Week 1 Preview – St. Xavier Bombers

Chris Himonidis
WeAreColerain.com

What: Week 1 Preview – St. Xavier Bombers
Who: Colerain Cardinals (0-0) vs. St. Xavier Bombers (0-0)
Where: Nippert Stadium, University of Cincinnati
When: Friday August 28, 2009 @ 8:30 PM

Ticket Info:
Tickets for the Crosstown Showdown will be on sale this week in the Athletic Office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and during the Freshman Orientation on Wednesday evening, August 26. Tickets cost $10 each, both Adults and Students. A portion of all pre-sale tickets sold will be returned to the Colerain Athletic Department. Tickets purchased at Nippert Stadium on the night of the game are $12.

Key Players & Stats (Comments)
ST. XAVIER BOMBERS
QB - #14 Luke Massa (Sr.) – Only played 4 games last year (broken collarbone)
RB - #2 Tanner Vidal (Sr.) – 1st time starter, injured ‘08 pre-season
RB - #23 Daniel Braswell (Jr.) – 1st time starter
RB - #4 Conor Hundley (So.) – 1st time starter
WR/DB - #19 Will Carroll (Sr.) – Only 2-way player for St. Xavier. 2 int’s in ‘08
OL - #78 Matt James (Sr.) – 6’7” 290lb 4-Star recruit
DL - #10 Nigel Muhammad (Sr.) – returning starter, 8 sacks in ‘08
LB/RB - #8 Steven Daniels (Jr.) – got going late in 2008, doubles as occasional FB
DB (Adjuster) - #22 Nick Weston (Sr.) – 1 FR, 3 int, in ’08, now moves to all important “adjuster” position in 3-3-5 defense
WILD CARD – WR/RB - #82 Kevin Milligan (Fr.) – yep…another Milligan! Rumor has it that this "diaper dandy" WILL be suited up on Friday night and could make an appearance either punting or on offense. He is already as big as big brother Danny was when he graduated just last year.

COLERAIN CARDINALS
QB - #8 Greg Tabar (Sr.-CAPT) – returning starter, led Cardinals to Region 4 final
TB - #1 Tyler Williams (Jr.) – recently ran electronic 4.4/40 yard dash at UC camp
FB - #34 Trayion Durham (Jr.) – if possible, he’s bigger and faster than ’08.
OL - #71 Brandon Good (Sr.-CAPT) – Lone returning starter from ’08. At Center, will lead an inexperienced OL
DL - #50 Jake Blust (So.) – 1st time starter
LB - #5 Tyon Dixon (Sr.) – University of Louisville recruit, blazing speed at LB position
LB - #44 Jarrett Grace (Jr.) – Is a wrecking machine @ 6’4”, 210 lbs, already offered by UC after limited action his Sophomore year
DB - #21 Chris Dukes (Jr.) – 2nd year starter
DB - #7 Jovanta “Bam” Harrison (Sr.-CAPT) – 2nd year starter, 3 int’s in ‘08
WILD CARD – WR/DB - #24 Jordan Flueck (Jr.) – transfer to Colerain, looking to shore up the blocking on the edge as a WR and provide depth on the defensive side of the ball.

Keys to Victory for Colerain
• OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY – 4 new full-time starters are getting in the trenches for the Cardinals this year as Senior Captain C-Brandon Good is the only returnee from last season. The triple option is not an easy offense to defend and it is sometimes and even tough offense to run. It would be great if Colerain was opening up against a lesser opponent to help give the OL time to gel as a unit but they will be expected to perform at a very high level against an opponent like St. Xavier. Containing St. X sackmaster Nigel Muhammad (8 sacks in ’08) will be key. They must hold their blocks and allow the magic of Tabar-Williams-Durham to work behind them.

• DEFENSIVE LINE PLAY – Without question, this is an area of emphasis for the Cards this week. St. Xavier is going to have a big, strong OL led by All-world OT Matt James (Sr.) who at 6’7”, near 300 lbs is a mountain of a young man and is responsible for protecting QB Luke Massa’s (Sr.) blindside. Though undersized, the strength and speed of this set of defensive lineman cannot be underestimated. They will have the ability to slow down a good St. Xavier running game and should allow the fast, athletic LB’s to make plays on the QB.

• SPECIAL TEAMS – So far this pre-season, no one has stepped up and asserted themselves as the varsity kicker. Colerain suffered a missed XP and missed FG during the Moeller scrimmage. That simply can’t be the case against a team like St. Xavier when it counts. Punting seems to be in capable hands. The punt/kickoff return teams will also play a big factor as short fields mean less chance for turnovers. Punt/Kickoff return coverage was emphasized as the year went on last year and has seen an intense concentration this pre-season. Expect that area to be much improved.

Bottom-Line
Both of these teams are good and they know each other’s tendencies so it should be a very close, hard-fought win for one or the other. While I do like the overall experience that Colerain brings back over St. Xavier, I’ve seen enough of Steve Specht coached teams to know that the minute you think they aren’t capable of doing something, that’s when they do it! If Colerain can eat up clock and keep St. Xavier QB Luke Massa (Sr.) and his high-flying aerial assault off the field, the Cardinals should have a very good chance at pulling out the W. Starting with a loss, however, would only add more pressure to the already incredibly hyped week 2 matchup against Elder @ the Pit on ESPN.

Support your Cardinals by heading out to Nippert Stadium on Friday night at 8:30 PM as we look to clip the Bombers for the second year in a row!!

WE ARE....COLERAIN!!