Know your foe: Braves ride two-game winning streak into Friday night contest

for LoganFootball.com
Logan will make the trip west to Logan Elm for the first-ever gridiron meeting between the Braves and Chieftains Friday night.
Coach Terry Holbert’s Braves are riding a two-game winning streak and enter the contest 2-2 overall with wins over Circleville (41-22) and Fairfield Union (34-14). They opened the season with losses to Teays Valley (25-31) and Hamilton Township (18-41). All four games were Mid-State League Buckeye contests.
Senior-oriented, the 2020 Braves are improved on both sides of the ball.
On offense, quarterback Connor Robinson (6-0, 190, senior) makes the spread offense go. LE will line up primarily in a single-back shotgun set with four wide receivers. The Braves also show looks with a tight end playing in the backfield as more of an H-back and with an empty backfield and their running black split out wide.
Robinson is effective as both a passer and runner with his legs proving effective out of their empty back sets.
Sophomore Blayton Reid (5-9, 170) is the team’s top rusher with Matthew Dyer (5-8, 185, junior) seeing time in the backfield as well.
Gabe Chalfin (6-0, 175, senior) is the team’s top pass-catching target, with the other receiver spots played by David Evans (6-0, 165, senior), Jason Sailor (5-9, 190, senior) and Braylen Baker (6-2, 190, sophomore).
Cole Westenbarger (6-1, 190, senior) is a versatile talent at the team’s tight end and H-back post.
Up front, Blade Chrysler (6-2, 260, senior) and Ryan Miller (6-1, 210, junior) are the tackles and Eric Matzenbach (6-0, 185, senior) and Gavin Griffey (6-1, 220, sophomore) are the guards, with RJ Weber (6-0, 175, sophomore) playing center. Collin Roar (6-3, 275, senior) will also see plenty of snaps at tackle with Hayden Hebb (6-0, 210, sophomore) a contributor at guard.
Defensively, the Braves line up in a base 3-4 defense, a look the Chieftains have gotten familiar with this season.
Griffey, Matzenbach, Miller, Hebb, and Roar will all rotate among the three down lineman positions.
Reid and Robinson play the inside linebacker posts, with Sailor and Dyer playing on the outside. Backup quarterback Garrett Summers (5-11, 180, junior) will also see time at outside linebacker.
Chalfin and Ethan Smith (6-0, 190, junior) are the cornerbacks with Evans adding depth. Baker and Westenbarger are the safeties, with Westenbarger playing in the box when the Braves expect opponent running plays.
Jude Braun (5-7, 165, junior) will do the placekicking. Chalfin does it all on special teams working as the punter and a return man. Chalfin has also kicked PATs and returned a kickoff for touchdown.