By Craig Dunn
Logan Daily News Sports Editor

LOGAN — You read and hear about it every week, but it is oh-so-true: the Logan Chieftains have plenty of depth… and they developed even more as the result of some early-season injuries.

One player who has certainly made an impression is senior do-it-all Seth Sigler. Head coach Dale Amyx knew all along he would be vital to the team’s success.

“We did not have a (starting) spot for him at the beginning of the season,” Amyx said. “He’s one of those kids you can put anywhere on defense. He’s quick and aggressive. We can put him at nose guard or at a nickel back. We’ve done that (used a player at nose guard and as a defensive back) before, but it’s been rare. He’s a big reason for our success.
“With him at nose guard that allows us to be very versatile,” he added. “We can use him in so many ways. He’s one of the fastest kids on the team and he’s tough.”

Although he didn’t find a starting home on defense until recently, Sigler is the team’s third-leading tackler with 55 total tackles (nine solos and 46 assists) and is tied with linebacker Zach Adams for the team lead in first hits (11) while making four tackles for loss and sacking the opposing quarterback twice. He had eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack last week against Warren.

And he’s also getting into the act on offense, having caught two passes this season. He’s one of 11 different players with at least one reception this fall.

“Right now we have depth at every position. We’re pretty solid all the way around,” Amyx said. “We don’t want to lose anyone (to injury), obviously, but we’ve had to do it all year.”

Seniors Jon Neff and Clay Morgan have both certainly made up for lost time. Both were injured in the first half at Pickerington North in game two and missed the Hamilton Township game. Morgan came back on defense only in week four against Gallipolis before both were back for game five against Ironton.

“Neff and Morgan were out for awhile, (junior Zach) McDaniel was out and Jordan Rutter came in,” Amyx said. “We were unfortunate with some injuries, but it led to developing our depth.”

Defensive lineman Stephen Miller is still hobbling a bit on a bad heel and Morgan still limps from time to time with the remnants of his knee injury, but they’ve played through the hurts.

“Jon’s built more like a linebacker but he’s quick and strong and has a great ability to block punts,” Amyx said. “He’s done such a good job out there on the edge, and he’s also effective as the tight end in the spread offense.”

Neff has 33 total tackles (10 solos, 23 assists) while registering a team-high eight quarterback sacks, making four tackles for loss and breaking up six passes, second on the team only to defensive back Jaushua Huntsberger’s seven.

And Morgan had a monster night last week against Warren: 13 total tackles (two solo, 11 assists) and three first hits to go with his 142 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Michael Snider had 14 tackles against Warren and Adams had 10.

Jumping out early: The Chieftains still haven’t allowed a first-half touchdown this season, nor have they allowed a single point in the second quarter. Logan has outscored its eight foes 191-6 in the first half. By quarters, it’s 106-6, 85-0 and 57-14 Chieftains in the first, second and third periods, respectively. Logan opponents have scored 49 of their 69 total points in the fourth quarter (outscoring the Chiefs 49-35), but most of those points have come with the decision no longer in doubt.

Inside the numbers: Logan’s spread offense is also proving to be an effective method of ball control. The Chiefs have possessed the ball over four minutes more per game than their opponents and are averaging a whopping 20 first downs, getting no less than 17 (against Marietta) with a high of 25 against Zanesville… Quarterback Patrick Angle has only been sacked four times all season, with all four by Zanesville for 50 yards’ worth of losses. It’s hard to tackle the quarterback in Logan’s spread offense — you can’t tackle someone you can’t reach — and that’s a tribute both to Angle’s scrambling and passing ability and to Logan’s pass-blocking prowess… Hamilton Township, whom the Chiefs blanked 31-0 in week three, rushed for 435 yards in defeating perennial Division V power Amanda-Clearcreek 38-22 last week. While the Rangers did run for 192 yards against the Chieftains, they passed for only 11 as the Logan defense pitched one of its two shutouts this season.
 

Read More in the Logan Daily News.