Thursday/Friday Predictions and halfway thoughts

QB's, Intensity, Predictions and How I Voted in the OregonLive.com poll

We are halfway through the regular season and we still don't know which teams are going to fight for the high playoff seeds. 

I've seen everyone except Willamette and Eagle Point, so I'm starting to get a feel for the teams.  I'll see Willamette Thursday against North Eugene and Eagle Point Friday at Marist.

There were two big questions before the season started.  Which quarterbacks would progress the fastest and furthest?  And would any teams step up in game intensity and conditioning to match Marsit?

Quarterbacks

Of the quarterbacks I've seen, I'd say that two of our MWL qb's are looking really good. Ashland's Danial White has shown he's special.  He's perfectly suited for Ashland's offense.  He runs, he passes and he doesn't make bad mistakes.  It's flat out fun watching the Grizzlies.  Marist's Kamerun Smith is getting dialed in.  He's thrown just one interception since the season opener against Corvallis. Smith might have seen his biggest regular season test in the opener against Corvallis, but he'll get some pressure the next three weeks from Eagle Point, Churchill and Willamette.  For some reason, I'm thinking Smith will get a lot of pressure from Willamette.  Smith's ratio of ten touchdown passes to one interception in league helps give him a college qb rating of 209.  He has room for improvement in completion percentage, but there's usually a trade off if you start forcing passes. 

Three other quarterbacks seem to be on the verge of breaking through and being consistently good.  Springfield's Britton Auxier, Willamette's Dusitn Leber, and Churchill's Mitch Reese.  Auxier has a college qb rating of 160.9 in three league games.  Considering that Auxier didn't throw any picks against Marist, and that he won't see the Spartans again, if ever, until at least the playoffs; he's probably going to be in the running for second in league passing yardage.  Auxier's stats against Marist suffered from several drops by receivers 'in the middle'.  I would have dropped them, too, the way Marist's James Banks was clobbering receivers.  Leber is completing a good percentage of his passes (58% in league) and racking up the yardage.  If he fine tunes his radar and reduces his INT's, we're going to watch the Wolverines explode -  as if they aren't scoring enough points.  Reese is completing 60 % of his passes in league play and has 4 td's to no interceptions.  Can't do much better than that, but the Lancers are one and two in league.  Interestingly, Reese has the most completions in league play, but not a lot of td passes to show for it.  Air Lancer just hasn't been able to consistently get long gainers our of their passing game.....  It takes a combination of a good qb, solid and consistent O-line play, and near perfect qb-receiver timing before a quarterback can settle in.  When teams get all three segments working all the time, the teams break out on O. I think you'll see at least two of these three teams put it together by playoffs.  Maybe all three.

I don't have much to go on for the other three qb's. I have stats from just two of Eagle Point's games and I won't see Eagle Point qb Jorge Quntero until this Friday. Quintero is one of two sophomore qb's in the MWL.  Ashland's White is the other soph. Quintero and Eagle Point have improved their offensive scoring output each game. Marist is up next, so the Eagles will find out if the improvement is long lasting..  Not sure about the Marshfield and North Eugene quarterbacks as I haven't seen any stats from either team.  But both quarterbacks ran their offenses well in the game I saw.

So it looks like the MWL are really coming along.  And we get to see all but Auxier return next year, along with some of the league's best receivers!

Conditioning & Intensity

I didn't share this with a lot of people last year.  But in my pre-season visits, after watching Marist work out in the weight room and on the field, I thought to myself - "It's all over for everyone else."  Not only did Marist have some physical beasts, but even the puniest player was doing miraculous things in the weightroom and then they'd be a baby beast on the practice field.  The baby beasts really rewarded coach Geske when they stepped up and covered for all of the early Marist injuries last season.

This year, Marist was up to the same old workout and practice routine, minus Mayes, Silver and Deveraux.  But I really noticed that other schools had ratcheted up their workouts.  Plus, I made my first ever visits to Ashland and Eagle Point, which impressed me.  Even with other school's improving their conditioning, Marist still has the edge.  What I think I'm seeing this year is that Marist's competitors are stronger than last year.  However, the stamina isn't up to Marist's level.  I notice the stamina and intensity issue mostly with Marist's defense.  From the get go in both Marist games I saw, the D started like they were shot out of canon's and never let up.  I think absorbing knock out blows from Marist from the first whistle takes other teams by surprise. Then it becomes a test of  Marist's opponent's mental game when the opponents realize that Marist keeps pounding and pounding play after play. (Oddly, Marist's offense has been a little lethargic out of the gates.  I find that odd because so many of Marist's players go two ways.  Maybe the two way guys love defense more.)

Predictions

Tonight.  Willamette over North Eugene.
Tonight will be my first look at Willamette.  I'm excited to see what the Leber-Visarraga- Crownover - York- Giles- Hatefi combo can do.  I'm particularly interested in the Wolverine line.  This will be my second peek at North.  I'm expecting them to show a little explosiveness and hopefully as much trickery as in the North-Marshfield game.

Friday with league records

Springfield (1-2)  at Churchill 1-2.
58% of MWL fans are going with Churchill. 
This is the game of the week.  I guess voters are going with home field advantage.  But I'm impressed with Auxier, Emerald, Price-Clark and crew from Springfield.  It's possible that the Millers don't show up mentally at Churchill after their disappointing loss to Maist, but if the Millers look at the 14 points they laid on Marist as a good thing, then Springfield should come out pumped.  Springfield can also think how Marist came out of the locker and blew the hinges off the door at Silke and start the Churchill game the way Marist started the game at Springfield.  Churchill will answer with lefty Mitch Reese and his receiving stable of Molinski, Bennion and Reid.  Have fun watching this game.
I'm giving MWL fans a chance to catch me on the season.  I'm going with Springfield.

Ashland (2-1) at Marshfield (1-2).
Two storied programs.  Will Ashland lay an egg on the coast like Eagle Point did in 2010?  I don't think so, Ashland's Coach Hall has a lot of respect for the Ashland-Marshfield rivalry.  Fun game to watch because Ashland is, well, just fun to watch.  And Marshfield's no huddle can score in a hurry.  I'm picking Ashland.

Eagle Point (2-1) at Marist (3-0).
This will be my first look at Eagle Point.  The Eagles looked pretty physical when I saw them practice in August.  It'll be interesting to see how they compare to Marist.  This will be my third Marist game.  I'm curious to see if the Spartan offense can come out on fire.
Have to go with Marist.

You can vote MWL fan poll

How I voted in the OregonLive.com poll

Here's how I voted followed by the OregonLive.com rank

1-1. Sherwood
2-2. Marist
3-3. Corvallis
4-6. Crescent Valley
5-5. Mountain View
6-4. Bend
7-7. Lebanon
8-8. West Albany
9-tie 9. Wilsonville
10-tie 9. Ashland

Watch list: Silverton, Hermiston, Willamette

Friday Sept 23 MWL Predictions

Trivia questions:
1) Which school last beat Marist in a regular season game?
2) Which school last beat Marist in a Midwestern League game?
3)  Which MWL team scored more than one touchdown against Marist since Marist joined the MWL?

Marist at Springfield.

The Millers made history in Coos Bay last week with the huge 61-13 win over Marshfield.  Now they have a chance to make more history when they play Marist.   I'll get to the 'making history' aspect later.

Springfield found an air game last week when Britton Auxier went 16 for 23 and four touchdown passes.  Better yet, the Millers had a nice running game going.  Whoever the Millers go with at qb, it'll be a lot tougher this week facing Bennett Chiongbian, Taylor Walcott, James Banks, Levi Yarborough and Austin Baird.  Chiongbian, Walcott and Banks each have two picks so far this year.   

