2010 Football Blog Warm Up - Will Marist Roll?

Two weeks until Opening Night, with four MWL teams teeing it up:

The feature game is Corvallis at Marist.
Silverton is at Springfield.
South Albany is at Willamette.
Marshfield travels all the way to North Bend

There's lots of talk on the OregonLive.com forum about Marist rolling through the MWL/SO league.  I'm here to assure you that it won't be a cakewalk. If you're expecting seven games with scores 40-7 every time, think again.  There's some exciting growth in the programs at Springfield and Coos Bay and I dare say, North Eugene.  And I'm sure the aerial circus at Churchill will continue.  I don't have a handle on Willamette, but unless the bottom has fallen out over the past year, they'll be very competitive.  As far as Marist goes, Marist will take over for Thurston as the only team who has every player going all out every play until the whistle blows.  I"m not going to go over my pre season rankings on this warm up blog, but I will say that as the only team going all out all the time,  Marist will take the title, but there will be some tough games.

Watch these guys

There aren't a lot of MWL first team all leaguers returning this year, but there are some super studs among them.  Of course, we lost Thurston's Kraig Akins to the 6A division....  I want to sneak over to the Sheldon-Thurston game just to watch Akins take on the Irish. 

If the MWL coaches can find a year to make a lineman the league's MVP, this it the year.  Marist's Matthew Devereux was first team O&D lineman last year as a 6' 3", 260 pound junior. Ouch!  Willamette's Danny Granillo was a double duty first team MWL'er as a linebacker and OTackle. Granillo was 6'1", 210 as a junior.

North Eugene returns two first teamers.  That hasn't happened in a long time.  Demerick Taylor (Special Teams) and Jackson Landgren (DB).  If the Highlanders hadn't featured Bibbee as the leagues Most Valuable Offensive player at running back, receiver Alex Wilson would have been a first team receiver, rather than honorable mention.  If North pulls a quarterback out of their baseball cages, Wilson should shine. 

Springfield's Thomas Spikes was first team Special Teams.  The all league newspaper coverage never really explains what 'Special Teams' means.  But I think it means 'Special Guy who did it all, but the coach had to spread him so thin he couldn't stand out at any one position."  The Miller's Kameron Bates did double duty as a 2nd teamer - at linebacker and tackle.  Being another baseballer who just happens to help out the football coaches, you should know Kameron led the Miller baseball team to its first state playoff game in ten years as the league MVP in baseball.  The Millers also have honorable mention QB Levi Green and 2nd team DB Kyle George returning.  I'm counting on these Millers and coach Skip Raish's notoriety at getting his players to fly to the ball on D to get the Millers in contention for a run well beyond the playin round.  If the Millers ever get their D to the level Raish got the Wolverines to, the Millers will roll.  When you think you're hearing thunder in the Eugene-Springfield area, it's really the echoes of the pads cracking at the 2000 to 2002 Willamette-Sheldon games.  Will the Millers make it Springfield-Marist thunder this year?

Marshfield returns just two all leaguers.  However, one of them is the most exciting player to watch in the league.  'More touches' is all I can say for Ryan Scoville.  Scoville was 2nd team all league last year at running back.  There has been concern about his size (5'8" last year) being too small to be a feature back. NFL HOFamer Emmit Smith was 5'9".  Enough said about Scoville.  Next, I won't tell you that it's possible that the second best quarterback in the league was sitting on the Marshfeild bench last year as a junior.  The Pirate's starting QB and league MVP Kyle Tedder graduated, so bench guy moves up.   I'm just saying if the Marshfield second year coach, Justin Ainsworth, has had any success getting the Pirates back in the weightroom, look out, cause if the guy on the bench last year has a little time....

Earlier I mentioned Willamette's Danny Granillo as one of the league's two super studs.  Like the Pirates, the Wolverines have a secret weapon in Skyler Mohr, honorable mention at RB last year.  I think Skyler is a 'more touches' guy, too.  Not explosive and exciting like Scoville from Marshfield, but he'll get the job done.

