Some huge games tonight featuring teams that haven't established consistency yet.
Churchill (1-0 MWL 6) at Springfield (2-1 MWL 6)
If both of these teams play to their potential, fans are in for some fireworks.
Springfield's Levi Green has thrown 11 td's in four games and only one interception. John Davidson is his primary receiver, but look out for wide receiver Kyle George and Thomas Spikes coming out of his rb position. Spikes has also been worth 77 yards per game on the ground at 5 yards per carry.
Churchill's qb Derek Godfrey's favorite target is Brandon Determan, the league's second leading receiver. Junior running back Aaron Ingram had 100 yards rushing last week against North Eugene, part of a 555 yard explosion for Churchill.
Standings wise, this game may be more important to Springfield than Churchill. You can't undo a loss, and Springfield will have only one league game left after tonight to pick up a MWL 6 victory. A Springfield win would make them 3-1 in the MWL 6 with just one MWL 6 game left at home. A Miller loss would greatly reduce their chances at claiming the second seed, as Churchill would own the tie breaker over Springfield. However, if Churchill loses, they can still pick up three more wins, albeit one would have to be against Marist, and most likely position themselves as a 1 or 2 seed.
This is impossible to predict confidently. Neither team has consistently played tough defense. And both teams can explode on offense. Could be a track meet.
I'm going with home field advantage. Springfield 35 Churchill 28.
Willamette (0-1 MWL 6) at North Eugene (0-3 MWL 6)
North Eugene is the only MWL 8 team I haven't seen play. They have to win this one to have a chance of getting out of a play-in game. Willamette will still have three games left after tonight, so they could recover, win some games and go straight to the round of 32.
I'm going to this game to see North Eugene for the first time. But I'm going to enjoy watching Willamette soph QB Kamerun Smith. He leads the league with over 1,000 yards Hopefully, Dueante Brown is back for this game, as Brown and Cameron Koehler make a powerful receiving duo. Willamette's running back crew has pounded out over 100 yards per game. Not bad considering the Wolverines are avering over 260 yards in the air. Skyler Mohr is the plowhorse at 60 yards per game. Jordan Visarraga breaks a few more long runs and is averaging almost 7 yards per carry. And Dante Giles has averaged over 8 yards per carry in his last 8 carries.
Other than the Highlander game against Marist, North Eugene has shown the ability to score. They have several very good players in the skills positions.
The game is at North Eugene, but I'm leaning towards Willamette's passing game. Willamette 35 North Eugen 21.
Big Game of the Evening
Marist (3-0 MWL 8) at Eagle Point (2-1 MWL 8)
Eagle Point has enough versatility in their offense to upset Marist. But the Eagle Point defense will have to play the game of their lives.
Eagle Point has averaged over 200 yards on the ground, which will be helpful in trying to keep Marist's offense off the field. All everything offense player senior Aaron Foster leads the Eagles in rushing (and receiving and scoring). Garrett Snow pounds the ball for Eagle Point. He's 5' 10" and 210 pounds. QB Shane Bluhm adds another 50 yards per game on the ground.
Shane Bluhm's favorite receivers have been Foster, Loren Nesberg, Snow and Jake Shaffer. I think Eagle Point is going to have to spread it around even more against the Spartans.
Everyone knows Marist's offensive standouts by now. QB Logan Silver, receivers Taylor Walcot, Austin Baird and for the last game at least, Josh Paiement, a formerly injured QB. Junior Greg Park leads the team in rushing with Silver also gaining huge yardage.
Take a few minutes and watch the O and D line and linebackers. That's where Marist's magic starts. Matt Devereux, Logan Mayes, Will Swindling, Paxton Miller and others. Not only do they make a million tackles, but they set the table for the offensive skills players and DB's. Because of the pressure by the D line, you're bound to hear the Marist's DB's names called for a pick or even a blitz sack. DB's Ryan Inouye, Carson Keiswetter, Brady Chiongbian and Matt Beattie have become familiar calls over loudspeakers this year.
Game is at Eagle Point. I'm thinking Marist stops the run and forces Bluhm to throw on the run. Marist 35 Eagle Point 14.
Marshfield (2-1 MWL 8) at Ashland (2-1 MWL 8)
I need a lifeline to the audience to predict this game. Will the Pirates who stunned Eagle Point show up? Or will the eight turnover Pirates who lost to Springfield show up? I believe a lot in the concept of 'visualizing'. And the Pirates can look back on last week and gain confidence through visualization. Now they know for sure they can pin a team inside the ten when they punt. They can return a kickoff, they can pick six, they can respond quickly when the opponent closes the gap.
Assuming the Pirates play another solid game, fans are in for a show. I'd expect the Pirates to once again try to move the ball on the ground with QB Dallas Milburn, and RB's Ryan Scoville and John Davidson. With the Grizzlies moving closer to the line to stop the run, Milburn can throw the occasional pass that could catch the Grizzlies off guard.
On the Grizzlie side, they will entertain the Pirate fans with QB's Jake Scarmanich's rabbit drill, dodging and then exploding into open space. Then the Grizzlies will bring in Jake McCoy, who everyone assume will throw to Scarmanich, but will, in fact, spread the ball around.
Considerations: Ashland has averaged 33 points the last two games after scoring just one td in the first two games. And they've held the last two opponents to two touchdowns each. The Pirates scored 41 last week, but gave up 32.
Marshfield can beat Ashland. The Pirates know they can put points on the board. Pirate coach Justin Ainsworth has been around long enough to put together a defensive game plan to stop the Grizzlies. For the second time this year I'm going against my gut - my gut was right last time. And I haven't been accused of sandbagging on behalf of the Pirates in a long time, so I'm going with Ashland 28-21.
You can respond via the 'comment' feature on the blog, or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
Friday, October 1, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Thoughts from last Friday's games (24th)
Last Friday I bypassed the Springfield-Marist game to see Ashland and Willamette for the first time. I was hoping to catch the Miller-Spartan game on the radio as I watched the Grizzlies and Wolverines. Instead I ended up listening to the Lancer-Highlander game.
Ashland at Willamette
The game was a little torturous to watch for the first quarter. Both teams were trying to find ways not to win the game. I have to tell you, I am ready to see a game where both teams play well from beginning to end.
Ashland pulled away in the second quarter and took a 27-6 lead to the locker room at halftime. I liked the Grizzlie style of play. Jake Scarmanich is the real McCoy for Ashland, a team that has the very real Jake McCoy. The two quarterbacks present opponents with a bit of a nightmare. Scarmanich didn't have the greatest of passing games last week, but for the season he is completing 57% of his passes. He can pull the ball down and run like a rabbit. He's shifty, fast and strong, which has resulted in Scarmanich being fifth in league rushing from his qb position. Jake McCoy, on the other hand, is even better with his passing - 67% completions. McCoy, a junior, apparently realizes what Scarmanich can do with the ball, so McCoy likes to get the ball to Scarmanich, who is averaging 19 yards per catch.
The Grizzlies didn't throw much in the direction of their leading receiver, TJ Murphy. But that didn't hurt Ashland's production in the air against Willamette, as they spread the ball around to 7 receivers who averaged over 20 yards per catch. Sophomore Talen Heater was the leading receiver for the Grizzlies this game. That's good for the future of Ashland - the Grizzies have three receivers who are getting a fair amount of action who will be back next year along with qb Jake McCoy. That's also good for the present. Coach Hall has developed a stable of receivers including several solid seniors who will want to take Asland, 2-1 in the MWL, to a 6-1 finish in the MWL 8 league.
My photos of the Grizzlies show them getting to the ball en masse. You'd be amazed at what still photography can reveal. Linemen not making contact with people - looking like they are just standing around; the same two or three guys in on each defensive play - getting exhausted; technique - tackling, blocking. Mostly though, you notice if most of the team stays in the play til the finish. Photos show the Grizzlies do a pretty good job of it.
Willamette can't be happy with their turnover woes. But I think there are some bright spots. Sophomore qb Kamerun Smith throws a pretty ball. He's tall and can easily see over the line. There's a lot to learn at qb - from reading defenses to hitting receivers on the break. And improving arm strength will get the ball to it's target a lot quicker. Smith could grow into a really good qb, and he's certainly has a good start. I think a little pitching in baseball this spring would help. Another young player of note was sophomore rb #16 Dante Giles. If Ashland's Scarmanich runs like a rabblit, then Giles is Super Rabbit. I'm hoping Coach Fritz keeps giving this guy carries, Giles looked great and his team seemed to get pumped up when he touched the ball.
Eagle Point at Marshfield
I originally planned to drive to Coos Bay for this game, but after seeing Marshfield lose to Springfield 50-6, I changed my mind. What a mistake! Fortunately, I was able to listen to the game on KMHS. Marshfield games are carried on the internet. If your team is playing at Marshfield and you can't make it, listen to one of the best high school sports announcers in the country, Matt Jarvis. He does a lot of big time announcing, including announcing at the OSAA state track meets.