As far as Marist's offense goes, I think they are still a work in progress.  If I'm right, that's not good for opponents as the Spartans scored 49 and 60 points in the last two games.  But I have to think the Spartans want to spread their passes to more than Walcott and Baird.  Maybe not, but if one of those guys gets injured, it will be much easier to cover the one left playing and then put pressure on Marist's running game.

Bottom line is speed kills, and Marist has speed in spades.  Not just in Walcott and Baird, but all through the roster.  Have to pick Marist.

I'm looking forward to the Marist-Springfield game, although I wish it could be a few weeks later.  I'd like to see Springfield play Marist with a quarterback having more playing time.  So far this year, Miller qb time has been split between Auxier and Ty Mannila.  Another issue I'm interested in observing is Springfield's conditioning level.  Springfield's coach Raish has done a great job of increasing the turnout for Miller football, and he's got the kids working hard in the weight room.  Have the Millers worked hard enough to keep up with Marist for four quarters, or will this years Springfield juniors learn they need to take it up yet another notch?

How can Springfield make history this week?  They just need to update the answers to the trivia questions:
1) Springfield is the last team to beat Marist during the regular season, 34-33 in overtime on September 12, 2008. 
2) No MWL team has beaten Marist since Marist joined the MWL in the fall of 2010.
3) No MWL team (including Ashland and Eagle Point's 2010 teams) has scored more than 7 points against Marist since Marist joined the MWL.

Willamette at Ashland

MWL fans are leaning towards Willamette by a 60-40 split so far.  I'll provide some considerations about Willamette before I pick a winner.

Willamette is 3-0, but their opponents are a combined 2-7.  Two games ago, Willamette put several fumbles on the ground, two of which were returned for touchdowns.  Expect Ashland to put their helmets on the ball.  Visarraga can't score six rushing touchdowns again, can he?

This is the game to watch this week.  Someone put it on TV. 

• Visarraga is trying to establish himself as one of the better MWL backs in the past ten years, while the entire Willamette team is trying to establish itself as a legitimate top tier program. 
• Ashland QB Danial White is probably the most exciting qb in the league this year.  The Ashland team is trying to establish that you don't have to be a huge school to have a great football team.
• Willamette's qb, Dustin Leber, is probably the most exciting qb in the league this year.  Oops, that's two 'most exciting qb's'. And I"ll be in Springfield wishing I was watching the qb's in Ashland.  Darn!
• Ashland's receivers are good and unselfish and they don't care who gets the catches - Franlin Lime, Sam Geisslinger, Quaid Walters and Jordan Thompson.
• Willamette has reloaded their receiving corp with another stellar group - Mitch Crownover, Zach Hatefi and Bryce York.

Winner?  Once again, speed kills.  Visarraga has it, and the moves.  Willamette should take this one.  I'm envisioning a game with a lot of explosive plays by both teams.  This will be great game to watch, the AD should double the price of admission.

Marshfield at Eagle Point

Last year, Eagle Point beat Willamette  58-19, then travelled to play Marshfield and lost 41-32.  Last week, Eagle Point reversed their fortunes against Willamette and lost 55-22, so the Eagle's will likely reverse their fortunes when they host Marshfield.  Both teams are 1-1 in league.  Eagle Point was plagued by turnovers last week against Willamette.  That's not likely this week at home.  I"m going with Eagle Point.

Churchill at North Eugene

Both teams are 0-2 in league.  Churchill has lost two heartbreakers against the two southern MWL foes.  Lancer junior AB Mitch Reese has completed almost 60% of his passes.  Receivers Andrew Bennion, Tucker Molinski and Tyler Reid (out of the backfield) all have at least 10 catches in two league games.  The Lancers running game is averaging only 2.3 yards per carry in the two league games.  Churchill will want to improve those rushing numbers before they play Springifeld on September 30.

North has put Marist behind them and has three games left at home, including Churchill.  Going with Churchill. 

Join the voting in the MWL polls.

Twitter and Facebook
You can receive my tweets from the Springfield game and retweets of other games (thanks Chris Park for Marist scores) by following the MWL Twitter ( http://twitter.com/#!/mwlnow ) or the MWL Facebook page. Don't forget to 'like' the MWL Facebook page. You're son can tell you how to set up your phone for tweets or Facebook emails.


Photos
Each team has a photo team on my website.  I usually post photos on Monday or Tuesday after the games.  I'll be adding game photos for Springfield next Tuesday, and Willamette and Eagle Point the following Tuesday.  I usually post eight to ten photos on the page and then set up a gallery on Smug Mug where you can purchase photos.  Half of the profit from the photos goes to the schools booster club.  Team Photos

Sept 16 Recap

The two marquee games last Friday went in opposite directions - a cliffhanger and a landslide.  Churchill moved into the red zone at the end of the Ashland game, only to let the win slip through their fingers.  A couple of miles away, Willamette catapulted themselves into a top 10 ranking with a 55-22 win over Eagle Point.

I attended the Ashland at Churchill game. 

The beginning of the game reminded me of last year's Eagle Point at Churchill game early in the 2010 season.  Churchill let Ashland score twice in the first quarter for a 13-0 Grizzly lead; just like Eagle Point jumped out ahead 14-0 over Churchill in the first quarter of their 2010 game.  The first Ashland score was on a stunning 42 yard keeper by Grizzly soph quarterback, Danial White. That was the start of a 125 yard, three touchdown evening for the Ashland QB.  After a Churchill three and out, Ashland put together another drive, capped by another rushing td by White.  Churchill followed that with another three and out.  At that point it looked like a long night for the Lancers.   

Churchill finally woke up when Andrew Bennion hauled in a TD pass with four minutes left in the second quarter to pull Churchill within  seven, 13-6.  But unlike last year, when Churchill went into the locker room at the half tied 14-14 with Eagle Point, Ashland scored again on a 2 yard run by Jon Volz to give Ashland a 20-6 halftime lead.

Churchill's Tyler Reid played a large part in a quick Lancer score to open the third quarter.  Reid returned the kick off 23 yards to the Churchill 43 yard line.  Three plays later, Reid bolted 22 yards to take the Lancers to the Ashland 20.  Three plays later, Reid hauled in a 17 yard pass from Mitch Reese to make it 20-13 Ashland with 10:23 left in the third.  Plenty of time if you're a Lancer.

Ashland went three and out their next series, and a 39 yard punt by Franklin Lime, who was stellar with his kicking game all night, pushed the Lancers back to their own 19.  Churchill was quickly driving upfield when Ashland recovered a fumble after a big Lancer gainer on a pass play.  It was Danial White time again.  White covered the 40 yards to the end zone by completing a 14 yard pass to Jordan Thompson and then covering the next 26 yards on his own, streaking down the middle of the field all alone for his second long td of the night.  That made it 26-13 with 5:22 left in the third.

Churchill's Kyle Salisbury returned it 24  yards to the Lancer 29, but a penalty on a nice gainer for Churchill led to another three and out.  Ashland was pretty much done with their offense for the night, but another punt by Lime, this one for 44 yards, pushed Churchill back to their own 4.  After quickly trading three and outs, Churchill put together a 14 play drive.  Reese was six for eight on the drive, spreading the ball around to Tucker Molinski, Jake DeZarn (baseball player),  Reid and Bennion.  Reese rewarded himself for his good passing by running it in from the five to make it 26-20 with 7:08 left in the game  - plenty of time to score a td.

A great kick off by Josh Han of the Lancers pinned Ashland on their own 10 yard line.  Ashland needed a long drive in order to kill the clock, strengthen their field position and keep the ball out of Churchill's hands.  The Grizzlies were able to run nine plays, including a 38 yard punt by Lime which went out on the Lancer 19. 

