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Friday, September 26, 2014
Capturing sole possession of first place just a week ago, the Attica Blue Devils (3-0) find themselves as the leaders of the pack in the GR league heading into Week 4. Following a Notre Dame (1-2) upset of fellow #1 Elba (2-1) this past Saturday, the Devils are now just above the Lancers who accompany the Oakfield Hornets (2-1) in a tie for second place. Alexander (1-2) sits in a tie for fourth with the Irish, while Pembroke (0-3) and Holley (0-3) are still in search of their first victory.
Starting off Week 4 will be two league match-ups, as ND will meet the Dragons while the Trojans face-off against the Hawks.
In the first of the two contests, Notre Dame will be coming off of a dramatic victory over Elba in Week 3. In a defensive struggle that remained close deep into the fourth quarter, ND was unable to put the game away on offense on their final drives, fumbling the ball twice down the stretch to keep the Lancers alive. However, after turning the game over to their defense, the Irish were able to mount up and stop Elba from putting home the tying score.
I spoke with a few of the ND players this week following their dramatic victory, and asked them what it would take for the team to carry the momentum into this week and perhaps make a run at the league title.
“We have to realize it was only one win,” said Peter Daversa. “It was a big win, but in the end, it was only worth one.”
In addition to what Daversa mentioned, WR Josh Johnson also had plenty to say about his team and how they have been preparing this week.
“We have just been staying up-tempo,” said Johnson. “We work every day and make sure we are on task both physically and mentally.”
Going into this one, the Irish have yet to allow more than 2 touchdowns in one game and hope to continue that streak in their matchup with a Pembroke team who has struggled to score the football thus far in 2014. Using supreme line play up front, along with multiple quality efforts from their linebackers on the outside, the Irish have thwarted their opponents time after time which is something the Dragons will have to prepare for. Meaning, I believe it will take a knock down, drag out effort on part of Pembroke if they are to win this game.
The Dragons began the season with a string of difficult games versus Elba, Attica, and Oakfield (1,2,3 in the division), and finally get a break from playing against such high-powered offensive attacks. This is what their head coach Dick Diminuco had to say last week.
“We are looking to play more consistent football as we move into the weekend,” said Diminuco. “We are trying to continue to build on the little things that we are doing right, and hope that the little things will grow into bigger successes. Our mood is positive. We have a group of young kids who continue to learn the game. Our kids are excited to continue to grow as young athletes.”
“Jack Thomas has been a force on both the offensive side and defensive side of the ball,” Diminuco added. “He’s a smart kid that we are counting on to continue his solid play. Dakota Swimline is also threat on offense. He’s quick and versatile. We need more consistent play all around, though, from all three units Offense, Defense and Special Teams.”
Clearly the Dragons will need just that against the hot-handed Irish this weekend.
In Friday night’s second game, Holley will head down Route 98 to Alexander, where the Trojans will be waiting for them.
This past week, Alexander played a tough game against first place Attica, taking the game all the way to the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately a late turnover sealed the Trojans’ fate, as it was returned for a score to give the Blue Devils the two-possession victory. The turnover came when Alexander was driving and had they been able to complete the drive, they would have been very much within reach of snatching the upset win.
When I communicated with Trojans’ head coach Timothy Sawyer last night, he mentioned how disappointing the loss was on him and his team.
“We played with great effort versus Attica last week,” said Sawyer, “and we were hoping to be in a close game into the 4th quarter. Keeping it within striking distance, and we did that. Of course we wanted to win it but then we had the turnover. I guess I look at that game as part of the maturation process we need to go through as a team. Certainly disappointing, though.”
Going forward, Sawyer mentioned one thing specifically his team must do in order to play more consistently in big games.
“All three phases are important,” said Sawyer, “however, we need to get the offense rolling. Specifically our O-Line needs to show improvement so we can get our running game going. Our passing game, led by QB Jared Browne, was fairly effective last week as we threw for 169 yd vs. Attica (but we need the run game).”
I also asked the Trojans’ head coach whether or not this game against Holley held any extra importance knowing they are trailing slightly in the league standings.
“This is a huge game for us (with Holley). It is our Homecoming and it can get us to 2-1 in league play,” he said.
Not only will it be a game of high importance for the Trojans, the Hawks also come into the game desperately needing a victory.
Under first-year head coach Wil Prince, the Hawks have struggled mightily over the course of the first three weeks and hope they can get it going in order to stop themselves from falling to 0-4. Completing several lopsided efforts during the first 3 weeks, Holley has played well during stretches, but hasn’t been able to string together consecutive possessions both offensively and defensively. If they hope to contend with Alexander, the offense will have to step up and possess the ball or else they are in danger of yet another tough loss.
