Neshaminy co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Neil French has broke down seven Garnet Valley tapes in preparation for the Redskins’ district playoff game. He also has seen North Penn assesses both sides in Friday’s showdown in the District One 6A final.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What was your first reaction to the North Penn-Garnet Valley matchup?
Neil French: When I saw this matchup, there was one word that immediately came to mind. Preparation.
There are many teams we play who present difficulties in terms of preparing in three days. None of those remotely compare to North Penn. The Knights are going to force you to match personnel groups, line up to a myriad of formations and defend every blade of grass at Crawford Stadium. They have two complete playbooks at their disposal. The first consists of a power running attack using 21 (2RB/1TE) or 22 (2RB/2TE) personnel with play action passes off every look. The second is a spread offense that has produced the leading passer in District One history. Either of these style offenses would make for a long week. They have both. You must choose your poison and decide where you are going to focus your efforts in terms of philosophy, personnel, and practice time. However, you must have an effective Plan B ready for when they switch gears.
In addition, you must find time to work on things not many teams do as frequently or effectively as North Penn. The screen game is an example. North Penn has been the best screen team in Pennsylvania over the last 15 years. They will run screens from any formation and any location on the field. That alone requires 10 minutes of time during the week. The Knights are also unique in the sense that they hate to punt. Once they approach midfield, they are not punting. That means you must spend time on all of their fourth down looks in various field zones and distances. That's another 10 minutes of practice time.
Exotic plays are another trademark of Coach Beck's arsenal. We have a folder in our office with nothing in it but trick plays the Knights have run over the years. The folder is not light. You must find 5-10 minutes to show those types of things to your defense. As you can see, the practice time can pile up quickly. When you play North Penn this late in the year, you walk the fine line between not wanting to burn out your guys and worrying about whether you've shown them enough.
This will be a difficult week for the North Penn defensive staff as well. Although some of the spread and RPO teams they see in the Continental Conference have components of option football, none of them are fully committed to it the way the Jaguars are. Although North Penn obviously has the athletes to put together a scout team to run the option, it does take a day or two for the timing and ball handling to come together. A lot of teams will just eliminate the football completely from various portions of practice. This not only cuts down on mistakes by the scout team but also forces all three phases of the option game to be tackled on every play. Garnet Valley does not employ a ton of formations and that can be unsettling for a defensive staff. You obviously have to focus on what they've done all year, but the "what ifs" are something you must be prepared for in a game this big. If you are not lined up properly against a polished option team, you may not live to tell about it. The casual fan may read the newspaper or look on Maxpreps and see GV has only thrown the ball six times in the last two weeks and think that is not something to worry about.
Wrong.
The Jags have two very athletic tight ends in Ricci and Wooten and a capable big play receiver in Davis on the outside. They also throw to receivers out of the backfield from some unusual looks off their run game. Defending the option usually forces you into some variation of man coverage. That means any missed assignment in the passing game has the potential to yield an explosive play. You have to mentally challenge your secondary to stay disciplined all week.
SsuburbanOneSports.com: What will be the keys for each team in Friday’s game?
1. Yards After Contact
Excellent tackling will be crucial for both teams for different reasons. Garnet Valley is looking to get first downs, shorten the game and keep the high-powered Knights offense on the sideline. To do that, they need to average 3.3 yards per carry. Every inch the Jags can gain after contact increases their chance of staying on schedule and moving the chains. Most Garnet Valley offensive plays will end in some sort of 1-on-1 situation due to the nature of option responsibilities. The Knights must be great 1-on-1 tacklers. On the flip side, missed tackles against North Penn turn into guaranteed explosive plays...or worse. Keep an eye out for what happens when the first defender gets to the ball Friday night.
2. Kickoff Coverage
Average starting field position will be a key statistic in this game. For an option team, longer drives mean more ball handling and potential for turnovers. North Penn can obviously score from anywhere on the field, but the percentages are with you if you can consistently pin them deep. Garnet Valley has run several successful reverses in their return game this year. The Knights changed the entire complexion of a playoff game with a lateral pass on a kickoff a few years ago. Both teams treat the return game as part of their offense. It may decide the game.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What will North Penn have to do to contain Garnet Valley’s explosive running game?