Lancer's last chance
The Lancers had to go 81 yards in just a couple of minutes to win it.  So they jump offside.  1st and 15 from their own 14.  Grizzly Alec Ralston broke up two passes before Lancer qb Reese ran for 14 yards to make it fourth and one. 

Running play?  Nope.  A 5 yard pass to Molinski.   First and ten at the Lancer 30.  Make that the Lancer 29, after a Lancer hold on a nine yard gainer.  After a dropped pass, Reese hit Reid twice.  Once for a first down and again for a nine yard gain, taking the ball to the Ashland 49.  Grizzly soph Mason Montgomery broke up a pass and Griz Conor Morrison tackled Aaron Ingram for a one yard loss on a pass play.  Fourth and two for Churchill.  A face mask penalty gives the Lancers the ball on the Grizzly 45.  On second down, Reid hauls in a pass for 17 yards, but an official throws a flag for clipping on Churchill.  After a discussion between officials, the flag is picked up and a 'no penalty' signal is given.  A couple of plays later, Churchill picks up a first down on a personal foul penalty, moving the ball to the Ashland 14.  Reese scrambles to the ten to make it second and six with 25 seconds remaining.  Griz Sam Giessinger breaks up a well thrown ball in the left corner of the end zone.  A third down pass then sails through the outstretched arms of an uncovered Lancer, and Griz Alec Ralson breaks up the 4th and six pass by Reese to Reid.  Ball goes over Ashland and White takes a knee to end the game. 

Can't get any closer than that.

Stat wise, Ashland out gained Churchill 362 to 256 in yards.  Two of White's td runs were longer than the longest Churchill play, a 23 yard catch by DeZarn, a baseball player.   White has what you call 'moxie'.  Some coaches say 'savvy', but I like the older word, 'moxie'.  If you haven't seen White yet, when you see him you'll know what I'm talking about..... Lime's punting was outrageously good...... Penalties almost killed Ashland, which had 10 on the day for 91 yards.....  Ashland's offense was more balanced than Churchill's.  Four Grizzly receivers had catches of 18  yards or more, and Ashland averaged six yards per carry.  Churchill had three receivers with catches of 18 or more yards, but the Lancer running game was throttled.  For Churchill, it might be a chicken or egg activity.  If the Lancer's backs were more successful, the receivers would have less pressure.  But maybe Air Lancer needs to stretch the field more with it's  passing game, and the runners won't face a brick wall.  Who knows?  Questions like that are why I write and don't coach.

Willamette 55 Eagle Point 22.

I scratched in Willamette for a top ten vote after their lopsided win.  I'm a little hesitant to give the Wolverines the vote as their opponents are a combined 2-7.....  My wife, a principal in the Bethel (Willamette) school district, kept texting me that 'some guy' is going wild and scoring a lot of touchdowns. 'Some Guy', of course is Jordan Visarraga from Willamette, who scored six td's Friday.  He ran the ball 26 times for 211 yards.  He'd still be going,  but he was cut short by crossing the goal line six times.  Willamette qb Dustin Leber gained 77 yards rushing on 11 carries and added another 183 through the air.  I haven't seen any Eagle Point stats, so I'm don't know if they were stopped on the ground, through the air, or both.  Defensivie lineman Trent Waggoner had an almost too long return for a pick six.  Waggoner is a baseball player.  He needs to run some more poles.

Willamette travels to Ashland this weekend in a big game for both teams.  Willamette has given up 38 and 35 points in two road trips.  But Ashland might have to do better than 38 if the Grizzlies want to beat Willamette.  Willamette's lowest offensive production is 40 points.

Springfield 61 Marshfield 13.

Springfield made history when the Millers win established the Millers first ever win streak against Marshfield.  The series has been going since 1951.  The Millers did so in style with back to back 50-6 and 61-13 wins.  This may have been the last meeting between the two schools as Marshfield is likely to go 4A next year.  Marshfield has about 740 students enrolled in the 9th through 12th grades.

If you looked closely at the stats, you noted that Britton Auxier was 16 for 23 for 230 yards. Auxier hit four different receivers for td's. Six different ball carriers gained 275 yards for the Millers, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. 

Springfield hosts Marist Friday.  The Millers are the next MWL team to take the Spartan challenge - 'Can  you score on us"?'  So far it's Marist 109 MWL opponents 0.

Marist 60 North Eugene 0

Smith threw five touchdown passes in twelve passing attempts. Three were to Austin Baird and two to Taylor Walcott.   Eight Spartans carried the ball.

Marist travels to Springfield Friday and North hosts Churchill.

My OregonLive.com poll vote with the actual poll results in parenthesis..

1-1.  Sherwood
2-2.  Marist
3-3.  Corvallis
4-7.  Crescent Valley
5-6.  Mountain View
6-5.  Bend
7-4.  Wilsonville
8-10. Lebanon
9-8.  West Albany
10-9 Willamette

Watch list is Silverton, Hermiston, and Ashland.  Obviously, the Willamette at Ashland game this Friday will say a lot about both teams.

Stats

I haven't found sources for stats for Eagle Point, Marshfield and North Eugene.  I get stats from the other teams either directly from the team, via MaxPreps, or from the school's football team website.  If you can direct me to a source for those three teams or send me stats, I'll update them.  By the way, I corrected some receiving stat errors for Ashland and have uploaded the corrected receiving stats.

MWL players in the pros.
Thanks to a fan for reminding me that there is a seventh Marist player playing football in college.  I hadn't seen Logan Silver on the Holy Cross roster, but he's definitely on the roster.  If you know of anyone else, let me know.  Email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com.  Linfield and the U of O have the largest number of MWL athletes - four.

Vote!
You're not to young to vote in my polls.  I'm ahead of you folks after two weeks of league games. 

Get Tweets or follow on Facebook.
Want to get texted the score of the Marist at Springfield game this Friday?  Follow me on Twitter or
'like me' on Facebook and link it to your cell phone.  If you're at a game, you can text me the score (after each quarter is fine) at 541-337-1311.

September 23 predictions tomorrow.  Looks like MWL fans and I will be on the same page again this week. 

MWL Predictions for Sept 16

Three significant games this week....

   Eagle Point at Willamette.  We'll be down to at least three undefeated teams in league play after this game.  This game is tough to call.  Eagle Point was blown out by #3 ranked Mt. View and then squeaked by Churchill 21-20.  Willamette blew out South Albany (what team won't) and then tried to fumble their way to a loss against Springfield before prevailing 40-35. 
   I'm going with Willamette.  Start with home field advantage for the Wolverines.  Add in Visarraga's running and db play and Leber's solid qb play so far.  Willamette can't fumble away two touchdowns again, can they?  Defense is a big question for Willamette, but Eagle Point has yet to get their offense going, scoring just 3 touchdowns in 8 quarters of regulation play.  Both teams picked up a few votes in the latest OregonLive poll  .  (I'll write about that later in this blog)  But I can't imagine either team will be overconfident for this game.  Bottom line, this is a game of whether Willamette's defense or Eagle Point's offense steps up.

    Ashland and Churchill. Two southpaws will be on the mound. How often do you see that in high school football?  Danial White for Ashland and Mitch Reese for Churchill. 
    White paid his dues last week against Marist.  Reese had a nice day against Eagle Point.  Reese was 20-31 for 173 yards, but no td's through the air, although he picked up two with his feet.  Even though the Lancer's scored three td's on the  ground, Churchill's running game was anemic, averaging just a little over two yards per carry.  So I'm thinking Ashland can focus a little more on pass D and give up a few more yards to the Churchill runing game than Eagle Point gave up. 
    Ashland couldn't move the ball against Marist last week.  But that's going to be the fate of many MWL opponents this year.  Grizzlie running back Jon Volz did the most damage against the Spartans, so look for Volz to do well at Churchill.  Ashland's receivers were bottled up all night.  If you think they would have to do better against Churchill, remember that Churchill picked off three passes against Eagle Point.
    I'm going with Churchill.

