The Manitowoc County Mariners and Wisconsin Ravens meet for a third time this season on Saturday night, but this time, it’ll be in a Northern Lights Football League Playoff game at Winneconne High School.
The Mariners had to win their final two games of the regular season, including a 10 to 0 victory over the Ravens July 13th to clinch a playoff spot.
Mariner’s Owner and President Marcos Alfaro said his team steadily improved throughout the season.
“In years past, we’ve had several guys who have been playing together for a few years. This year, we had about 20 new guys that were first-year players, and it took a while for everyone to gel and come together as a team.”
Especially defensively, where The Mariners allowed just 32 points in their last five games, winning four of those.
Alfaro says Defensive Coordinator Rick Roulette has his unit playing at an elite level at the right time of the year.
“His defense is built around giving players opportunities to make plays. He always talks about doing your job and doing your part and if so, chances will come your way to shine. The guys have bought into that, and the results have been evident on the field.”
Alfaro says they’ll need a great defensive effort and more Saturday night to defeat the Ravens a third time and advance.
“We can’t really come out and surprise them. They know what we like to do and what we do well. We must approach this game as the start of a new season with a workmen-like approach to be successful.”
When these teams met in week 5, The Ravens were undefeated, while the Mariners had lost three of their first four.
While they may have defeated the Ravens twice this season, Alfaro knows they (The Mariners) can’t rest on their laurels.
“They’re going to come out hungry. They lost to us twice already despite holding us to a combined total of 24 points. I’m sure they’re thinking that defensively, they can hang in there, so one of the keys to victory is to score points when opportunities present themselves.”
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
