previews, rankings, interviews, historical features, and year-round coverage of local athletics. Through the Dog House Tour, Banks visits practices, meets coaching staffs, interviews athletes, studies programs, and gives local teams the type of detailed coverage normally reserved for much larger schools. The network’s reach extends throughout southeastern Iowa, western Illinois, and northeastern Missouri, connecting communities across the tri-state region. Banks has covered and developed relationships with programs including Fort Madison, Central Lee, Centerville, West Burlington–Notre Dame, Mount Pleasant, Macomb, West Hancock, and Brown County. His work highlights more than star players and final scores. It recognizes assistant coaches, linemen, managers, scout-team players, school traditions, historic stadiums, longtime community supporters, and the people working behind the scenes. The Coach Show allows Banks to sit down with coaches from the high-school and college levels for honest conversations about leadership, program development, adversity, family, faith, and the profession of coaching. His interviews are guided by experience rather than observation alone. He understands the pressure of leading a program, the hours spent preparing, the sacrifices made by coaching families, and the responsibility that comes with mentoring young people. Dog Pound Radio brings a more energetic edge to the network. Inspired by Banks’ love for football and his beagles, Leo and Loki, Dog Pound Radio combines local sports reporting with the unmistakable “Dawg Mentality”—toughness, loyalty, preparation, perseverance, and love for the team. Loki continues to serve as a central part of the brand, while the memory of Leo remains woven into its heart. Banks’ journey has also been shaped by significant personal adversity. After suffering multiple strokes, undergoing heart surgery, and facing additional serious health concerns, he stepped away from coaching and entered what he describes as medical retirement from the sideline. He also speaks openly about depression, adult ADHD, recovery, and the importance of faith, family, purpose, and mental health. Although his health changed the way he could serve, it did not take away his calling. Broadcasting became a new sideline. Through Coaching Culture in Athletics, Banks found another way to teach, coach, encourage, and advocate. His experiences have given his work a deeper sense of urgency: appreciate the people around you, tell their stories while you can, recognize the unseen contributors, and never underestimate the impact a coach can have on a young person’s life. Faith and family remain at the center of Banks’ life. He and his wife, Stephanie, have built a life rooted in southeastern Iowa and are the proud parents of Chelsey, Peyton, and Katarina. Their growing family includes son-in-law Donald Archambault and grandchildren Orion, Owen, and Ollie. Banks often credits his family for standing beside him through the demanding seasons of coaching, education, broadcasting, illness, and recovery. Today, Chuck Banks brings together the perspective of a coach, educator, broadcaster, historian, husband, father, grandfather, and survivor. His voice is passionate, direct, knowledgeable, and deeply connected to the communities he covers. The mission of the Coaching Culture in Athletics Radio Broadcast Network is simple: promote the positive impact of athletics, strengthen coaching culture, celebrate local communities, preserve sports history, and provide athletes and coaches with a platform where their work matters. This is more than a radio network. It is a celebration of coaches, culture, athletes, families, and communities. It is local sports coverage built on relationships. It is where coaches, culture, and communities connect. It is Coaching Culture in Athletics.

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