    Springfield at Marshfield.  This game is huge for a couple of reasons.  The first is historical.  The Millers have never beaten Marshfield two years in  row.  The Millers won last year, 50-6.  Secondly,  Springfield has high  hopes this year.  The Millers have a huge line and have a wrecking ball that runs out of the backfield in Daysean Price-Clark.  The Millers need this game if they are to work their way into the top two or three spots in the MWL.
    Marshfield looked good out of their no huddle offense last week, but their defense was porous against North.  The Pirates also have to tighten up their special teams play. 
     This games is a match up of Marshfield's no huddle and running backs against Springfield's size.  I think Springfield is going to make some history.  I'm going with the Millers.

North Eugene at Marist.  David versus Goliath. 
    Yesterday, I wrote that coach Geske should put the Marist boys through a refresher course by referencing Samuel I, Chapter 17.  Someone emailed me and wrote, "Shouldn't you have said the North coach will use David and Goliath for motivation?."  Well, beings that my wife is a principal in a public school and I taught at Marshfield High, I was thinking that North's coach Rivera might get in a little trouble bringing out the bible in a public school.
   Coach Geske could use it to try and not repeat history. While we think of the size and weaponry disparity when we think of the David and Goliath story, it should be noted that Goliath was a real jerk.  Goliath would have earned more than a personal foul for his 'taunting'.  I'm sure he would have been ejected. 
  Have to go with Marist.  But enjoy this game.  It'll be interesting to see how Marist's qb progresses.  Smith certainly had a better game in his second game in a Spartan uniform.  And it's always fun to watch the speedy Marist receivers.  Hopefully, North will be as sneaky as they were last week against the Pirates.  And if the Highlanders can cut down their penalties, they just might be the first MWL team to score on the Spartans this year.

My votes in this week's OregonLive poll. Followed by OregonLive rank.

1-3.      Mt View (Can't believe they crushed our Eagles)
2-1.      Sherwood
3-2.      Marist
4-4.      Corvallis
5-7.      Crescent Valley
6-6.      Bend
7-5.      Wilsonville
8-11.    Lebanon
9-9.     West Albany
10-10. Eagle Point

    I dropped Ashland from my top 10 watch list.  I'm watching Willamette, Churchill and Hermiston.  I don't have Silverton on my watch list, but they are ranked 8th after beating Springfield 46-14 and Woodburn (by 1 in OT).  I consider that I'm peeking at Silverton, not watching.
    Notice I gave Eagle Point a vote, yet I predicted a Willamette win over Eagle Point tomrrow.  When I voted, I didn't have Willamette or Eagle Points stats.  I still haven't seen any stats on Eagle Point, but I liked the solid stats of Willamette's qb, Leber, and Visarraga's running stats.
   Mountain View and Sherwood play each other this week.

   I just want to remind everyone that there are no MWL quarterbacks who are seniors, and only one qb had starting experience last year. So give them some time to develop.  Each quarterback will improve every time out, but some will get better faster than others.  All of the qb's look like very good athletes, so how rapidly they improve probably depends on how good their line is at protection and whether or not their running  backs can take some pressure off of the passing game.  In any event, the offensive schemes throughout the league are pretty exciting to watch.  Don't be surprised if we have several teams who stumble early in the season, yet do well at playoff time because the qb and the team have jelled.
  And needless to say.  Wait until next year!

  Some reminders:
    If you have any comments about my blogs, you can comment directly on the blog page or you can email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com. 
    I'll be at the Ashland-Churchill game this Friday.  If you're going to be at another game, I'd appreciate it if you'd text me the score.  My cell is 541-337-1311.
    You can receive my tweets of the Ashland game and retweets of other games (thanks Chris Park for Marist scores) by following the MWL Twitter or the MWL Facebook page. Don't forget to 'like' the MWL Facebook page.  You're son can tell you how to set up your phone for tweets or Facebook emails.
    Also, if you know of a player who isn't listed on the college or pro pages, please email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com.  I've expanded the college list beyond D-1 schools.  It now includes Linfield.  Marist has at least six kids playing college ball!

Wild League Week 1

Wild League Week 1
An overtime game, two back and forth high scoring games and well....Marist. I even heard some Eugene TV announcers say Willamette has a chance to knock off Marist in five weeks! That's gung ho for some good football.

Marshfield at North Eugene.

    First Q. The Highlander special teams came ready to play. North Eugene opened the game by successfully executing an onside kick. That was a great statement to the Pirates that North was going to pull out all of the stops. Sean Collum scored on a 12 run run with eight and a half minutes to go to put North up 7-0. We were off and running!  Two minutes later qb Jason Sweet took it in for the Pirates to tie it. Things were just heating up.
    Momentum seemed all in Marshfield's direction as Chase Messerle scored with a little over two minutes left in the first quarter. But North's special teams pulled off another shocker when Brandon Harding took the Kick Off back ALL...THE....WAY. That put North up 15-13 with two minutes left in the first quarter. But we weren't done with the first quarter yet as Marshfield put another TD on the board to go up 20-15.
    Second Q. Speaking of special teams. Marshfield's punt squad pinned the Highlanders on the one with over seven minutes to go in the second period. North barely got it out of the end zone on the first rushing play and then the Pirates buried the Highlanders when the North qb and rb ran into each other on the handoff.... 22-15 Marshfield. Little did anyone know at the time, but those two points were exactly the difference in the final score (42-40).
    Not enough scoring for you? North put up two more TD's in the second quarter to go up 27-22 at half. I was getting cramps in my fingers tweeting out scores. The first half was pretty impressive and not just because of the score. First, there were few, if any, penalties until early in the second quarter. I was especially surprised by the lack of penalties early because this was North's first game of the season. Second, Marshfield's no huddle was being run quite well after the opening week loss to North Bend. Pirate QB Sweet and running backs Ty Cutting and Chase Messerle were running the option without putting the ball on the ground, and Sweet was able to find monstrous tight end Dalton Milburn for a couple of good rumbles down the field. North wasn't having much trouble moving the ball either. Junior quarterback Tyler Kabe was doing a fine job of running the Highlander attack which gets everyone involved. Running backs Collum, Ryan Koth and Dillon Hudson all got the chance to carry the ball.
    Third Quarter. The Pirates did all of the scoring in the third quarter. Josh Osborne returned a punt ALL...THE...WAY with 4:25 left in the third. Then Cutting got his second TD of the day on a 7 yard run which put the Pirates up 35-27 at the end of the third. The clean play by both teams that lasted into the early part of the second quarter was long gone as penalties started nagging both teams, particularly North.
    Fourth Quarter. Marshfield quickly got the ball back and seemed to have taken over the game, when North's Kevin Hasse (baseball player) intercepted the Pirates and returned it 49 yards to pull the Highlanders within two, 33-35. Cutting scored for the third time to put the Pirates up 42-33. North wasn't giving up, though, and they roared down the field and scored to pull with in two with 1:26 left on the clock. Would North pull off another successful onside kick? No. And that was it. 42-40 Pirates.

Summary: The two teams were evenly matched and both ran exciting offenses. North could have used a game under their belts which might have helped them reduce their penalties and a few executional errors on plays. Interestingly, both teams have 17 juniors. That's a good number going into their senior season. If these junior classes can maintain their numbers for their senior year and commit to each other to work hard over the next year, great things can happen.