Either way, the Trojans will be gunning for them on an emotional Homecoming night.
On Saturday, this weekend’s action will finish with two great matchups: Oakfield vs Elba, and Attica vs Cardinal O’Hara (Section VI).
In the second of the two match ups, Attica will play their first non-league game of the year, which has excited the locker room.
“We are very focused, especially playing a team outside of our league,” said head coach Rob Cusmano in my Coaches Corner feature which was posted yesterday (Find it here). ‘They are very fast and athletic and we have to control the ball, hang on to it, and be very physical. We should be ok.”
Going into this game, the Blue Devils’ top running back Jake Strzelec is said to be a game-time decision. A week ago, Strzelec was initially pronounced likely to participate, but instead he sat the game out in hopes to be ready this week.
“He is getting better every day,” said Cusmano. “It will be a collective effort if we have to replace him. I am very proud that our kids work very hard and we have a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball.”
Stay tuned for the Game Preview and Scouting Report along with my prediction coming later today, where I will have further information about Cardinal O’Hara.
In the first matchup of Saturday afternoon, the Hornets will head to Elba which is shaping up to be our Game of the Week (Vote here).
With the winner of Elba-OA taking sole possession of second place, and perhaps a tie for first if Attica is to lose, this weekend is likely to provide immense drama. The Lancers and Hornets are two quality teams who have shown the ability to light up the scoreboard at times. If both are up to full speed when they square off at Elba High School, whoever comes out with the the victory will have earned it.
Communicating with Elba head coach Mike Cintorino last night, he gave me good stuff as always.
“OA is a different type of offense than we’ve seen so far this year,” he said, “Brian Palone has done a tremendous job getting his athletes to buy into his system and they have really come a long way the last couple of years. Should be a great matchup for both teams.”
Palone, who has the Hornets off to a flying start, also spoke about this weekend’s game.
“We know it’s a big game and Elba is a good team and will be ready for us,” he said. “I expect us to continue to improve. Every game we get better with the details. Elba has a very big defensive line and we are going to have to be ready for them.”
As far as what the Lancers are preparing for, Allen Chatt is certain to be on the list. Chatt, who won our Week 3 MVP voted on by the fans (Click here), put together a fantastic performance against Pembroke and will be on the radar this week. Cintorino spoke about the Oakfield offense and the job they have done so far this year.
“I think as a whole the team is doing well this year,” he said. “As good as Chatt’s stats are, his team has done a nice job around him. His receivers run great routes and seem to catch everything and his line does a nice job keeping him off the ground.”
Clearly the Hornets have multiple weapons, including Ryan Emery, who I also communicated with this weekend. Emery pointed to his team’s ability to control the line of scrimmage as the key to the game against the Lancers.
“We have to control the line of scrimmage and our defense has to be able to make big stops for us,” he said.
Along with Emery who placed the highest importance on the defense effort, as did Chatt.
“Our defense has gotten plenty of tackles for losses,” said the quarterback, who also plays defensive back. “Every kid on our team has heart and everyone has been playing to their full potential.”
In need of another effort like they put up against the Dragons, Oakfield’s defense will be key in stopping the run versus a run-heavy Elba attack. The Lancers, who were without lead back Mike Shanley for much of the game against ND, hope to have him back at a full capacity this week. Undergoing cramping issues last week, Shanley has likely been taking the necessary measures to ensure his participation in the game on Saturday.
“His ankle is fine,” said Cintorino about Shanley. “It was good last week, but he had some issues with cramping. He should be good to go this week. He has looked great in practice.”
That is certainly positive news for Lancer fans, who will be going to the field with hopes for a big-win against the Hornets.
All in all, each matchup this weekend comes with quite an interesting storyline. With all teams in search of key victories and key performances from their top units, getting out to a game, whether its Friday or Saturday is a must. So far this season I have seen some low attendance at a few games and it has made me wonder why more people aren’t coming out in certain situations -especially with the weather not even being bad yet.
In any event, hopefully there are some close games this weekend that are worth discussing the following day. Stay tuned later on today for our Game Previews and Scouting Reports.
Other articles you may like:
Cusmano and Company in first place as they head to Cardinal O’Hara this weekend
Batavia’s Best Live Blog: Tonight, you can find live updates of the Alexander-Holley game RIGHT HERE