Neil French: This will be a very interesting aspect of Friday’s game. North Penn is an active, multiple defense predicated on speed and athleticism. They like to get penetration and create disruption up front and let their linebacking corps clean things up. Garnet Valley will force them to defend all eight gaps with their 2TE and unbalanced formations. This may neutralize a defensive end who is more accustomed to playing an edge than being covered up. It also forces North Penn’s outside linebackers into the box and possibly on the line in a 6-2 look. The OLB play will be critical against the wide veer. In terms of their front four, I would look for North Penn to do what got them here – stem, slant and switch in and out of even and odd fronts. Garnet Valley has not shown pivot or counter option, so I think North Penn’s quickness up front can disrupt the timing and reads of the option schemes. They have a variety of options in the secondary, which may be the strength of their defense. They could certainly decide to play straight man coverage to allow for extra defenders down in the box but may also elect to keep Haynes in the middle of the field to erase a potential big play. How effective Garnet Valley is on first down throughout the course of the game will determine how this plays out.
SuburbanOneSports.com: How can Garnet Valley stop North Penn with all of its weapons?
Neil French: You are not "stopping" North Penn. Garnet Valley knows this. You must change your mindset from "stopping" them to getting stops. There’s a difference. When the opportunity presents itself to get your defense off the field, you must cash it in. The Knights have converted nearly 50 percent of their third down opportunities this year. The Jags need to get that number between 30-35 percent Friday night. That will require an aggressive philosophy in their defensive play calling. It starts on first down. Run stunts and safe zone pressure is not a bad idea here because second-and-five is a dangerous place to live against Coach Beck. It's going to open up the entire playbook and have you guessing. More often than not, you will guess wrong. Also, if you are Garnet Valley and find yourself in a third-and-medium (4-6), you can't be content with giving up a few yards and expecting them to punt. They won't. You must be aggressive and try to keep them behind the chains and off schedule. Here's a magic number for the fans to keep an eye on. Can the Jaguars force five punts? If they do, I think we're in for a great game.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What are the key match-ups - which players are going to have to deliver for their respective teams to win?
Neil French: The key matchup is a little unconventional but in my opinion will decide who moves on to the Eastern Final: Reece Udinski vs. the Garnet Valley pass rush. Udinski is the best QB against pressure I’ve seen since Pat Devlin. If you’re GV and you’re getting ready to defend a 3,000-yard passer, your obvious attention turns to how you can disrupt him. I’m not sure that answer exists. First of all, it’s very difficult to get to any quarterback in the shotgun with an effective quick game. The Knights have that. When you force him to step up in the pocket, Udinski doesn’t see the rush. His eyes remain downfield and his progressions continue - forcing you to cover longer. He may be most dangerous when flushed out of the pocket and on the run. This is where big plays happen when defensive players turn their eyes to the QB and receivers convert their routes. No matter how much pressure he is under, he always seems to get his hips and shoulders square and maintains excellent mechanics. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s almost as if he thrives on the pressure. The Jaguar defensive line is coming in hot, fresh off eight sacks against PV. Rob Monachello is an exceptional interior pass rusher. Garnet Valley will be confident in their ability to get to Undinski. They might, but they better get him on the ground when they do. If not, the Marching Knights will be in for a busy night.
SuburbanOneSports.com: What has made Garnet Valley so effective during its playoff run? After all, the Jaguars needed a miracle to beat CB South in an opening round district game.
Neil French: The first thing that jumps out at me is their depth. They do not have many players going both ways, and that is huge this time of year. They look fresh, confident and very tight knit. When so many different players are contributing, the positivity and chemistry is contagious. The CB South game is a great example of their resiliency and what is so hard about defending these option teams. The Titans played 57 defensive snaps in that game. On 40 of those plays, they held Garnet Valley to two yards or less – including 10 negative plays. They held the Jags to 22 percent on third/fourth down. These are incredible statistics.
So how did Garnet Valley win? They won because two plays involving missed assignments went for a combined 109 yards. Complete game changers. One miscue against a team like this can lead to a backbreaker. It is as exhausting mentally as it is physically. Some will say Garnet Valley rolls into Friday with house money and has nothing to lose. Don’t tell that to Coach Ricci and the Jags. This is a program defining moment for them. They are riding an incredible emotional wave and will not go quietly.
Prediction
These are two proven, first class programs led by outstanding coaching staffs. Knowing how much both have invested at this point, it’s tough even thinking about either locker room after a loss. Some unbelievable careers are going to end no matter how it goes.
These are the questions I ask myself when evaluating our own games or predicting any others:
1. Which team possesses the best player on the field?
2. Which team can win in variety of ways? (Low Scoring/From Behind/Shootout)
3. If both teams play their A+ game, who wins?
The answers add up to a 31-14 win for the Knights.
Enjoy the game.
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