   Springfield at Willamette. Another absolutely wild one. Springfield got out to a 14-0 lead, only to let Willamette pull within one after the first quarter. Willamette tied it up quickly 21-21, but Springfield put up fourteen more before half to go up 35-21.
    Willamette scored the only touchdown of the third quarter, making the score 35-28 in Springfield's favor after three. Willamette couldn't convert after their first fourth quarter touchdown, so the Millers still had the lead 35-34. Willamette got the game winner on a four yard run by Visaraga.
    Both quarterbacks put up good stats for the game. Willamette's Dustin Leber used five different receivers and was 12-23 for 163 yards with three tds and no interceptions. Miller Ty Mannila also hit five different receivers and was 11-24 for 144 yards, with two tds and one interception in his first full game at qb. Springfield's big Daysean Price-Clark gained 91 yards on 11 carries, Jevon Garcia had 51 yards on eight carries with qb Mannila gaining 55 yards on 10 carries. The big difference in this game was Willamette's Jordan Visarraga, who had 21 carries for 167 yards. Interestingly, Springfield's Johathan Emerald picked up two of three lost Willamette fumbles and returned them for TD's. If the Wolverines hadn't turned the ball over so much, it would have been quite a different game.

    Churchill at Eagle Point. Churchill goes for two in overtime and doesn't make it. Haven't seen any stats for this game other than what was mentioned in the Mail Tribune. Eagle Point went with Jorges Quintero at qb. Quintero was 10-23 for 107 yards, two tds and three interceptions. Based on Eagle Point's Jakob Combs and Garrett Snow gaining a combined 99 yards on 25 carreis, I'm guessing their weren't many fireworks in this game, other than the controversy over whether or not Churchill scored on their two point conversion attempt in overtime. MailTribune article..

    Marist 49 Ashland 0. It was zero-zero after one quarter. Given equal strength and conditioning, speed kills in football. Greg Park, not technically a speedster, scored n a 20 yard run. Austin Baird on a 49 yard punt return. Josh Paiement scored on a 15 yard td pass, Taylor Walcott on a 25 yard reception and Levi Yarborough on a 12 yard run.

QB Review for the first week of league.
Dont' have stats for Churchill, Marshfield and North's qb, so here's a look at the others:
Marist         Kameron Smith 13-25  210 yd  2 td  1 int

Willamette   Dustin Leber     12-23  163 yd  3 td  0 int
                   Plays Marist in five weeks

Springfield   Ty Mannila        11-24  144 yd  2 td  1 int
                   Plays Marist in two weeks

Ashland       Danial White     11-18    44 yd  0 td  2 int

Eagle Point   Jorge Quintero 10-22  107 yd  2 td  3 int
                    Plays Marist in four weeks


All but Smith are first year starters and Smith is getting used to Marist's offense. Three are juniors and two (Quntero and White) are sophomores. The college quarterback rating for Smith, Leber and Mannila are very good as they have positive TD to int ratios and are around the 50% mark in completions.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I'll give my predictions for week 2 of league games. Here's a summary:

Three teams are still in the hunt to give Marist a real toe-to-toe test. Churchill, Eagle Point and Willamette. The big games this Fridat are Ashland at Churchill (I'll be there) and Eagle Point at Willamette. Springfield at Marshfield could be a historical game as Springfield has never beaten Marshfield two years in a row in a rivalry that goes back to 1951. Marshfield could move down to 4A next year, so this could be the Milllers last chance. Then of course, there is the David versus Goliath game. North Eugene at Churchill. Read the 1st book of Samuel, Chapter 17, to find out how that one turned out the first time. I'm sure coach Geske will have the Marist lads take a refresher course.

Opening Day & QB Review, Plus Sept 9 Predictionss

Sorry to be cramming so much into one blog.  I tried to write up my MWL opening weekend thoughts over labor day weekend, but I couldn't get over my Pirates, Ducks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers losing. So I'm testing your reading patience with:

- Opening day thoughts
- QB update
- 5A football poll
- Sept 9 predictions

The MWL is off to a pretty good start.  Much better than 2010 when six teams went 1-5.  Last year, Churchill played in a jamboree and North Eugene had a bye.  This year's 4-3 record on opening day will be a huge improvement in all team's RPI this season.  Even some of the losses could turn out to be good for the RPI if Mountain View and North Bend do well in their  respective leagues, which they should. 

Marist 16 Corvallis 14 at Corvallis.

I attended this game.  My main two thoughts are
     1) If you're thinking Marist should have won by more, think again.  Corvallis is a very good  team with a great offense and a tough defense.  Corvallis has four players in the class of 2012 Oregon Top 100 list, while Marist has only Walcott.
   Offensively for Corvallis, their QB was 21-33 passing.  That's great, but he got too hungry for the big one and tossed two deep bombs into the end zone - to Taylor Walcott of Marist.
   Corvallis's D was able to cover the deep pass, only giving up one long pass to Marist's Austin Baird, while picking off three passes.  Corvallis also kept the Marist backs in check.  Greg Park had  a 22 yard run for Marist, but Covallis kept Park and James Banks from doing much damage the rest of the time.
     2) If a MWL team is going to beat Marist, they better do it soon, because Marist won't be making as many mistakes in a few weeks.  Marist travels to Ashland this Friday, where the Grizzlies could set a man-trap.   

What about Marist?

  Marist certainly has a different personality than last year.  They no longer have the spectacular running threat at quarterback, but they have two backs in Park and Banks who know how to read blocks and are tough to bring down.  Neither has break-away speed, but there are plenty of 20 and 30 yard runs in these two backs.  
  Marist's receivers.  Fuhgetaboutit.  Kamerun Smith spread his passes evenly among Baird, Walcott and Josh Paiment while sneaking in a nine yard toss to Park.  The most fun watching Marist receivers is when Baird is blocking for the other receivers.  Baird doesn't care where he is on the field, he hunts down defenders, even if they already have a Marist receiver in their grasp.  Baird will slam into the opponent and try and separate the opponent from his teammate.  My camera takes 8 shots per second.  I know if I don't see Baird in the first frame, I'll see him flying in by the last one.  Baird looks like he is having too much fun.
  Kamerun Smith at QB.  17 for 30 passing at a little over 11 yards per completion.  Not bad for a first outing with his new team. And against a top 10 team.  Best thing was that Smith kept his cool after three picks.  Corvallis was constantly knocking at the door and had pulled within two with well over 11 minutes in the fourth quarter.  A few minutes later, Smith connected with Baird on a bomb to put Marist in a first and goal situation.  Marist didn't score on the drive, but the field position Marist gained on this drive is what ultimately won the game.  It was good to watch Smith keep his cool.  It's going to be fun watching Smith progress.

   One personality trait that hasn't changed for Marist is their 'We are one' attitude.  Somehow, Marist makes every player feel like a contributor, no matter how big or fast.  Last year in the first game, three key players went down with injuries, and some of the replacements were about half the size of the starters.  But the replacements played like animals and Marist still won.  This year, injuries during the game weren't an issue, but the pressure put on by Corvallis was intense.  Corvallis took four turnovers away from Marist and the Corvallis Qb seemingly could complete a pass at will; but when the play had to be made, someone from Marist always stepped up and you never knew who it would be.  Everyone covered each others back.

    As for the game....  It was very exciting and both lines and linebacker corps were going at it.  Four turnovers by both sides on a perfect night.  Neither coach could have liked their own number of turnovers.  Even though Marist led throughout the game, It felt like Corvallis had gained the momentum when they scored 15 seconds into the fourth quarter to pull within 2.  A few minutes later, Marist fumbled the ball away and Corvallis drove it down the field only to fumble it away with 1:56 left.  Marist fans were hoping that Marist would put the game away.  But Marist couldn't get out of their end of the field, getting pushed backwards to their 21 for a fourth and 14.  Marist punted it to their own 40.  Corvallis only needed a field goal, but Marist's Bennet Chiongbian picked off a fluttering pass to finally close the door.