Marshfield coach Justin Ainsworth plans to continue the Pirate coaching tradition of longevity among head coaches. Marshfield had just three head coaches in the 63 years before Ainsworth took over the helm. I hope I'm still alive in twenty years, because I'll ask Justin, "What do you think was the most important game of your head coaching career?" It might be the win over the Eagles. Just the previous week Marshfield looked horrendous as they turned the ball over eight times in their fourth ever loss to Springfield. A Pirate player lost his cool on the field. A pirate broke his ankle. During the following week two players quit and two kids were suspended for a game for disciplinary reasons. #8 Eagle Point was coming to town, make that North Bend. Marshfield lost use of it's stadium for the entire season. Coach had to be wondering if the kids would mutiny or rally round the PIrate flag.
I'd love to know what coach Ainsworth said to his players and what the senior players did to upright the ship so fast. From the moment the radio broadcast started, you could tell something special was happening. Announcer Matt Jarvis was conveying the electricity in the air right through the airwaves and internet. The Pirate QB, Dallas Milburn, played flawlessly and added a pick six as a newly recruited db. The Pirates returned a kickoff 89 yards. Pirate punts were pinning the Eagles against their endzone. Pirate's who were pressed into starting were outstanding. Sometimes when a team plays like the Pirates did, the game is more meaningful than winning a league title because it teaches the kids so much more.
North Eugene at Churchill
I listened to this game while I was watching the Willamette game. At one point the announcer said that Churchill had 220 total yards on offense and North Eugene had 25. The score was 14-7. Churchill will have to work on finishing off their plays and drives if they are really going to make a statement in the MWL 6. Churchill eventually put it away 51-20 with 555 yards of offense.
Springfield at Marist
Probably the only hope for the Millers was to explode on offense. But the Marist line was too strong, quick, and relentless. And it didn't help that the Millers ran into Marist with Marist returning speedy receiver Taylor Walcott, tough LB Will Swindling and QB Josh Paiement as a very good receiver.
I've received several emails saying that I was too pro Marist early in the season. I did back off in my praise, but not in my thinking. The Spartans are better conditioned by far and they are the only team in the league where everyone goes all out all of the time. I'm thinking the road to the MWL 8 title will be only mildly bumpy all the way to Sparta, Greece.
Polls
MWL fans are predicting much closer games this week. As of Wednesday morning, the polls had Willamette over North Eugene 62-38 (percentages), Ashland over Marshfield 54-46, Springfield over Churchill 56-44 and Marist over Eagle Point 67-33. You can vote at MWL polls
RPI
Springfield and Marist are the only two teams in the MWL 8 that have RPI's over 500. Eagle Point and Ashland will likely join them with wins over Marist and Marshfield respectively.
Stats
I have complete stats from five of the eight MWL teams. The stats come from various sources including newspapers. The Medford Mail Tribune still prints all of the home and away teams stats which helps a lot. The Coos Bay paper didn't report the Springfield game stats, so I'm missing one Marshfield game, which is probaly keeping a couple of Pirates out of the rushing top 10. I don't have much on North Eugene and Churchill. The exception being the Lancer's Blake Determan, who has been mentioned with stats in the paper each game.
Rushing
2010 is not a 'Year of the Running Backs'. Junior Greg Park from Marist is the only RB over 100 yards per game. Teammate Logan Silver is next on the list. Thomas Spikes from Springfield is third at 77 yards per game. Eagle Point's Aaron Foster is fourth, and leads rushers with over 20 carries in Yards Per Carry, with a 7.8 ypc.
Passing
Sophomore Kamerun Smith is the only QB with over 1,000 yards. Logan Silver of Marist has 933 yards passing and will probably join the 1,000 yard club this weekend in Eagle Point. Springfield's Levi Green is the most efficient passer with a TD to INT ratio of 11 to 1. Green has Marist behind him so his stats should improve. Silver doesn't have to play Marist so his stats are likely to remain stellar. Marist's last four games are against Eagle Point, Churchill, Willamette and Marshfield.
Receiving.
The top two receivers have caught passes in only three of the four games so far. Marist sophomore Austin Baird, leads the league in yards (420) and TDs (7). But with the return of Taylor Walcott at receiver and qb Josh Paiement's as a wide receiver instead of QB, Marist worked Paiement and Walcott while Baird didn't have a catch last Friday.
Brandon Determan of Churchill is a close second in yardage at 408 yards. Churchill didn't play week 0. Springfield's John Davidson has been Levi Green's primary receiver for 378 yards so far this year. Willamette QB Smith, who leads the league in passing yards, has been connecting with Cameron Koehler and Deautne Brown for a combined 626 yards. Brown didn't play last Friday. Aaron Foster, who is fourth in league in rushing, is fifth in league in receiving.
Scoring
Nine playlers have 30 or more points. Aaron Foster from Eagle Point leads the pack with 44. (Let's see, Foster is the leagues leading scorer and in the top 5 rushing and receiving. I'm thinking he's up for first team honors so far. But wait, Marist is on the horizon.) Marist, which plays Eagle Point Friday, has three players with 30 or more points. So it will be interesting to see if one of them passes Foster.
Register-Guard Article
Nice article about Kameron Bates in today's Register-Guard (Sep 29). Bates is out for the season and is trying to get back for baseball.
Email your comments to mwlnow@yahoo.com or use the comment section on the blog.
Ashland at Willamette
The game was a little torturous to watch for the first quarter. Both teams were trying to find ways not to win the game. I have to tell you, I am ready to see a game where both teams play well from beginning to end.
Ashland pulled away in the second quarter and took a 27-6 lead to the locker room at halftime. I liked the Grizzlie style of play. Jake Scarmanich is the real McCoy for Ashland, a team that has the very real Jake McCoy. The two quarterbacks present opponents with a bit of a nightmare. Scarmanich didn't have the greatest of passing games last week, but for the season he is completing 57% of his passes. He can pull the ball down and run like a rabbit. He's shifty, fast and strong, which has resulted in Scarmanich being fifth in league rushing from his qb position. Jake McCoy, on the other hand, is even better with his passing - 67% completions. McCoy, a junior, apparently realizes what Scarmanich can do with the ball, so McCoy likes to get the ball to Scarmanich, who is averaging 19 yards per catch.
The Grizzlies didn't throw much in the direction of their leading receiver, TJ Murphy. But that didn't hurt Ashland's production in the air against Willamette, as they spread the ball around to 7 receivers who averaged over 20 yards per catch. Sophomore Talen Heater was the leading receiver for the Grizzlies this game. That's good for the future of Ashland - the Grizzies have three receivers who are getting a fair amount of action who will be back next year along with qb Jake McCoy. That's also good for the present. Coach Hall has developed a stable of receivers including several solid seniors who will want to take Asland, 2-1 in the MWL, to a 6-1 finish in the MWL 8 league.
My photos of the Grizzlies show them getting to the ball en masse. You'd be amazed at what still photography can reveal. Linemen not making contact with people - looking like they are just standing around; the same two or three guys in on each defensive play - getting exhausted; technique - tackling, blocking. Mostly though, you notice if most of the team stays in the play til the finish. Photos show the Grizzlies do a pretty good job of it.
Willamette can't be happy with their turnover woes. But I think there are some bright spots. Sophomore qb Kamerun Smith throws a pretty ball. He's tall and can easily see over the line. There's a lot to learn at qb - from reading defenses to hitting receivers on the break. And improving arm strength will get the ball to it's target a lot quicker. Smith could grow into a really good qb, and he's certainly has a good start. I think a little pitching in baseball this spring would help. Another young player of note was sophomore rb #16 Dante Giles. If Ashland's Scarmanich runs like a rabblit, then Giles is Super Rabbit. I'm hoping Coach Fritz keeps giving this guy carries, Giles looked great and his team seemed to get pumped up when he touched the ball.
Eagle Point at Marshfield
I originally planned to drive to Coos Bay for this game, but after seeing Marshfield lose to Springfield 50-6, I changed my mind. What a mistake! Fortunately, I was able to listen to the game on KMHS. Marshfield games are carried on the internet. If your team is playing at Marshfield and you can't make it, listen to one of the best high school sports announcers in the country, Matt Jarvis. He does a lot of big time announcing, including announcing at the OSAA state track meets.
Marshfield coach Justin Ainsworth plans to continue the Pirate coaching tradition of longevity among head coaches. Marshfield had just three head coaches in the 63 years before Ainsworth took over the helm. I hope I'm still alive in twenty years, because I'll ask Justin, "What do you think was the most important game of your head coaching career?" It might be the win over the Eagles. Just the previous week Marshfield looked horrendous as they turned the ball over eight times in their fourth ever loss to Springfield. A Pirate player lost his cool on the field. A pirate broke his ankle. During the following week two players quit and two kids were suspended for a game for disciplinary reasons. #8 Eagle Point was coming to town, make that North Bend. Marshfield lost use of it's stadium for the entire season. Coach had to be wondering if the kids would mutiny or rally round the PIrate flag.
