All three MWL playoff teams lost to one of the state finalists - Hillsboro and Jefferson. Our #1 seed, Thurston, lost to Hillsboro in the quarterfinals, 27-10. Churchill fell to Jefferson in the second round of the playoffs, 56-27. And Marshfield lost at Jefferson 25-31 in the Pirates last non league game of the regular season.
Jeff was 0-4 when they hosted the Pirates and haven't lost since. Jefferson's first five games were against teams that eventually made the playoffs, including 6A Grant, West Albany and Sherwood. How's that for a killer non league schedule.? (Now if only the SEC teams would schedule like that, instead of playing powder puff girls teams like Florida International.)
If you have a kid who is going to play varsity football next year, take him to Reeser to watch the 5A and 6A finals. It's a lot easier for a player to think 'state finals' if they've actually seen them - visualization is a well documented technique. But more than planting that picture in football players minds is watching the studs on the field. Jeff's QB Eli Aluesi is 6' 6" and 220. Four Demo linemen are in the 300 pound range and a couple more go 280 ish. The Demo RB, Ian Perkins, has rushed for 1835 yards at a 10.6 Yard Per Carry clip! He's a JUNIOR and the QB is a SOPH.
Hopefully, you saw Hillsboro at Thurston. Hillsboro is a solid team with their studs Colt Lyerla (a 6'5" RB who splits out a lot), RB Mikkel Smythe and QB Dominique Mims. The Spartans have a super D and the players are good at taking what is being given them, the pass or the run.
The word is that Jefferson is playing very disciplined ball, which is highly unusual for the Demos. If they play one more game without yellow flagging themselves out of the game, I think they'll upset the #1 Spartans. It's going to be a great game with tons of players to watch.
Sheldon vs Jesuit.
I've seen Sheldon three times this year. I started with the season opener against Churchill. Churchill's line played with a ton of heart and showed a lot of good technique, but were just overwhelmed by the size, speed and strength of Sheldon. I came home and told my stepson, Alex Brink, you've got to see the Irish. I said the Irish are on a different level than anyone else and only the 2006 Jesuit team could beat them. (The 2006 Crusaders went through the playoffs 48-14 vs Tualatin, 65-7 over Sheldon, 63-21 vs Canby and 56-7 over Southridge) . I haven't been too far off, although I don't think the state will ever again see a team like the 2006 Jesuit team.
Sheldon had a close call against Southridge, winning 33-28. But perhaps being on national TV was a bit distracting. The only other semi close game was against Aloha - a 26-13 win for the Irish. Note that both close calls were on the road against Metro teams. And Sheldon will be on the road (at least it's a neutral site) against a Metro team.
Sheldon's skills guys are explosive. QB Jordy Johnson can be compared to Tym Pearson. But add in the magic of Merlin to escape and a better passing game - Johnson has 40 TD's to 4 INT's. Those stats include 5 SOC teams, 2 Metro teams, Central Catholic, Lake Oswego and Canby. You can add in another 1062 yard on the ground. He's a must see.
Sheldon has developed several strong, explosive and extremely fast backs over the past ten years. Cameron Abeene is this years model. Just when you think an arm tackle is going to bring him down, he 'pops' away and is gone, just gone.
Sheldon's WR John Campbell is unknown on the recruiting circuit, but who knows why. He's averaging 21.5 yards per catch, 23 TD catches, and 108 YPGame. That's unbelievable. Curtis White, the 6'5" future Duck gets the press, with 17 yards per catch, 48 YPG, and 11 TD's. Of course White is a chiseled 6'4, 250 pound Roman warrior.
The Irish can put some beef on the field if they want to. Drew Minor checks in at 6'3" and 340 pounds and he's on the field a lot on offense and some on D. The Irish also have a couple of 295 pounders, but you'll usually find some 230 pound lightweights protecting Johnson, or harassing opponent QB's. (Several linemen/LBs return for Sheldon next year. This sets up some interesting match-ups for Thurston's Kraig Akins as the Colts move up to 6A. Sheldon's OL/LB Sam McCaskill 6'2", 220; OL/DE Kristian Tharp 6'2", 240; and LB Cooper Strom 6'1", 210 all return.)
Jesuit's line is similar to Sheldon's, but without the huge guys. 7 players are listed in the 230-250 pound range. The Crusaders are the last of a long string of Sheldon playoff opponents that run the ball. Normally, the Irish rush D is Sheldon's Achilles heel. But so far the Irish have played stellar D in the playoffs. They have one final test against a dominant running team and it's by far the biggest test of all. Jesuit features two star backs, Jordan Talley and Keanon Lowe. The QB, Jeff Elorriaga, uses the running game to set up an efficient passing attack. The Crusaders average only 113 yards per game in the air, but Elorriga has 18 TD's to just 3 INT's. The Crusader's play exactly the type of game that matches up well against the Irish. On D, the Crusaders have given up just 5 TD's in their last 7 games. On O, the Crusaders average 245 yards per game on the ground. They have a clock eating ground game, which will keep the ball out of explosive Irish hands.
The 6A final game could go a lot of ways. Sheldon could win in a rout. Not likely, given Jesuit's D. Or Jesuit could control the clock with long scoring drives and frustrate the Irish. A possibility if Sheldon doesn't score on their first two or three drives. Or the game could be a mid range scoring affair. I'd give the Irish the slight nod if that's the case. This game is just too hard to call. All I know is that there is going to be war in the trenches, and there is a ton of speed and quickness at the LB and DB positions. I couldn't ask for more.
For 10 bucks you can take in three games - I'm going to watch the 5A and 6A games.
You can comment by clicking on the 'comments' link below the line or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
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