I posted a picture of Taylor Walcott doing an Incredible Hulk imitation as Ausitn Baird was being dragged down after a 42 yard pass reception.  Walcott had a game.  Two picks in the endzone, a td reception and another TD off of an end around.  I usually post a picture of a great play as soon as I get home, but there was something about Walcott being so happy for Baird (and the Marist team) that made me think I just had to post the picture.  Plus, it's a horrible Incredible Hulk pose.  I guess I owe Walcott a good photo.

Other MWL games

    The convincing wins by Ashland , Churchill and Willamette didn't surprise me.  However, Willamette scoring 67 points is an eye opener. Marshfield and Springfield losing wasn't a shock, but the scores were a little wider than I would have guessed.  The big surprise was Eagle Point's 55-6 loss to Mountain View.  We can expect every team in the MWL to take a few games to get their offense together as every team is working with a new QB, but I didn't think Mountain View could run up 55 points on the Eagles.

   Willamette's Jordan Visarraga has been getting a little pre-season press for his defensive skills.  Might want to check him out on O, too, after he gained 270 yards rushing and scored 4 td's.  The Wolverines didn't have to go to the air much, but they still scored three times via air mail, including td's by Mitch Crownover and Zach Hatefi.
   Springfield certainly had to be disappointed.  Their big line was expected to lead the way against a tough Silverton team.  We'll never know how good the Miller line could have been that game, though, as the Millers killed themselves with turnovers and drops; including three should-have-been tds.
   Churchill's Air Lancer delivered nearly 20 yards per completed pass.  But keep your eyes on a potentially much improved running game.  Aaron Smith gained nearly 8 yards per carry, and soph Tyler Reid rushed ten times and gained over 12 yards per carry.  Benson isn't Corvallis, but the Lancer linemen must have been clearing out some pretty big holes.
  I don't have a feel for why Eagle Point struggled mightily against Mountain View. Maybe it's the 6' 3" Mountain View Hollister brothers, a qb-wr combo.  Both guys are in the Top 100 list, along with an all world linebacker.
  Ashland's qb Danial White was very efficient in his outing against Klamath Falls. The Grizzlies jumped out to a  33-0 lead in the second quarter after three and outs on their first two drives of the game.
  Marshfield's loss to the Bulldogs has to hurt all that  much more as they lost Tyler Johnson to a broken arm.

Quarterback review

  All MWL teams have new QB's this year, with Marist's Kamerun Smith being the only QB who was a regular starter last year (but at Willamette).
   Smith was 17-19 for 191 yards.  He connected with Walcott for a td, but was picked three times.  Earlier in this blog, I noted his fourth quarter poise.  I think the Marist line is going to give Smith a lot of time to read the field, and as he learns how, he'll find the open receivers and drill the ball in when he needs to.  MWL teams are hoping it's later than sooner.
   Ashland's Danial White was 14-22 for 179 yards, threw three tds and ran for one.  Add that to his early August performance in the Pacific Rim Bowl against Japan and White is looking good.  However, Klamath Falls isn't Marist and Marist is up next for Ashland.
   Willamette's Justin Leber was 12-20 for 202 yards with three td passes.  Leber will be facing a lot higher competition in the MWL, but he might just do quite well if Willamette's running game stays in super high gear.  Leber knows he can go to Crownover and Hatefi through the air if he needs to, but it would take a lot of pressure   off of Leber if Visarraga and Dante Giles keep their running game going.
  Churchill's southpaw Mitch Reese was 11-18 for 199 yards and two tds.  He had a nice distribution of his passes among his wide receivers and rb's.  Reese may become the qb surprise of the year.
   Springfield split time between Ty Manilla (6-14, 63 yd) and Britton Auxier (4-14, 48 yd).  Turnovers killed the Millers, so it's hard to get a read on the QBs.  Manilla has a slight edge in passing, but Auxier had the better running game.  Looks like things are leaning towards Manilla.  Whoever starts Friday against Willamette needs his receiver's to come through.
   Eagle Point.  Didn't see any stats for Eagle Point. But the Eagles only racked up 86 yards in total offense against Mountain View, so there is probably not a lot of highlight film material for Churchill, the Eagles next opponent.
   Marshfield's Jason Sweet was 10-22 for 120 yards and a touchdown pass against North Bend.  The game experience should help this Friday, when the Pirates travel to North Eugene.  North had a bye last week.  

5A football poll


Wow.  Four MWL teams received top ten votes and three were in the top 9.  Marist took the number two spot, while Ashland and Churchill tied for 8th.  Willamette picked up a couple of votes to finish 16th.  Most of you know I vote in the OregonLive poll.  I flip flopped Mountain View and Sherwood, moving Mountain View into first.  I left Marist and Corvallis numbers  3 and 4 after Marist took a 2 point win from Corvallis.  After that it was Bend, Wilsonville, Lebanon, Jefferson and West Albany.  The two MWL teams I had on the edge of the top ten were Ashland and Churchill, but their opening wins were against some soft competition.  Here's the OregonLive.com poll

September 9 Predictions

   This might be the biggest weekend of the year.  Later in the season, people will will have forgotten about this upcoming Friday; but Friday, September 9th is going to determine a lot of team's postseason fate.
  Here's why.  The matchups are pretty much even, with the projected top teams meeting each other, and the projected bottom four meeting each other.  The top teams may decide their seed tonight and not even know it.  On the other hand, the bottom teams could  knock themselves out of the playoffs on Friday.  That;s because the three lowest ranked teams from the 'Southern Region' will not make the playoffs. The Southern Region consists of the MWL, IMC (think Bend) , MWC (think Corvallis).

#1 Marist at #8 Ashland
  Have to go with Marist.  They are battle tested against a great team with several horses.  Marist also has the speed factor.  Unlike last year, though, Ashland has a solid chance. Note that Ashland came closest to beating Marist last year as far as MWL teams go.  

#8 Churchill at Eagle Point
  Going with Churchill.  Churchill clobbered Benson, but Benson was only 1-8 last year, and I think Churchill got their number 8 ranking based on their storied tradition.  That said, I really liked what I saw at Churchill's practice this week, so maybe this years Lancers are going to maintain the Air Lancer storyline. I haven't heard a thing about Eagle Point and reasons for the lopsided loss to Mountain View.  There's the possibility that Mountain View is just lights out and can tear anyone apart.  So we could have the case of Churchill not respecting Eagle Point because they  got blown out, while Eagle Point figures out after a play or two that Churchill isn't a Mountain View.   Hopefully, both teams will be focused and it will be a great game.

#16 Willamette at Springfield.
   Willamette is my pick.  Springfield killed themselves with turnovers last week.  This week the Millers will stick with one quarterback and hopefully there will be some offensive continuity.  On the other hand, Willamette looks like they have their offense well balanced between run and pass.

Marshfield at North Eugene
   I'm going with the Pirates even with the loss of Tyler Johnson.  North didn't play a game last week, and I think that'll be a disadvantage.  The Pirates installed a no huddle offense last week and had some success with it.  With a week to  improve on their mistakes, that should give Marshfield enough to sneak by North Eugene.  Plus, I'm going to the game.  So I should give the Pirates good luck.  Although, this 'watching the Pirates' hypothesis doesn't seem to work in baseball.

Don't forget to vote in the MWL fan polls.  We'll be comparing fans to me, starting with league games.

My final and official league prediction.