I'd love to know what coach Ainsworth said to his players and what the senior players did to upright the ship so fast. From the moment the radio broadcast started, you could tell something special was happening. Announcer Matt Jarvis was conveying the electricity in the air right through the airwaves and internet. The Pirate QB, Dallas Milburn, played flawlessly and added a pick six as a newly recruited db. The Pirates returned a kickoff 89 yards. Pirate punts were pinning the Eagles against their endzone. Pirate's who were pressed into starting were outstanding. Sometimes when a team plays like the Pirates did, the game is more meaningful than winning a league title because it teaches the kids so much more.
North Eugene at Churchill
I listened to this game while I was watching the Willamette game. At one point the announcer said that Churchill had 220 total yards on offense and North Eugene had 25. The score was 14-7. Churchill will have to work on finishing off their plays and drives if they are really going to make a statement in the MWL 6. Churchill eventually put it away 51-20 with 555 yards of offense.
Springfield at Marist
Probably the only hope for the Millers was to explode on offense. But the Marist line was too strong, quick, and relentless. And it didn't help that the Millers ran into Marist with Marist returning speedy receiver Taylor Walcott, tough LB Will Swindling and QB Josh Paiement as a very good receiver.
I've received several emails saying that I was too pro Marist early in the season. I did back off in my praise, but not in my thinking. The Spartans are better conditioned by far and they are the only team in the league where everyone goes all out all of the time. I'm thinking the road to the MWL 8 title will be only mildly bumpy all the way to Sparta, Greece.
Polls
MWL fans are predicting much closer games this week. As of Wednesday morning, the polls had Willamette over North Eugene 62-38 (percentages), Ashland over Marshfield 54-46, Springfield over Churchill 56-44 and Marist over Eagle Point 67-33. You can vote at MWL polls
RPI
Springfield and Marist are the only two teams in the MWL 8 that have RPI's over 500. Eagle Point and Ashland will likely join them with wins over Marist and Marshfield respectively.
Stats
I have complete stats from five of the eight MWL teams. The stats come from various sources including newspapers. The Medford Mail Tribune still prints all of the home and away teams stats which helps a lot. The Coos Bay paper didn't report the Springfield game stats, so I'm missing one Marshfield game, which is probaly keeping a couple of Pirates out of the rushing top 10. I don't have much on North Eugene and Churchill. The exception being the Lancer's Blake Determan, who has been mentioned with stats in the paper each game.
Rushing
2010 is not a 'Year of the Running Backs'. Junior Greg Park from Marist is the only RB over 100 yards per game. Teammate Logan Silver is next on the list. Thomas Spikes from Springfield is third at 77 yards per game. Eagle Point's Aaron Foster is fourth, and leads rushers with over 20 carries in Yards Per Carry, with a 7.8 ypc.
Passing
Sophomore Kamerun Smith is the only QB with over 1,000 yards. Logan Silver of Marist has 933 yards passing and will probably join the 1,000 yard club this weekend in Eagle Point. Springfield's Levi Green is the most efficient passer with a TD to INT ratio of 11 to 1. Green has Marist behind him so his stats should improve. Silver doesn't have to play Marist so his stats are likely to remain stellar. Marist's last four games are against Eagle Point, Churchill, Willamette and Marshfield.
Receiving.
The top two receivers have caught passes in only three of the four games so far. Marist sophomore Austin Baird, leads the league in yards (420) and TDs (7). But with the return of Taylor Walcott at receiver and qb Josh Paiement's as a wide receiver instead of QB, Marist worked Paiement and Walcott while Baird didn't have a catch last Friday.
Brandon Determan of Churchill is a close second in yardage at 408 yards. Churchill didn't play week 0. Springfield's John Davidson has been Levi Green's primary receiver for 378 yards so far this year. Willamette QB Smith, who leads the league in passing yards, has been connecting with Cameron Koehler and Deautne Brown for a combined 626 yards. Brown didn't play last Friday. Aaron Foster, who is fourth in league in rushing, is fifth in league in receiving.
Scoring
Nine playlers have 30 or more points. Aaron Foster from Eagle Point leads the pack with 44. (Let's see, Foster is the leagues leading scorer and in the top 5 rushing and receiving. I'm thinking he's up for first team honors so far. But wait, Marist is on the horizon.) Marist, which plays Eagle Point Friday, has three players with 30 or more points. So it will be interesting to see if one of them passes Foster.
Register-Guard Article
Nice article about Kameron Bates in today's Register-Guard (Sep 29). Bates is out for the season and is trying to get back for baseball.
Email your comments to mwlnow@yahoo.com or use the comment section on the blog.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Chris's Previews - Gary's Predictions fo September 24-25
Chris went all out this week and added previews of the 6A MWL games
WEEK 4 GAME PREVIEW
It’s a short drive to Roseburg and if you make the trip, you are guaranteed a special high school football memory. Roseburg Coach Thurman Bell goes for career win number 300 Friday night in Roseburg, when the Thurston Colts travel south to take on the Roseburg Indians. This is the featured game for our week number four Preview:
THURSTON COLTS AT ROSEBURG INDIANS: Thurston (2-1) travels south to play the #8 Oregon Live ranked Roseburg Indians (3-0) with the big story line Roseburg Coach Thurman Bell going for his 300th win as a head coach. Can the Colts pull the upset and prolong Coach Bell’s quest to join an elite group containing only two other coaches, Marshfield’s Kent Wigle and Dayton’s legendary Coach Dewey Sullivan? Thurston has had to deal with some injury issues at key offensive positions. Last week the Colts beat Crater 10-3 with a solid defensive effort. Thurston will need an even better defensive effort against the Roseburg ground game. Perhaps the best matchup of the night will be the Indians monstrous offensive line against the Thurston defensive line, led by Senior Kraig Akins. It’s either a Thurston upset victory or win number 300 for Bell; either way high school football fans can’t lose on this game.
NEXT WEEK: Thurston at Grants Pass.
GRANTS PASS CAVEMEN AT SHELDON IRISH: The Sheldon Irish trounced Grants Pass last year 63-18. No doubt this was motivated by a three overtime 42-41 loss to Grants Pass in 2008 that snapped Sheldon’s league winning streak. What will motivate the Irish this year? How about a #2 Oregon Live ranking and the need to continue perfecting their well oiled offense. Sheldon has put up 112 points in three games for an average of 37 points per game. Junior quarterback Dillon Miller has been efficient, with 11 touchdown passes and only 5 interceptions. Receivers Daniel Herr, Dontee Prevost and Joe Bando have been the main targets. This could be a good game for the Irish to balance out their offense and establish a running game with running backs JJ Juilfs and Trevonn Robinson. The Grants Pass defense has given up 105 points in three games.
NEXT WEEK: Sheldon hosts North Medford.
SOUTH EUGENE AXEMEN AT NORTH MEDFORD BLACK TORNADO: South Eugene (0-3) needs a win and this might be one of the few remaining opportunities. North Medford (1-2) is also struggling, having lost last week to 5A Mountain View 43-10. The Axemen offense needs to get on track having scored a total of 26 points so far this year. Quarterback duties have been split thus far between Senior Taylor VanderKley and Sophomore James Banks. The South defense has given up 117 points in three games, including 51 last week to Sheldon.
NEXT WEEK: South Eugene hosts Crater.
SPRINGFIELD MILLERS AT MARIST SPARTANS: Springfield is 2-0 in league and 2-1 overall and received enough votes to fall into the “others receiving votes” category and a #13 ranking on Oregon Live. Marist is ranked #2 and is going for their second league win after a 50-0 rout of North Eugene last week. Can the Miller offense score enough points to keep up with Marist? Both teams are lighting up the score board and average 41 points per game. The obvious match up of the night is the Springfield offense versus the Marist defense. But the real story line might be Springfield’s struggle to control the passing game of both Silverton and Willamette in weeks one and two. The Millers will certainly be tested by the Spartan air game this week.
NEXT WEEK: Marist at Eagle Point; Springfield hosts Churchill.
Gary’s Prediction: Springfield QB Levi Green has been almost mistake free this year with 11 TD’s and 1 INT. The Millers will score. However, Marist’s defense will get the ball back enough for the win. Marist 28 Springfield 17.
NORTH EUGENE HIGHLANDERS AT CHURCHILL LANCERS: Both the Highlanders and the Lancers are 0-2 on the season, so the good news is one team will get their first win of the season tonight. The bad news is one of these teams will be 0-3 at the end of the night. The slow start by Churchill has been a surprise. Defense needs to improve and the offense will have to be a lot better if the defense does not improve. North Eugene is struggling and things may not get better this week. The Highlanders have some offensive weapons in running back Alex Wilson, quarterback Dylan Lubonski and receiver Jackson Lundgren but are searching for consistency.
NEXT WEEK: Churchill at Springfield; North Eugene hosts Willamette.
Gary’s Prediction: Churchill should win this one. However, the Highlanders are skilled and scrappy enough to steal the win if the Lancers try and give away the game. Churchill 35 North Eugene 14.