Churchill again flies under the radar.  My ancient but sculpted body is courtesy of the West 11th Courtsports, where I see a lot of guys wearing Churchill Football t's.  I"m tempted to challenge them to a 225 pound BPress contest, but my shoulders would implode.  How can these guys go to the playoffs four years in a row?  Don't ask me.  That's why I'm not the coach, and Darrel Mehl is.  I only know that Churchill will once again be an aerial circus featuring 2nd team receiver Brandon Determan and HM QB Spencer Savelich.   (Woody Allen sculpted my body.)  My football fun index this year consists of two items.  Explosive Ryan Scoville from Marshfield and as always, the Churchill Lancer offense.

There will be a lot more about Marist in later blogs.  I'll just say this now.... Last year I drove to Coos Bay for the Marist game.  The Marist QB was knocked out via a helmet to helmet hit in the first quarter.  Marist won 45-18... in Coos Bay.  Marist was playing 1950's football.  Everyone goes until the whistle.  Lineman lead the running backs around the end.  Marist looked like...yikes....ancient Marshfield Pirates.  Oh, did I say Marist coach Greske has two titles?

Other stuff.

OregonLive.com 5A Poll
I've submitted my first votes for the OregonLive.com 5A poll.  I voted Marist number two in state.  I voted for another MWL team in the top ten.  I'll tell you which team in a later blog.

Photos
I started selling photos during baseball last year.  I made about 20 bucks, half of which I give to the teams booster clubs.  Please humor me and buy a photo once in a while.  Buying photos helps pay for gas and game admissions.  It'll take 237 years to pay for the $6,000 telephoto lens I need.  You can also support the website by checking out the google ads.  I made 96 dollars in the last year.  Google sends a check when I hit a 100 dollars.  Four more dollars and I'm rich.  By the way, the Coos Bay photographer is absolutely lights out with his photography. If your team plays in Coos Bay, check  out his website.  This link should take you to his sports section.  Bookmark it. Marshfield Sports Photographer


Twitter/Text
Twitter worked out great in baseball.  If you subscribe to Twitter and are cell phone savvy, you can get scores from other MWL games while your in the stands.  I'm a cell phone klutz.  If I can figure out how to do it, so can you.  If you don't want to set up the MWL Twitter Feed on your phone, you can still get Twitter updates on the main page of the MWL website.  Here's the MWL Twitter link http://twitter.com/mwlnow .

Texting is fun too.  Football is a little crazy, because I'm shooting photos, taking notes and trying to Tweet.  At least baseball has long breaks between innings.  But it's still worth a try.  Text me at 541-337-1311 with the score of the game you are attending.  I'll grab the score and Tweet it on Twitter. 

Reporting
Finally, if you want to be a reporter, give it a try.  The Register-Guard doesn't cover the games like they used to.  They still do a  good job, but not like the old days. If you want to recap a game, email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com .  This can be especially important if you go to a game that isn't featured Saturday in the paper.  Recaps on Saturday or Sunday are fine.  The kids just want to see their names in print.  I believe in "What gets recognized gets repeated."  It's better that what gets recognized is participation in extracurricular school activities, rather than the other options on Friday and Saturday nights.  Plus, as a reporter,  you earn the privilege of pointing out the great play of your own kid:)  I already have a volunteer from one team who is contacting the coaches for the MWL pre league write up.  Look for his and our report in the next couple of weeks.  This is the first year for a football parent to check in regularly.  The baseball Hall of Fame parent recapsters are Tony Schaurmann of Thurston and Rich Lari of North Eugene.  They have provided parents and players from other teams special treats in the form of old fashioned sports writing.  You don't have to have the skills of Tony and Rich, just a simple recap will do.

By the way, I turn the big  ?0 on opening night!  I hope to be at the Corvallis-Marist game.  Almost as good a birthday present as being in Yankee stadium - my other option.