I really felt confident  about my 'Way to Early' polls until after last week's games.  Churchill and Willamette blew out their opponents, but their opponents were soft.  Eagle Point and Springfield got blown out, but their opponents are good, maybe excellent.  So, I've lost my confidence, but it's time for the final prediction:

Final MWL 2011 League Prediction
 1. Marist
 2.  Churchill
 3.  Ashland
 4.  Eagle Point
 5.  Willamette
 6. Springfield
 7. Marshfield
 8. North Eugene

That's not too far off from my way-too-early poll.  I switched up the 2-3-4 spots.  I'm betting that Churchill will catch Eagle Point before they get it in gear for the season - game is in Eagle Point.  Then Ashland travels to Churchill - a game I won't miss.

You can comment by using the comment icon  on the blog or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com

Pop Quiz - Aaron Ingram

Pop Quiz for Aaron Ingram,  Churchill's returning all league running back.

GH is Gary Halski
AI is Aaron

GH:  What have you done to improve yourself in football this summer?
AI:  I've been here [Churchill field and weightroom] every day, working with my teammates.  Lifting, running and practicing routes.  No camps.

GH:  Which player on your team has impressed you over the summer?
AI:  Nate Parks,  he's our Mike backer.  Nate's been here every day.  He's a senior.  He's been on the scout team his sophomore and junior years.  He's really worked hard every day.

GH:  Which team do you want to beat most this year?
AI:  Willamette.  My brother Judah Ingram plays for Willamette.

GH: Who is the meanest coach on the coaching staff?
AI:  Coach K and coach Dumar.

GH:  What types of music do you listen to on your Ipod or mp3 player.
AI:  I don't own one.
GH:  Neither does  the Willamette player I interviewed.  What do you listen to on the radio?
AI:  I don't have a radio.
GH:  Do you ever listen to anything?
AI:  I guess I've listened to rap, but I know you don't like rap and don't believe it is really music.

GH:  What is your routine to get pumped up for a game?
AI:  I psych myself out during quiet time, then I yell like crazy when quiet time is over.
GH:  What is quiet time?
AI:  At five o'clock everyone goes into the wrestling room and no one talks - everyone focus's on what they have to do.  After quiet time I yell.
GH:  What do you yell?
AI:  I yell at the players, I yell down the school hall.  I just yell.

GH:  What kind of meal do you have the night before a game?
AI: A  big one.  We eat until we can't eat anymore.  We eat whatever the mom's prepare for us.
GH:  What about lunch on game day?
AI:  Whatever the school serves.

GH: What is the best thing to do in the summer around Eugene?
AI: Come to football practice.  I look forward to it every day. 

GH: What's your  favorite place to eat?
AI: Papa's Soul Food Kitchen.  It's got the best barbecue in town.  I love the vibe there.  It's really laid back.  I really love the bread pudding.   I always have to have it.

GH: What do you consider the ideal place to go on a first date?
AI:  Taco Bell, go for a walk, picnic in the park.

GH: What formal restaurant would you take a date to?
AI: Papa's Soul Food Kitchen.
GH: Yikes.
AI:  They have great music, nice people, good vibes and are laid back.
GH:  I think I'm getting the idea.  And  you like the bread pudding.

GH: Who is your favorite superhero?
AI:  I can't think of one.
GH:  Who's your  favorite actor?
AI:  I can't think of one.
GH:  Your favorite character in a movie?
AI:  That's easy!  The Joker.  That would make Heath Ledger my favorite actor.  He was great as The Joker and great in another mover.  But he's dead now.
GH:  I forgot about that.

GH:  Thanks for interview.

Churchill - Air Lancer still flying high

I visited coach Mehl at practice Tuesday, a few days after they handled Benson 60-27.  I was wondering if he would want to talk to me after I pocket dialed him during the Benson game last Friday.  He texted back, "Can't talk now, I'm in class."  Fortunately, he was in a talking mood at practice.  I had stuck my neck out for Churchill in my annual "Way Too Early MWL Football Prediction" and picked them third in league, even though they lost their qb and their experienced receivers and three all league linemen.  After watching Churchill's practice and listening to coach Mehl, I felt much better about my 'Way Too Early Prediction'.

GH: Gary Haliski
DM: Coach Darrel Mehl

GH: How many kids have turned out for football?
DM:  We have about 62 kids out for the entire program, including around 13 freshmen.

GH:  Offensively, you lost Determan, Savelich, three all league linemen and your quarterback.  Who's stepping up and any changes in your offensive scheme?
DM:  Colin Smith (6-2, 220) is our only returning starter on the offensive line.  But we've got a great line.  They've really worked hard in the weight room over the summer.  Skyler Phillips (6-3, 315, junior) was injured last year, but attended every practice through the quarterfinals.  Will Dawson (6-4, 260, junior) and Isael Huesca (6-3, 215) join those two on the line.  We might be putting Gavin Cowles (6-3, 210, junior) at center due to injury. 

GH: Looks like your new QB had a great first game.  What about your QB and receivers?
DM:  Mitch Reese is the QB (6-3, 205, junior).  We're really high on him.  He's a lefty, tall and is a big kid.  He throws the ball and runs really well, so he's perfect for our system.  Reese's size and running ability makes him our 'fullback' even though he is our qb. Tyler Molinski (6-3, 205) and Andrew Bennion (5-10, 170, junior) are the wide receivers.  Molinski is a track gguy.  He's fast and he really hit the weights and has gone from 180 to 205.  We return all leaguer Aaron Ingram as a  running back.  And we've added a great compliment to Ingram with sophomore Tyler Reid (5-9, 165).  Reid is quick and shifty.  His size is an advantage with our tall, big line; as he can hide behind the blockers as he picks his way upfield.  He's only a soph and could develop into something special.

GH:  And on defense?
DM:  We're really crowded at defensive back.  I've got six or seven guys who we put in our punt catching drills.  I'm usually lucky if I can find two.  They're pretty tough.  Peter Estrada (5-10, 170) and Kyle Salisbury (5-10, 175) are at the corners.  Bennion and Jake DeZarn (6-0, 185, baseball player) are the safeties.  Ingram is our Will linebacker.  Weston Lamora (6-2, 190, junior) is also a backer.  Pretty much the same guys who are on the O line make up our D line.  It's probably the best line I've had in my eight years here.

GH:  You ran into a buzzsaw from the old Southern league in the first two games last year.  Then you handled everyone else in the MWL, except Marist.  Does anything pop into your mind about last year and are you approaching things differently this year?
DM:  Last year we played in a jamboree against 4A teams instead of playing a non league game.  It was like taking candy from a baby, but it didn't help us much.  So this year we scheduled a game.  As far as this year, Eagle Point and Ashland are counting games in the MWL this year.  That makes the games more serious.  As far as Eagle Point.  We get to go to their place.  They are big and fast, hit hard and tough to tackle.

GH:  With all of the new guys, is anyone stepping up in leadership?
DM:  Last Thursday we talked about naming captains.  We don't have a lot of guys who jump out right now.  We have a lot of young leaders, but more the quiet type, who lead by example.  We'll learn more about leadership in these next two games as we find out how players react in the heat of the moment.

GH:  How is it you keep finding receivers and quarterbacks for Air Lancer?  Your offense sure looks like a lot of fun to me. Do you do 7 on 7 tournaments and things like that?
DM: Mosty,the guys lifted like crazy over the summer.  We had 25-30 guys who lifted all of the time. We don't spend a lot of time working on passing in the summer or go to a lot of passing tournaments.

GH:  Any other comments?
DM:  I forgot to mention Josh Han (6-3, 190).  He's a soccer player.  He put three kickoffs into the endzone last week.  That really helps out our defense.

GH: Thanks, coach.