EAGLE POINT EAGLES AT MARSHFIELD PIRATES: Just how good is #8 ranked Eagle Point? Senior Aaron Foster has been doing it all scoring touchdowns through the air, on the ground and on special teams. He scored four last week and the Eagle offense rushed for 400 yards in a 58-19 win over Willamette. It could be a long night for the Pirates (1-2). They gave up 351 total yards to Springfield last week and it could be worse this week if they cannot slow down the high flying balanced offense of the Eagle Point Eagles. The game is currently scheduled for Saturday at 3PM at North Bend High School.
NEXT WEEK: Marist at Eagle Point; Marshfield at Ashland.
Gary’s Prediction: Marshfield fans will get to see two great MWL 8 teams in North Bend this year. Eagle Point and Marist. Pirates need to eliminate turnovers. Eagle Point 35 Marshfield 14.
WILLAMETTE WOLVERINES AT ASHLAND GRIZZLIES: Willamette has struggled so far this year and is 0-3. Ashland (1-2) lost their first two games and got their first win last week against Churchill 21-14. Willamette is without senior leader and standout two way starter Danny Granillo, who sustained an anterior cruciate ligament tear in the loss to Springfield. The Wolverines have shown they can move the ball with sophomore quarterback Kamerun Smith and Senior running back Skyler Mohr. The Wolverine offense put up 393 yards passing in a loss to Springfield in week two.
NEXT WEEK: Willamette at North Eugene; Marshfield at Ashland.
Gary’s Prediction: If the Wolverines have kept the faith like I think they have, I believe their offense will kick into high gear. If it does, they're likely to score a ton of points and win. But I’m going with Ashland for two reasons. The game is in Ashland and Ashland had good fortune with their new two quarterback rotation. Ashland 28 Willamette 21.
Stats are up for rushing, receiving, passing and scoring. It takes a lot of hand entering of data to get the stats going, so please let me know if I've misspelled a name or have other info incorrect. Stats are missing for one Marshfield and one North Eugene game. Quarterbacks are looking pretty good. http://www.mwathletics.com/football/stats/2010/Passing.htm
WEEK 4 GAME PREVIEW
It’s a short drive to Roseburg and if you make the trip, you are guaranteed a special high school football memory. Roseburg Coach Thurman Bell goes for career win number 300 Friday night in Roseburg, when the Thurston Colts travel south to take on the Roseburg Indians. This is the featured game for our week number four Preview:
THURSTON COLTS AT ROSEBURG INDIANS: Thurston (2-1) travels south to play the #8 Oregon Live ranked Roseburg Indians (3-0) with the big story line Roseburg Coach Thurman Bell going for his 300th win as a head coach. Can the Colts pull the upset and prolong Coach Bell’s quest to join an elite group containing only two other coaches, Marshfield’s Kent Wigle and Dayton’s legendary Coach Dewey Sullivan? Thurston has had to deal with some injury issues at key offensive positions. Last week the Colts beat Crater 10-3 with a solid defensive effort. Thurston will need an even better defensive effort against the Roseburg ground game. Perhaps the best matchup of the night will be the Indians monstrous offensive line against the Thurston defensive line, led by Senior Kraig Akins. It’s either a Thurston upset victory or win number 300 for Bell; either way high school football fans can’t lose on this game.
NEXT WEEK: Thurston at Grants Pass.
GRANTS PASS CAVEMEN AT SHELDON IRISH: The Sheldon Irish trounced Grants Pass last year 63-18. No doubt this was motivated by a three overtime 42-41 loss to Grants Pass in 2008 that snapped Sheldon’s league winning streak. What will motivate the Irish this year? How about a #2 Oregon Live ranking and the need to continue perfecting their well oiled offense. Sheldon has put up 112 points in three games for an average of 37 points per game. Junior quarterback Dillon Miller has been efficient, with 11 touchdown passes and only 5 interceptions. Receivers Daniel Herr, Dontee Prevost and Joe Bando have been the main targets. This could be a good game for the Irish to balance out their offense and establish a running game with running backs JJ Juilfs and Trevonn Robinson. The Grants Pass defense has given up 105 points in three games.
NEXT WEEK: Sheldon hosts North Medford.
SOUTH EUGENE AXEMEN AT NORTH MEDFORD BLACK TORNADO: South Eugene (0-3) needs a win and this might be one of the few remaining opportunities. North Medford (1-2) is also struggling, having lost last week to 5A Mountain View 43-10. The Axemen offense needs to get on track having scored a total of 26 points so far this year. Quarterback duties have been split thus far between Senior Taylor VanderKley and Sophomore James Banks. The South defense has given up 117 points in three games, including 51 last week to Sheldon.
NEXT WEEK: South Eugene hosts Crater.
SPRINGFIELD MILLERS AT MARIST SPARTANS: Springfield is 2-0 in league and 2-1 overall and received enough votes to fall into the “others receiving votes” category and a #13 ranking on Oregon Live. Marist is ranked #2 and is going for their second league win after a 50-0 rout of North Eugene last week. Can the Miller offense score enough points to keep up with Marist? Both teams are lighting up the score board and average 41 points per game. The obvious match up of the night is the Springfield offense versus the Marist defense. But the real story line might be Springfield’s struggle to control the passing game of both Silverton and Willamette in weeks one and two. The Millers will certainly be tested by the Spartan air game this week.
NEXT WEEK: Marist at Eagle Point; Springfield hosts Churchill.
Gary’s Prediction: Springfield QB Levi Green has been almost mistake free this year with 11 TD’s and 1 INT. The Millers will score. However, Marist’s defense will get the ball back enough for the win. Marist 28 Springfield 17.
NORTH EUGENE HIGHLANDERS AT CHURCHILL LANCERS: Both the Highlanders and the Lancers are 0-2 on the season, so the good news is one team will get their first win of the season tonight. The bad news is one of these teams will be 0-3 at the end of the night. The slow start by Churchill has been a surprise. Defense needs to improve and the offense will have to be a lot better if the defense does not improve. North Eugene is struggling and things may not get better this week. The Highlanders have some offensive weapons in running back Alex Wilson, quarterback Dylan Lubonski and receiver Jackson Lundgren but are searching for consistency.
NEXT WEEK: Churchill at Springfield; North Eugene hosts Willamette.
Gary’s Prediction: Churchill should win this one. However, the Highlanders are skilled and scrappy enough to steal the win if the Lancers try and give away the game. Churchill 35 North Eugene 14.
EAGLE POINT EAGLES AT MARSHFIELD PIRATES: Just how good is #8 ranked Eagle Point? Senior Aaron Foster has been doing it all scoring touchdowns through the air, on the ground and on special teams. He scored four last week and the Eagle offense rushed for 400 yards in a 58-19 win over Willamette. It could be a long night for the Pirates (1-2). They gave up 351 total yards to Springfield last week and it could be worse this week if they cannot slow down the high flying balanced offense of the Eagle Point Eagles. The game is currently scheduled for Saturday at 3PM at North Bend High School.
NEXT WEEK: Marist at Eagle Point; Marshfield at Ashland.
Gary’s Prediction: Marshfield fans will get to see two great MWL 8 teams in North Bend this year. Eagle Point and Marist. Pirates need to eliminate turnovers. Eagle Point 35 Marshfield 14.
WILLAMETTE WOLVERINES AT ASHLAND GRIZZLIES: Willamette has struggled so far this year and is 0-3. Ashland (1-2) lost their first two games and got their first win last week against Churchill 21-14. Willamette is without senior leader and standout two way starter Danny Granillo, who sustained an anterior cruciate ligament tear in the loss to Springfield. The Wolverines have shown they can move the ball with sophomore quarterback Kamerun Smith and Senior running back Skyler Mohr. The Wolverine offense put up 393 yards passing in a loss to Springfield in week two.
NEXT WEEK: Willamette at North Eugene; Marshfield at Ashland.
Gary’s Prediction: If the Wolverines have kept the faith like I think they have, I believe their offense will kick into high gear. If it does, they're likely to score a ton of points and win. But I’m going with Ashland for two reasons. The game is in Ashland and Ashland had good fortune with their new two quarterback rotation. Ashland 28 Willamette 21.
Stats are up for rushing, receiving, passing and scoring. It takes a lot of hand entering of data to get the stats going, so please let me know if I've misspelled a name or have other info incorrect. Stats are missing for one Marshfield and one North Eugene game. Quarterbacks are looking pretty good. http://www.mwathletics.com/football/stats/2010/Passing.htm
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Springfield and Eagle Point - for real?
Springfield 50 Marshfield 6
A lot of people justifiably think that Springfield (2-0, 2-1) has a shot at Marist this Friday. Certainly the dominant win over the Pirates makes a statement that the Millers are improving week by week. Springfield quarterback Levi Green has 11 touchdowns versus 1 interception and he's completed passes to eight different receivers. Running back Thomas Spikes is pounding the ball for over 90 yards a game.
