IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS!! With eight down and four big games in District One Quad A left this weekend, the excitement grows. The matchups are what we've been waiting for since teams went past the halfway mark of the season. Looking at the bottom part of the bracket...Wow! Would I like to see both of these games Friday night - Neshaminy vs. Ridley and Pennsbury vs. Garnet Valley. The top part of the bracket isn't too shabby either....NP vs. Abington and Downingtown West vs. Conestoga. This is what playoff football is all about - the BEST TEAMS matching up to do battle with the loser going home.
At this point in the season, COACHING JUMPS to the forefront! Good staffs have their opponents scouted completely. They have come up with the GAME PLANS to put both their offense and defense in the position to win. These staffs have looked at countless hours of film.
With their OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN, they know their opponent’s defenses and when they run each…with down plus distance and field position in mind. They know what area they want to attack each defense, and they know the strengths and weaknesses of the defensive personnel (Ex: “This D-end gets great pursuit, but we can run right AT HIM.” or “When we throw, let’s look to attack the corner #21 - small, slow feet and doesn’t break on the ball.” or “Their ‘D’ is physically strong but lacks great team speed - let’s attack the EDGES.”) 
With the DEFENSIVE GAME PLAN, they know the offensive strengths (what are the TOP plays we have to stop). They know the offensive tendencies, which point towards the way they run and throw from each formation with field position taken into consideration (tight end, strong tackle, formation strength, offset backs, tight wing vs. flanker, trips, etc). They know the pass protection schemes, so they can blitz with more defenders than the ‘O’ has blocking.
Last and as important - SPECIAL TEAMS. What yard line do we line up our kick returner on? What does their punter average? Are their kick returners or punt returner dangerous? Should we kick away or squib kick? These are but a few of the hundred items coaches are putting together. THE BOTTOM LINE IS COACHES CAN WIN OR LOSE GAMES and will play a huge part in these wins or losses ....and it's magnified in playoffs when the talent level of the teams gets closer and closer.
Here's my prediction for this week’s games. I will start with the top bracket and move down:
District One Class AAAA
Game 1: North Penn (1) over Abington (9). This could be an interesting game IF Abington plays their best game in ALL FACETS. They need to be physical in both the ‘O’ and ‘D’ lines, and QB Sam Kind again needs to bring his ‘A’ game. Abington's ‘D’ has to really ramp it up and play better than it has all season long. They need to make big plays on ‘D,’ make punishing hits and make NP grind it out. On ‘O’ they have to score and score often, because NP is going to put points on the board. North Penn will bring its ‘A’ game!! Coach Beck will have the troops ready, and if the ‘D’ line gets back to playing "low and hard," then NP could roll. The real question of concern will be if Tyler Smith is recovered 100% from the head knock he took in the Souderton game. The more I think about this game the more I see NP exerting its will on Abington. It will be fun to watch two explosive teams battle it out at Crawford Stadium on Friday night. Stop by the WNPV booth, and say hi to Kyle and myself.
Game 2: DTW (4) over Conestoga (12). This is a game where DTW should roll with the great athletes it has. DTW head coach Mike Milano runs a variation of the spread w/ wing “T” facets intermixed. DTW has put up huge point totals this year, and I expect them to continue that this week. I see a DTW vs. NP game next week.
Game 3: Neshaminy (3) over Ridley (11). This is a really hard one to pick, but I push the game Neshaminy’s way because of home field advantage. Ridley is getting healthy and has a great staff lead by Waller (head coach) and Batty(defensive coordinator). Both make big differences on their side of the ball for Ridley. Ridley will definitely have success throwing the ball vs. Neshaminy’s zone ‘D.’ Running the ball at Neshaminy could be difficult, but the edges seem to be vulnerable. Neshaminy with Coach Schmidt (one of District One’s best coaches) will try to pound Ridley’s ‘D’ with the big ‘O’ line and a trio of nice backs but should have plan ‘B’ ready because of the tenacity of Ridley’s ‘D.’ Coach Batty (Ridley defensive coordinator) will be run blitzing and stunting from the start of the game. If Neshaminy’s ‘D’ can “bring it,” then the balance will tip in their favor. If Ridley’s ‘D’ takes control, the Raiders will again end the dreams of the Redskins. I wish I was able to make this game!! This will be a war!
Game 4: Pennsbury (7) over Garnet Valley (2). Another game that should be a good one. The X factor is if Garnet Valley running back Tim Keyser doesn’t play because of a knee injury. Pennsbury with its physical play and emergence of Brandon Pepper as one of the better all-around quarterbacks in District 1 (only a soph) has the “ground and pound” on full throttle. If Keyser doesn’t play, I see a two-touchdown win for the Falcons, but if he’s healthy, the game will be decided in the fourth quarter. The other big question will be if GV can handle the tough and physical style of Pennsbury. GV is more of a finesse type team, and this is a huge jump in that category. Another win for Suburban One!Class AAA
Upper Moreland (1) over Owen J. Roberts (5). Upper Moreland – with great running back Chris Smallwood – will continue to advance, but this could be a struggle. OJR has a great ground attack featuring Ryan Brumfield, who has over 2,000 yards rushing for the season. Coach Beach will need to ramp up the UM defense to keep this game from being a shootout, in which case either team could win. Defense wins championships – look for Upper Moreland to get physical and clam the running attack of OJR. Upper Moreland wins again!!!!That’s it for now!!! Until next week……..keep the hits coming! There’s no game in America like high school football.
--Coach Carey
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