 I was intrigued at how coach Mehl had created this year's version of Air Lancer.  The new lefty QB, number 15 - by the way, looked sharp in practice.  I can see why the coaches are excited about him.  But we'll see how Reese does when he has Tyler Holmes from Eagle Point bearing down on him.  Eagle Point will be a far tougher opponent than Benson.  WR's Molinski and Bennion had good games against Benson.  They should maintain the Air Lancer tradition.  RB's Ingram and Reid make a nice duo.  Ideally for the Lancers, Reid can give a burst of speed to compliment Ingram's hard running.  Those big, strong Churchill linemen were pretty aggressive in practice against the tackling dummies.  Hopefully, the aggressiveness will increase a level when they face real opponents.  All in all, if Churchill can get through the season without many injuries, they should be really good by playoff time.

MWL predictions for September 2

I'm going for the sweep. 7-0!

1. Marist over Corvallis.  I think there's too much speed on Marist's team,  thus preventing Corvallis from scoring enough to take advantage of Marist getting their new Qb in the groove.

2. Eagle Point upset over Mountain View.  Eagle Point has been getting closer each year.  Game is at Eagle Point.  Going to be a great game, as will the Marist game.

3.  Churchill over Benson.  Duh.

4.  Ashland over Klamath Falls.  Coach Hall isn't going to try the Pistol formation this year, so the Grizzlies should get off to a good start.

5. Willamette over South Albany.  This would be a bit of an upset.  But Willamette seems to have a new attitude this year.

6. Marshfield over North Bend in Coos Bay.  If the Pirates lose, there may not be anyone to run this website.

7.  Springfield over Silverton.  Springfield's line needs to come out and destroy Silverton from the get go.  If they don't, then the Silver Foxes are likely to take this one.

MWL fan polls are saying Eagle Point, Willamette and Springfield will lose.  All three are evenly matched in their first game.  All three have new quarterbacks.  Each one could go either way.  Certainly, a strong showing by any of these three teams is going to show that their hard work over the summer paid off.

You can still vote in the fan polls.
Marist, Eagle Point and Churchill polls (left side)
Willamette, Marshfield, Ashland and Springfield polls

Springfield Hopes on the line.

I almost called some of my central Oregon buddies to tell them to bring in the cattle trucks to rustle a few of the blue ribbon heads of beef on the Springfield practice field and skedaddle back to the Redmond cattle auction. Where did coach Raish get all these guys? The Millers are loaded with a lot of experience on the line and, boy, are they big. If they can move those little hooves quick enough, they just might give their backs enough time to develop into a high scoring machine.

Here’s what I gleaned from my talk with coach Raish.

GH is Gary Haliski
SR is coach Skip Raish

GH: What’s your approximate turnout?
SR: We have 124 total, that includes 44 frosh. We’re carrying 43 on our JV’s.

GH: Who do you have as returning starters or returning with significant playing time?
SR: All leaguer offensive guard Clanton Self (6’ 1”, 295), all leaguer center Isias Giron , all league kicker Ashton Summer. Summer is a junior, he plays soccer. He led the league in field goals last year and made 100% of his PAT’s. John Emerald (6’ 1”, 175) returns as an all league defensive back.

GH: On the field you mentioned you were experienced on the line, and the boys looked pretty big to me. Who is filling in the other O line spots.?
SR: Chase Towlerton (6-2, 295) will be the other guard and has college potential. Junior Bryan Stanwood (6’ 2”, 230) will be at tackle. Jordan Haas (6’ 5”, 240) , a soph, has a slight edge at the other tackle spot. He’s fighting it out with another soph, Hunter Hastings (6’ 4”, 235).

GH: Everyone in the league lost their starting quarterback? All of the coaches are concerned. Have you settled on anyone yet?
SR: We haven’t settled on our starting quarterback for league. It’s a competition between Britton Auxier (6’ 2”, 220) and junior Ty Manilla (6’2 230). Manilla will play a little defensive end. Each of them is going to get two quarters in the Silverton game this Friday.

GH: That looks like a fun offense?
SR: Yes, it’s an awful lot of fun.
GH: I couldn’t keep track of all of the formations. And who were those guys in the backfield?
SR: We’re running the spread. You saw us go with an empty backfield, one back, two backs and even three backs.
GH: Who was the bowling ball back?
SR: That’s called a fullback. That’s Elijah Gelman-Price. He’s 6’ 1”, 280 pounds. He’ll also be playing defensive tackle.
GH: Did I see Price under center?
SR: You did, but we were running the scout team and our quarterbacks were doing another drill. But he could play quarterback if he had to. Another running back will be Dylan Piquette. Also, Jevon Garcia (5’ 10”. 180, a junior.

GH: Is Dylan related to Thurston’s coach Piquette?
SR: Coach Doug Piquette is Dylan’s uncle.

GH: Who are your receivers this year?
SR: We have several seniors, Austin Banks (6’ 1”, 170) and Alistar Jorkan (5’ 8”, 160), as well as Emerald.

GH: Offensively, you lost a lot, including Green, Spikes and Davidson. Fortunately, you have a lot back on the line. How do you feel that will come together?
SR: This is probably the best offensive line I have had in 25 years. They’re strong and smart. And there are a lot of them.

GH: The Millers were a high scoring team last year, but the defense had trouble. Any changes to address that area of opportunity?
SR: We have better athletes up front this year. We have four real fine athletes in Stanwood, Codie Jantze (6’2, 310), Price and Manilla. In the secondary we have Blake Taylor, a transfer from Willamette, at rover. Daysean Price-Clark well be in the secondary.
GH: Is Daysean (5’ 10”, 180) related to Elijah (6’ 1”, 280)? They’re not quite built the same.
SR: They’re cousins. Garcia and Jorkan will be at corners. Looks like Jake King and Ben Ogletree will be at linebacker.

GH: Any outstanding leaders or characteristics of the team that stand out?
SR: I think this is a very good football team. They have all phases of the game covered; we don’t fall off in any phase. I think this group has finally got the football team to turn the corner. This summer we had sixty to eighty kids in the weight room on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and then conditioning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What I really love is the positive attitude. You have to have that. You can have all of the talent in the world, but you have to have a positive attitude. That’s the fun part of coaching these kids. I’m really pleased with this group of athletes. They are always on time. There’s no quarreling, no little hastles. They have a shot at doing some good things. We’ve told them they have to take ownership. We can’t be on the field showing them what to do during a game. They’ve got to do it for themselves.

GH: Anything else?
SR: I think the Midwestern League has always been a fine league. There’s a lot of parity. On any Friday night, anyone can win. The addition of Eagle Point and Ashland has made us a little stronger. The Pac 10 added two and so did we. It made us better. You just can’t overlook anyone. If I had to pick a team to win the league, it would be Marist. It’s Marist until somebody beats them.

That's the end of my discussion with  coach Raish.
 
As I was driving home I was thinking that with all of the  unknowns at quarterback throughout the league, it took me six teams to find one who hadn't settled on their starting QB.  And it will be the experienced Springfield line that will be buying time for the new Miller QB and running backs to learn their game.  I had the sense that the Springfield linemen knew what's on the line for the team, and that all eyes will be on the Springfield linemen.  Now that's unusual, putting the pressure on linemen and not the 'skills' guys..  Coach Raish put the line through some 100 yard down and backs.  That's not a drill a 300 pound kid wants to be doing.  But there they were, lumbering  along, like the big beef that they are.  And finishing their drills, just like they're going to have to do every Friday if Springfield is going to win.  Springfield hopes really are all on the Line.

I'll be tweeting from the Marist - Corvallis game.  You can follow the tweets at http://twitter.com/#!/mwlnow