The win over the Pirates came via the great passing game of the Millers, eight turnovers by the Pirates and an out of this world game by Springfield's Kyle George. George took two of his four receptions to the house. He also picked up a fumble near midfield and rambled all the way to the endzone. And he created total havoc from his DB position.
Keep in mind that Springfield exploded for 20 points while it was pouring during the third quarter. Nothing stopped the Miller's passing game. The rain did shut down my photography for the night. I have good enough rain gear for the camera, but all I was getting was pictures of raindrops with players in the background.
Eagle Point 58 Willamette 19
I said I liked Eagle Points offense after I saw them at Churchill in week two. In the Lancer game, Eagle Point came out passing and quickly scored two td's. They cooled off for two quarters, but in the fourth they took over the game by pounding the ball on the ground. I liked the fact that the Eagles could quickly switch from passing to pounding the ball. The victory over the Lancers led to a great quote in the Register-Guard the next morning by coach Jacob Schaffler. Schaffler was speaking to the issue of Eagle Point and Ashland being in a two team league and what it meant to have non-league games against the entire Midwestern League. "We don't call it the Southern Oregon hybrid or anything like that. We call it the Midwestern because we're in the Midwestern League. These are our league opponents." Love that attitude. That's throwing out a challenge. Eagle Point wants the Midwestern League trophy. So, based on coach Shafflers's quote, I'm renaming the Hybridiberdoo League. It's now the 'Midwestern 8' . Heck, I'll provide the trophy.
According to the paper it was pouring in Eagle Point, so Schaffler used the running part of his game to rack up almost 400 yards on the ground, while not showing the scouts in the stands his passing game. Eagle Point completed only 5 passes, but then they didn't need to throw the ball. That's five straight quarters that Eagle Point has used their three yards and a cloud of dust routine. Did I say three yards? The Eagles averaged thirteen yards per carry against Willamette.
If the Eagles can roll the first three quarters on the coast against Marshfield and work on maintaining intensity each and every play, then the Marist at Eagle Point game on Oct 1 should be awesome. Unfortunately or fortunately, I won't be making the game at Eagle Point. I'm heading to Vancouver B.C. to watch my stepson play quarterback for Winnipeg. This is Alex's first year with Winnipeg and he's been getting some action lately. He has to hustle it when they send him in. The Canadian Football League has a 20 second clock! It's a hoot to watch with four backs in motion (forward motion), wide receivers who can be in motion along the line and almost no time for audible's.
Marist
Marist hit the 50 mark against North Eugene last Friday. I'm wondering when the Spartans will have Josh Paiment back at qb, thus freeing up Logan Silver to be a true back/receiver. And if a Paiment return occurs during the next two weeks, will his passing game be rusty and give Springfield and/or Eagle Point a nice advantage? And would coach Geske care, even if rust on Paiment did take a while to wear off? After all, shouldn't Paiment get in his reps against the best teams he can possibly face? He needs to be ready for the playoffs.
Bench Splinters
Did you notice that Churchill played the two southern Oregon teams in their two opening games? Eagle Point and Ashland were not very nice to the Lancers. Churchill will now play only league games. The Lancers might be the team that benefits most from the 'everybody in' format. I think that Churchill's stumbled more than they should have because of self inflicted mistakes. Those mistakes are fixable if the kids get in the right frame of mind and focus........
Did you notice Ashland used rotating quarterbacks in their win over Churchill? And who turned out to be the key receiver? Why, a quarterback - Jake Scarminach. He was 9 for 9 passing and led the teams with 83 yards receiving. Jake McCoy was the Grizzlies other QB. Hats off to coach Hall for making a radical change. It added some much needed punch to an offense that scored just siven points in the first two games.....
Did you notice that North Eugene's RPI went from 0 to 333 after their loss to Marist? North Eugene has a higher RPI than Marshfield (292), even though Marshfield has already beaten North Eugene. If Marist loses to Springfield or Eagle Point, would Marist's RPI increase?......
Did you notice that last week the only two undefeated teams with a winning record in the MWL played each other, with Springfield beating Marshfield.? Once again this week the only two undefeated teams with a winning record in league will play each other - Springfield (2-0) at Marist (1-0). It could happen again if Churchill beats North Eugene this Friday to go 1-0 in league. Churchill plays Springfield on Oct 1 and Marist on Oct 8. ....
Springfield's Kameron Bates is scheduled to undergo knee surgery this week. He's hoping to make a return for baseball season. Bates was the MWL MVP last year in baseball.....
A worse blow than my alma matre losing to Springfield last Friday was that there was no marching band at Silke field. Budget cuts have sliced into the Springfield music program. That's a shame, because the Millers have a fantastic music program. There were several years when the jazz band was more entertaining the the boys basketball team. (I was a three sport guy at Marshfield, but I played in the marching band and jazz band when I during my non varsity years. It was a riot.)
Hope to have Chris Park's previews tomorrow or Thursday. Also hope to have the first 2010 stat update Wednesday. Might be missing a team this week, but it looks like all teams will have reported by the end of next week. Remember, all league voting will be for all players in the 'Midwestern 8' league.
A lot of people justifiably think that Springfield (2-0, 2-1) has a shot at Marist this Friday. Certainly the dominant win over the Pirates makes a statement that the Millers are improving week by week. Springfield quarterback Levi Green has 11 touchdowns versus 1 interception and he's completed passes to eight different receivers. Running back Thomas Spikes is pounding the ball for over 90 yards a game.
The win over the Pirates came via the great passing game of the Millers, eight turnovers by the Pirates and an out of this world game by Springfield's Kyle George. George took two of his four receptions to the house. He also picked up a fumble near midfield and rambled all the way to the endzone. And he created total havoc from his DB position.
Keep in mind that Springfield exploded for 20 points while it was pouring during the third quarter. Nothing stopped the Miller's passing game. The rain did shut down my photography for the night. I have good enough rain gear for the camera, but all I was getting was pictures of raindrops with players in the background.
Eagle Point 58 Willamette 19
I said I liked Eagle Points offense after I saw them at Churchill in week two. In the Lancer game, Eagle Point came out passing and quickly scored two td's. They cooled off for two quarters, but in the fourth they took over the game by pounding the ball on the ground. I liked the fact that the Eagles could quickly switch from passing to pounding the ball. The victory over the Lancers led to a great quote in the Register-Guard the next morning by coach Jacob Schaffler. Schaffler was speaking to the issue of Eagle Point and Ashland being in a two team league and what it meant to have non-league games against the entire Midwestern League. "We don't call it the Southern Oregon hybrid or anything like that. We call it the Midwestern because we're in the Midwestern League. These are our league opponents." Love that attitude. That's throwing out a challenge. Eagle Point wants the Midwestern League trophy. So, based on coach Shafflers's quote, I'm renaming the Hybridiberdoo League. It's now the 'Midwestern 8' . Heck, I'll provide the trophy.
According to the paper it was pouring in Eagle Point, so Schaffler used the running part of his game to rack up almost 400 yards on the ground, while not showing the scouts in the stands his passing game. Eagle Point completed only 5 passes, but then they didn't need to throw the ball. That's five straight quarters that Eagle Point has used their three yards and a cloud of dust routine. Did I say three yards? The Eagles averaged thirteen yards per carry against Willamette.
If the Eagles can roll the first three quarters on the coast against Marshfield and work on maintaining intensity each and every play, then the Marist at Eagle Point game on Oct 1 should be awesome. Unfortunately or fortunately, I won't be making the game at Eagle Point. I'm heading to Vancouver B.C. to watch my stepson play quarterback for Winnipeg. This is Alex's first year with Winnipeg and he's been getting some action lately. He has to hustle it when they send him in. The Canadian Football League has a 20 second clock! It's a hoot to watch with four backs in motion (forward motion), wide receivers who can be in motion along the line and almost no time for audible's.
Marist
Marist hit the 50 mark against North Eugene last Friday. I'm wondering when the Spartans will have Josh Paiment back at qb, thus freeing up Logan Silver to be a true back/receiver. And if a Paiment return occurs during the next two weeks, will his passing game be rusty and give Springfield and/or Eagle Point a nice advantage? And would coach Geske care, even if rust on Paiment did take a while to wear off? After all, shouldn't Paiment get in his reps against the best teams he can possibly face? He needs to be ready for the playoffs.
Bench Splinters
Did you notice that Churchill played the two southern Oregon teams in their two opening games? Eagle Point and Ashland were not very nice to the Lancers. Churchill will now play only league games. The Lancers might be the team that benefits most from the 'everybody in' format. I think that Churchill's stumbled more than they should have because of self inflicted mistakes. Those mistakes are fixable if the kids get in the right frame of mind and focus........
Did you notice Ashland used rotating quarterbacks in their win over Churchill? And who turned out to be the key receiver? Why, a quarterback - Jake Scarminach. He was 9 for 9 passing and led the teams with 83 yards receiving. Jake McCoy was the Grizzlies other QB. Hats off to coach Hall for making a radical change. It added some much needed punch to an offense that scored just siven points in the first two games.....
Did you notice that North Eugene's RPI went from 0 to 333 after their loss to Marist? North Eugene has a higher RPI than Marshfield (292), even though Marshfield has already beaten North Eugene. If Marist loses to Springfield or Eagle Point, would Marist's RPI increase?......
Did you notice that last week the only two undefeated teams with a winning record in the MWL played each other, with Springfield beating Marshfield.? Once again this week the only two undefeated teams with a winning record in league will play each other - Springfield (2-0) at Marist (1-0). It could happen again if Churchill beats North Eugene this Friday to go 1-0 in league. Churchill plays Springfield on Oct 1 and Marist on Oct 8. ....
Springfield's Kameron Bates is scheduled to undergo knee surgery this week. He's hoping to make a return for baseball season. Bates was the MWL MVP last year in baseball.....
A worse blow than my alma matre losing to Springfield last Friday was that there was no marching band at Silke field. Budget cuts have sliced into the Springfield music program. That's a shame, because the Millers have a fantastic music program. There were several years when the jazz band was more entertaining the the boys basketball team. (I was a three sport guy at Marshfield, but I played in the marching band and jazz band when I during my non varsity years. It was a riot.)
Hope to have Chris Park's previews tomorrow or Thursday. Also hope to have the first 2010 stat update Wednesday. Might be missing a team this week, but it looks like all teams will have reported by the end of next week. Remember, all league voting will be for all players in the 'Midwestern 8' league.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Week 3 Predictions
I got knocked off my internet for a day and a half connection due to switching from Quest to Comcast. At least I now have one computer going. Comcast doesn't carry their free routers on their trucks, and the Quest router won't work because I was on DSL, which uses a telephone line. Oh, you don't care..... on to football
Bad News Note: The Register-Guard reported that Springfield's Kameron Bates injury was a torn ACL. Bates was second team on offense and defense last year. He was also the MWL's MVP in baseball - a great left handed pitcher with a smooth glove at fist and power at the plate. The paper also confirmed that Willamette's two way first teamer also tore his ACL.
Marshfield 1-0 at Springfield 1-0 (MWL record)
I believe Marshfield is on a 22 year roll over Springfield. In fact, Springfield can claim only three or four victories EVER over Marshfield. Last year the Pirates won 50-7. But everything is pointing towards the Millers this year. I didn't see this game last year. But I imagine Springfield's coach Raish, a former Willamette head coach, had steam coming out of his ears.
If rain doesn't come out of the sky, it will be in the form of Springfield's Levi Green's passes to one of seven receivers. Green is connecting on 65% of his passes for 250 yards per game. I'm looking forward to seeing senior receiver John Davidson. He's over 250 yards for two games. If it rains, running back Thomas Spikes will have to take over. He's over 230 yards in two games.
The Pirates have struggled in their first two outings. They did get 5' 11", 205 running back Tyler Davidson over 100 yards last week. That's a good thing if the field gets muddy. If it doesn't get muddy, the Pirates need to unleash Ryan Scoville, a smaller but lightning fast back. Bottom line is that the Marshfield line will need to make a big jump from week 2.
Bad News Note: The Register-Guard reported that Springfield's Kameron Bates injury was a torn ACL. Bates was second team on offense and defense last year. He was also the MWL's MVP in baseball - a great left handed pitcher with a smooth glove at fist and power at the plate. The paper also confirmed that Willamette's two way first teamer also tore his ACL.
Gary's Prediction:
No rain = Springfield 35 Marshfield 21.
Rain = Springfield 21 Marshfield 7......
Pirate hex = Marshfield 22 Springfield 21, mystery photographer trips Miller on way to td, but there is no rule about that.....
Full moon isn't until the 23rd, so the Millers might come through and break the jinx.
Willamette 0-2 at Eagle Point 1-1 (Season record)
Important game for both teams. I think Eagle Point is going to do well in regular season, so a Willamette win will greatly improve the Wolverines RPI because the RPI takes into consideration opponents win-loss records. Willamette rushed out to a big lead last week and let it get away. Still, the Wolverines put up 34 points. On the other side, Eagle Point caught a misfiring Churchill off guard and came away with a huge win.
The questions are: Can Willamette adjust to life without two way MWL first teamer Danny Granillo? Granillo successfully switched to tight end and might have become a force in the league as a receiver. Can Eagle Point play an entire game without getting gassed? The Eagles smoked the Lancers in the first quarter last week, then the Lancers dominated the second quarter while the Eagles cooled off. After a see-saw third quarter, the Eagles took over in the fourth quarter behind the snowman and running back Garrett Snow (5' 10", 210, ouch). If the Eagles have another letdown, even for just one quarter, the Wolverines are more than capable of capitalizing. Plus, the Eagles need to go all 48 minutes if they want to have a chance against Marist.
I wish I could get to Eagle Point. It should be fireworks with quarterbacks Shane Bluhm of Eagle Point and sophomore Kamerun Smith of Willamette.
Gary's Prediction: It's going to be closer than MWL fans expect. Eagle Point 35 Willamette 28 Fun game to watch.
Churchill 0-1 at Ashland 0-2 (Season record)
Huge game for two proud, but winless programs. Churchill lost to a very good Eagle Point last week. I don't know if Churchill would have won if they eliminated their bad center-qb exchanges, but if they put up 21 points with all of the mistakes, they can certainly lay a lot of points on their next opponent if they eliminate the mistakes.
The marquee player for Churchill on O is Brandon Determan at wide receiver. Ashland qb Jake Scarmanich had a big game in week 1, but was shut down by Marist.
Gary's prediction: MWL fans are giving Ashland a tiny 12% chance to win. That means fans think that Churchill is going to dramatically reduce their mistakes when executing their offense. I agree, but I think the 12% is because Ashland fans haven't found this website. Churchill 28 Ashland 14.
Marist 1-0 at North Eugene 0-1 (MWL record)
North Eugene did not have a game during week 1. The Highlanders should make a big jump in their play this week. Still, Marist is on a roll with two impressive wins and likely to notch another shutout.
Gary's prediction: Last week - Marist 31 Ashland 0. This Week - Marist 35 North Eugene 0. North has enough skills guys to put up some points. It would be great to see them break out this week.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Eagle Point - Churchill Reflections and What about those QB's?
It was a great evening for high school football last Friday. And it was entertaining to watch the Eagles fly into town and put on quite a show at Churchill.
Every team has a personality, but I hadn't seen Eagle Point under 3rd year coach Jacob Schauffler. I'd say as of right now, Eagle Point is an Oregon O and an MWL D. Eagle QB Shane Bluhm (pronounced Bloom as the Eagle fans noted during the starting lineup announcements) ran a hurry up quick strike passing game the first two Eagle possessions to put his team up 14-0. Eagle Point's spread option looked pretty much like just a passing offense after the first two drives.
Churchill answered with 14 points to tie it at 14 all. But the Eagles put it away in the second half by taking advantage of the spread option. Bluhm ran, passed and mixed in 5-10, 210 pound running back Garrett Snow. Snow looked like a giant snowball rolling downhill, crunching Lancers.
Stat wise, Blumn threw for 256 yards and 2 tds while rushing for 50. Snow had a well earned 100 yards on 20 timeclock burning runs. Snow even snagged a couple of passes for 31 yards. But Bluhm's (who stands at 6' 2") primary receivers were 6' 1" Aaron Foster (7 for 109 yd), 6' 1" junior Loren Nesberg (5-86 yds) and Jake Shaffer (3-50 yd). The Eagles totalled 426 yards on offense.
Defensively, the Eagles gave up 21 points. It's hard to tell what Churchill would have scored had the Lancers not had several bad center-qb exchanges in the shotgun formation. They must have had at least five or six poor exchanges, sometimes twice in a series. QB Derek Godrey hooked up with his center often enough to go 19-34 for 201 yards and 2 td's. Churchill's run game didn't materialize. The Lancers had less than 70 yards on the ground. Aaron Ingram had 43 yards on 11 carries. Kingsley Nkwanta (6' 1", 215 lbs) was held to 22 yards on 8 carries. My hat is off to wide receiver Brandon Determan. With nothing working for the Lancer O, it was more and more obvious that Determan was going to be getting the ball thrown his way. He caught 13 passes for 159 yards. So far, I'm thinking Determan and Blaine Austin from Marist are the most exciting receivers in the league. But I haven't seen Springfield's or Willamette's aerial shows.
Can Eagle Point beat Marist, Willamette and Springfield? The Eagle's home game against Willamette is a huge game as it will test their ability to play well week in and week out. I'd like to see the Eagles keep improving and move into the upper echelon of 5A. They have the talent and size, but it takes a lot of work. Looking ahead three weeks, I don't think the Eagle's will stop Marist' offense when they meet in Eagle Point. But if Coach Schauffler can get the offense to stay focused for an entire game, they might be good enough on O to give the Spartans a scare.
From a league fan's point of view. It's great having Eagle Point in the unofficial MWL/SO league. They are fun to watch on O and I'm sure you'll recognize their overall potential.
Friday's games:
Marshfield at Springfield. I believe Marshfield's winning streak stands at 22. Will the Millers pick up their first win over the Pirates this century?
Willamette at Eagle Point. Fireworks on both sides. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Churchill at Ashland. With Ashlnad having Marist behind them, this game should also be an aerial show. More fun!
Marist at North Eugene. North will have to make huge strides from last week's game.
RPI Thoughts
Have you noticed that Eagle Point, with one loss, has an RPI of 775, while 2-0 Marist has an RPI of 688? That means Eagle Point would be seeded higher in the round of 16 during the playoffs if the round of 16 games were this weekend. Marist can fix all of that by beating Eagle Point in three weeks.
As a mental excercise, it's interesting to think what Marist's RPI would be if they sweep their regular season. One of the parts of the calculation is opponents record. All MWL and SO teams lost their first game, so Marist wouldn't get any help from the MWL/SO team's records. But that's putting the cart before the horse. If Springfield or Eagle Point can figure out how to go to the whistle for 48 minutes, they both have a shot. We'll find out over the next three weeks.
QB's around the league
Sophomore Kamerun Smith of Willamette is averaging 342 yards per game, with a very decent 5:2 touchdown to int ratio.
But Levi Green from Springfield probably feels better right now. He's averaging 248 yards per game, and has an 8:1 td to int ratio. Most importantly, Green has a win over Smith's Millers.
Marist's Logan Silver is averaging 222 yards with a 5:3 int-td ration.
Eagle Point's Shane Bluhm is averaging 199 yards through the air and 45 yards on the ground. Watch out for Bluhm if he improves each game.
North Eugene's Dylan Lubonski opened the season with a 200 plus yard game and two td passes.
As mentioned, Derek Godfrey was also at the 200 mark with two td's in his first outing.
Running Backs
Marist's Greg Park rushed for 212 yards and two td's to give him a two game average of 118 yds per game. Teammate Logan Silver has averaged 95 yards from the qb position.
Springfield's Thomas Spikes ripped off 146 yards on 20 carries in the Millers win over Willamette. He's averaging 116 YPG.
Marshfield's Tyler Davidson got the Pirate game going with 131 yards on 22 carries against North.
Eagle Point will be hoping that Garrett Snow continues his pounding of opponents after his 100 yard game against Churchill.
Recievers
Austin Baird from Marist didn't get the big yards this week, but he did put on a couple of circus acts. He still leads the league with 267 yards.
Churchill's Brandon Determan was spectacular Friday as I already mentioned. Marist can charge an extra buck in four weeks for the Churchill-Marist game. Baird vs Determan and Silver vs Smith.
Springfield's John Davidson is second in league with 253 yards on 14 catches. That's 16 yards per catch.
Willamette has two receivers over 100 yards per game. Duante Brown has 237 yards on 16 catches. Cameron Koehler has 232 yards on 9 catches. That's 26 yards per catch for Koehler.
Eagle Point's Aaron Foster cracked 100 yards receiving against Churchill. That's likely to be a trend as Eagle Point gets better and better on offense.
The Register Guard reported that Kameron Bates and Danny Granillo suffered knee injuries. My heart goes out to those guys and their parents.
If you'd like to comment or make corrections, please use the comment feature on this blog or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
Every team has a personality, but I hadn't seen Eagle Point under 3rd year coach Jacob Schauffler. I'd say as of right now, Eagle Point is an Oregon O and an MWL D. Eagle QB Shane Bluhm (pronounced Bloom as the Eagle fans noted during the starting lineup announcements) ran a hurry up quick strike passing game the first two Eagle possessions to put his team up 14-0. Eagle Point's spread option looked pretty much like just a passing offense after the first two drives.
Churchill answered with 14 points to tie it at 14 all. But the Eagles put it away in the second half by taking advantage of the spread option. Bluhm ran, passed and mixed in 5-10, 210 pound running back Garrett Snow. Snow looked like a giant snowball rolling downhill, crunching Lancers.
Stat wise, Blumn threw for 256 yards and 2 tds while rushing for 50. Snow had a well earned 100 yards on 20 timeclock burning runs. Snow even snagged a couple of passes for 31 yards. But Bluhm's (who stands at 6' 2") primary receivers were 6' 1" Aaron Foster (7 for 109 yd), 6' 1" junior Loren Nesberg (5-86 yds) and Jake Shaffer (3-50 yd). The Eagles totalled 426 yards on offense.
Defensively, the Eagles gave up 21 points. It's hard to tell what Churchill would have scored had the Lancers not had several bad center-qb exchanges in the shotgun formation. They must have had at least five or six poor exchanges, sometimes twice in a series. QB Derek Godrey hooked up with his center often enough to go 19-34 for 201 yards and 2 td's. Churchill's run game didn't materialize. The Lancers had less than 70 yards on the ground. Aaron Ingram had 43 yards on 11 carries. Kingsley Nkwanta (6' 1", 215 lbs) was held to 22 yards on 8 carries. My hat is off to wide receiver Brandon Determan. With nothing working for the Lancer O, it was more and more obvious that Determan was going to be getting the ball thrown his way. He caught 13 passes for 159 yards. So far, I'm thinking Determan and Blaine Austin from Marist are the most exciting receivers in the league. But I haven't seen Springfield's or Willamette's aerial shows.
Can Eagle Point beat Marist, Willamette and Springfield? The Eagle's home game against Willamette is a huge game as it will test their ability to play well week in and week out. I'd like to see the Eagles keep improving and move into the upper echelon of 5A. They have the talent and size, but it takes a lot of work. Looking ahead three weeks, I don't think the Eagle's will stop Marist' offense when they meet in Eagle Point. But if Coach Schauffler can get the offense to stay focused for an entire game, they might be good enough on O to give the Spartans a scare.
From a league fan's point of view. It's great having Eagle Point in the unofficial MWL/SO league. They are fun to watch on O and I'm sure you'll recognize their overall potential.
Friday's games:
Marshfield at Springfield. I believe Marshfield's winning streak stands at 22. Will the Millers pick up their first win over the Pirates this century?
Willamette at Eagle Point. Fireworks on both sides. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Churchill at Ashland. With Ashlnad having Marist behind them, this game should also be an aerial show. More fun!
Marist at North Eugene. North will have to make huge strides from last week's game.
RPI Thoughts
Have you noticed that Eagle Point, with one loss, has an RPI of 775, while 2-0 Marist has an RPI of 688? That means Eagle Point would be seeded higher in the round of 16 during the playoffs if the round of 16 games were this weekend. Marist can fix all of that by beating Eagle Point in three weeks.
As a mental excercise, it's interesting to think what Marist's RPI would be if they sweep their regular season. One of the parts of the calculation is opponents record. All MWL and SO teams lost their first game, so Marist wouldn't get any help from the MWL/SO team's records. But that's putting the cart before the horse. If Springfield or Eagle Point can figure out how to go to the whistle for 48 minutes, they both have a shot. We'll find out over the next three weeks.
QB's around the league
Sophomore Kamerun Smith of Willamette is averaging 342 yards per game, with a very decent 5:2 touchdown to int ratio.
But Levi Green from Springfield probably feels better right now. He's averaging 248 yards per game, and has an 8:1 td to int ratio. Most importantly, Green has a win over Smith's Millers.
Marist's Logan Silver is averaging 222 yards with a 5:3 int-td ration.
Eagle Point's Shane Bluhm is averaging 199 yards through the air and 45 yards on the ground. Watch out for Bluhm if he improves each game.
North Eugene's Dylan Lubonski opened the season with a 200 plus yard game and two td passes.
As mentioned, Derek Godfrey was also at the 200 mark with two td's in his first outing.
Running Backs
Marist's Greg Park rushed for 212 yards and two td's to give him a two game average of 118 yds per game. Teammate Logan Silver has averaged 95 yards from the qb position.
Springfield's Thomas Spikes ripped off 146 yards on 20 carries in the Millers win over Willamette. He's averaging 116 YPG.
Marshfield's Tyler Davidson got the Pirate game going with 131 yards on 22 carries against North.
Eagle Point will be hoping that Garrett Snow continues his pounding of opponents after his 100 yard game against Churchill.
Recievers
Austin Baird from Marist didn't get the big yards this week, but he did put on a couple of circus acts. He still leads the league with 267 yards.
Churchill's Brandon Determan was spectacular Friday as I already mentioned. Marist can charge an extra buck in four weeks for the Churchill-Marist game. Baird vs Determan and Silver vs Smith.
Springfield's John Davidson is second in league with 253 yards on 14 catches. That's 16 yards per catch.
Willamette has two receivers over 100 yards per game. Duante Brown has 237 yards on 16 catches. Cameron Koehler has 232 yards on 9 catches. That's 26 yards per catch for Koehler.
Eagle Point's Aaron Foster cracked 100 yards receiving against Churchill. That's likely to be a trend as Eagle Point gets better and better on offense.
The Register Guard reported that Kameron Bates and Danny Granillo suffered knee injuries. My heart goes out to those guys and their parents.
If you'd like to comment or make corrections, please use the comment feature on this blog or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Chris's Eagle Point - Churchill preview, Gary's Predictions
Chris Parks preview of the Eagle Point at Churchill game.
If you don’t mind traveling, the Sheldon at Hillsboro game is an excellent choice, with the defending 5A Champs Hillsboro Spartans (#5 Oregon Live Poll) taking on the defending 6A Champs Sheldon Irish (#3 Oregon Live Poll). The drive to Hillsboro might nix that, so with that in mind, the matchup between Churchill and Eagle Point would be my first choice for local fans looking to watch Friday night high school football.
This is the season opener for the Churchill Lancers. Eagle Point hits the road again for their second game of the season. The Eagles lost at #5 Mountain View 28-30 last Friday night. The Eagles nearly pulled the upset, leading late in the fourth quarter until Mountain View scored the game winning touchdown with 1:07 left in the game. Eagle Point quarterback Shane Blum was 13 for 30 for 142 yards and one interception. Seven Eagle Point receivers caught passes for the Eagles. Eagle Point displayed a balanced offense rushing for 167 yards on 37 rush plays. Aaron Foster led the way on 13 rushes for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Eagle Point lost the turnover battle with one interception and four fumbles lost. The performance was enough to impress some voters, as despite the loss the Eagles picked up enough votes to debut at #12 in the Oregon Live poll.
Having not played last week, Churchill will be eager to get their high octane offense off the ground. The Lancers have two solid quarterbacks with starting experience in Spencer Savelich and Derek Godfrey and two experienced running backs in Nick Bell and Aaron Ingram. Churchill may struggle a bit in the first quarter as they work through typical first game nerves and game speed timing, but the Eagle Point defense may be in for a long night if they can’t slow down the Lancer offense. This game should have plenty of offense and it may come down to the team with the better defense prevailing.
Gary's Predictions:
Eagle Point at Churchill
Tough call. My gut says Eagle Point. My brain says Churchill. Eagle Point has a ton of returning starters And as Chris pointed out, they had five turnovers last week and barely lost to a top ten team. I'm guessing that they won't fumble four times this week. The keys for Churchill are getting up to speed on D and clicking on O with no penalties after a first week bye. My brain says 7th year coach Darrel Mehl will be able to pull it off. Note that my wife often points out that using my brain is not always wise.
Churchill 28 Eagle Point 21
Springfield at Willamette
Four MWL seeds will earn automatic seeds into the round of 32. These two teams are likely to be among them. This will be a QB battle with fireworks. The experienced Green versus sophomore Smith. I'm going with the homefield advantage and I like the Granillo experiment at tight end and short yardage back. This will be a great game to watch.
Willamette 28 Springfield 27
North Eugene at Marshfield.
Two MWL teams will have to play a play-in game to get into the round of 32. It's beginning to look like these are the two teams. A recent article in The World reported that Marshfield will play all 'home' games at North Bend due to the turf at Susick Stadium failing an impact test. This might not be as bad as it seems. It's been awhile since the Pirates have filled Susick Stadium and it should be a lot easier for the Pirates to fill the stands in the smaller, but outstanding North Bend facility. Even though North returns a lot of experience and a lot of skills guys, I'm going with Marshfield as I expect a huge improvement over last week's loss to the Bulldogs.
Marshfield 21 North Eugene 14
Ashland at Marist
I have to believe Marist is going to blanket Ashland's receiver's and pressure qb Scarmanich (221 yards last week). Ashland's running backs will have to get the Grizzlies in gear. I don't have a feel for the type of game Ashland plays and how hard they bring it on, so it's hard to know how'll they will fare against Marist's intensity. I have seen Marist enough to know how they play, even with their injuries.
Marist 35 Ashland 14
Last week I was 3-3. Two losses to 4A teams really hurt. Remember that even though the MWL and SO playoff seeds are based on how teams finish in their respective leagues, each game is important because a team's playoff opponent will be determined on a team's RPI.
Stats
I've created a widget that combines players stats from the MWL and SO leagues. Only teams that have input stats into the MaxPreps.com web site show up in the widget. It usually takes a couple of weeks for teams to get started on their stats. So far three of the six teams that played last weekend have entered stats. I'll be helping a couple of other teams with their stats soon. Hopefully, we can get all eight teams on board. All league selections will be made from a combination of the MWL and SO leagues. The widget will be a way to compare performances during the season. Here's a link to the page with the widget.
League/Seeds Predictions
Final league predictions for MWL, SO and the league for all star selection, the MWL/SO league.
Polls close at 7PM on game night. Vote on each of the four games. MWL polls for September 10
If you don’t mind traveling, the Sheldon at Hillsboro game is an excellent choice, with the defending 5A Champs Hillsboro Spartans (#5 Oregon Live Poll) taking on the defending 6A Champs Sheldon Irish (#3 Oregon Live Poll). The drive to Hillsboro might nix that, so with that in mind, the matchup between Churchill and Eagle Point would be my first choice for local fans looking to watch Friday night high school football.
This is the season opener for the Churchill Lancers. Eagle Point hits the road again for their second game of the season. The Eagles lost at #5 Mountain View 28-30 last Friday night. The Eagles nearly pulled the upset, leading late in the fourth quarter until Mountain View scored the game winning touchdown with 1:07 left in the game. Eagle Point quarterback Shane Blum was 13 for 30 for 142 yards and one interception. Seven Eagle Point receivers caught passes for the Eagles. Eagle Point displayed a balanced offense rushing for 167 yards on 37 rush plays. Aaron Foster led the way on 13 rushes for 87 yards and three touchdowns. Eagle Point lost the turnover battle with one interception and four fumbles lost. The performance was enough to impress some voters, as despite the loss the Eagles picked up enough votes to debut at #12 in the Oregon Live poll.
Having not played last week, Churchill will be eager to get their high octane offense off the ground. The Lancers have two solid quarterbacks with starting experience in Spencer Savelich and Derek Godfrey and two experienced running backs in Nick Bell and Aaron Ingram. Churchill may struggle a bit in the first quarter as they work through typical first game nerves and game speed timing, but the Eagle Point defense may be in for a long night if they can’t slow down the Lancer offense. This game should have plenty of offense and it may come down to the team with the better defense prevailing.
Gary's Predictions:
Eagle Point at Churchill
Tough call. My gut says Eagle Point. My brain says Churchill. Eagle Point has a ton of returning starters And as Chris pointed out, they had five turnovers last week and barely lost to a top ten team. I'm guessing that they won't fumble four times this week. The keys for Churchill are getting up to speed on D and clicking on O with no penalties after a first week bye. My brain says 7th year coach Darrel Mehl will be able to pull it off. Note that my wife often points out that using my brain is not always wise.
Churchill 28 Eagle Point 21
Springfield at Willamette
Four MWL seeds will earn automatic seeds into the round of 32. These two teams are likely to be among them. This will be a QB battle with fireworks. The experienced Green versus sophomore Smith. I'm going with the homefield advantage and I like the Granillo experiment at tight end and short yardage back. This will be a great game to watch.
Willamette 28 Springfield 27
North Eugene at Marshfield.
Two MWL teams will have to play a play-in game to get into the round of 32. It's beginning to look like these are the two teams. A recent article in The World reported that Marshfield will play all 'home' games at North Bend due to the turf at Susick Stadium failing an impact test. This might not be as bad as it seems. It's been awhile since the Pirates have filled Susick Stadium and it should be a lot easier for the Pirates to fill the stands in the smaller, but outstanding North Bend facility. Even though North returns a lot of experience and a lot of skills guys, I'm going with Marshfield as I expect a huge improvement over last week's loss to the Bulldogs.
Marshfield 21 North Eugene 14
Ashland at Marist
I have to believe Marist is going to blanket Ashland's receiver's and pressure qb Scarmanich (221 yards last week). Ashland's running backs will have to get the Grizzlies in gear. I don't have a feel for the type of game Ashland plays and how hard they bring it on, so it's hard to know how'll they will fare against Marist's intensity. I have seen Marist enough to know how they play, even with their injuries.
Marist 35 Ashland 14
Last week I was 3-3. Two losses to 4A teams really hurt. Remember that even though the MWL and SO playoff seeds are based on how teams finish in their respective leagues, each game is important because a team's playoff opponent will be determined on a team's RPI.
Stats
I've created a widget that combines players stats from the MWL and SO leagues. Only teams that have input stats into the MaxPreps.com web site show up in the widget. It usually takes a couple of weeks for teams to get started on their stats. So far three of the six teams that played last weekend have entered stats. I'll be helping a couple of other teams with their stats soon. Hopefully, we can get all eight teams on board. All league selections will be made from a combination of the MWL and SO leagues. The widget will be a way to compare performances during the season. Here's a link to the page with the widget.
League/Seeds Predictions
Final league predictions for MWL, SO and the league for all star selection, the MWL/SO league.
Polls close at 7PM on game night. Vote on each of the four games. MWL polls for September 10
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