Chris HimonidisWeAreColerain.com
What: Week 3 Preview
Who: Colerain Cardinals (0-2) vs. duPont Manual Crimsons (0-3)
Where: “The Cage” @ Colerain High School
When: Friday September 11, 2009 @ 7:30 PM
TV: None
Radio: 1480 AM (Colerain)
Internet: WeAreColerain.com, Old Goat Radio.com
Program Alert: This will be WeAreColerain.com's Inaugural Broadcast via LIVE streaming audio. If you cannot make the game but will be near a computer or mobile device with internet capability, please take some time and listen to at least part of the broadcast and offer your feedback/comments during the game, or afterwards, to radio@wearecolerain.com. We are very excited about this opportunity but we want, no..we NEED to hear from YOU our loyal website visitors. Thank you!
Key Players & Stats/Comments
DUPONT MANUAL CRIMSONS (0-3)
Last Game – Lost to Lou. Trinity, 0-27
QB - #18 Derek Woodmore (Sr.) – 1st year QB, converted WR. 11-20, 107 yards vs. Trinity last week
RB - #26 Marcus Helm (Jr.) – rushed for 98 yards, 1 TD in week 1 loss to Highlands & 103 yards in loss to Fern Creek
RB/CB - #8 DaQuane Drain (Jr.) – 3 TD, 1 int performance against Fern Creek
TE/DE - #83 Cole Mosser (Sr.) – Big 6’4”, 210 lb “security blanket” for new WR-turned-QB, Derek Woodmore
LB - #14 David Schnur (Sr.) – 5’11”, 195 lbs
LB - #32 Evan Garrity (Sr.) – 6’0”, 205 lbs
LB - #54 TJ Gritton (Sr.) – 6’0”, 206 lbs
LB - #67 Jamie Niekamp (Sr.) – 6’2”, 208 lbs
CB - #28 Travis Carroll (Sr.) – 5’11”, 180 lbs
WILD CARD – Total Unfamiliarity…never seen them, do not know anyone that has seen them, have no clue until the pads hit for the first time. Should be exciting!
COLERAIN CARDINALS (0–2)
Last Game – Lost to Elder, 7-20
QB - #8 Greg Tabar (Sr.-CAPT) – looked much better rushing the ball against Elder, 105 yards on 14 carries
TB - #1 Tyler Williams (Jr.) – been stuck in neutral only mustering 35 against Elder which was preceded by a 24 yard effort vs. St. Xavier.
FB - #34 Trayion Durham (Jr.) – like Tabar, found some room to run against Elder’s D, 98 yards on 13 carries with Colerain’s only TD
OL - #71 Brandon Good (Sr.-CAPT) – rumor has it Mr. Good will be moving from Center to Strong Guard this week in an attempt to shake up the OL
DL - #50 Jake Blust (So.) – continues to be a strong contributor on defense
LB - #5 Tyon Dixon (Sr.) – had a big week vs. Elder racing sideline to sideline to make tackles. Emotional player
LB - #44 Jarrett Grace (Jr.) – @ 6’4”, 210 lbs, already offered by UC after limited action his Sophomore year and is leading the defense in tackles
DB - #21 Chris Dukes (Jr.) – 2nd year starter, struggled vs. much taller WR’s at Elder. His run-stopping skills will be tested this week.
DB - #7 Jovanta “Bam” Harrison (Sr.-CAPT) – continues to play solid, fundamental football in leading the secondary
WILD CARD – RB - #22 Chris Davis (Fr.) – If you listened to our podcast of the Freshman game vs. Elder last Friday, you know who this young man is. He made quite an impression on the Panthers last week and looks to shake up the Varsity squad by bringing his unique combination of strength, speed and clutch play-making ability to Friday Night Lights at the Cage. Keep an eye on this young man…
Keys to Victory for Colerain
• OFFENSIVE LINE – “Third verse, same as the first.” Until this unit finds a way to be consistent and create running lanes for the skill guys, their play is going to be monitored. BIG time improvement week 2 vs. Elder as the Cards racked up 246 yards on the ground with 6 rushes over 20 yards. WeAreColerain.com has learned that lone returning starter from 2008, SR Capt. Brandon Good, is moving from Center to Guard in an attempt to give the OL a different look. Will it help? Got to trust in Coach Woltz that he will find the formula to make this unit improve as (and get use to this phrase) every week is a playoff week from here on out.
• WIDE RECEIVER PLAY – Against Elder, QB Greg Tabar attempted 14 passes and completed 4 for 25 yards. Not sure when the last time a Colerain QB attempted 14 passes in a game but it is obvious that Coach Bolden is not afraid to turn his SR QB loose on the pass play. However, the concern here is the WR’s and their ability to block on the edge. Tyler Williams, if he is to get outside, needs good blocks to help spring him for long runs and for two weeks in a row, they don’t seem to be there. WeAreColerain.com has learned that Week 1 “Wild Card” JR WR Jordan Flueck (#24) will get the start this week and be asked to step up big-time in both the blocking and receiving aspects of the position. If he has what it takes to seal off a defender, this could be the week we see the Tyler Williams of old (or the Chris Davis of the future!).
• COACHING – Two weeks, two losses and the playoffs in jeopardy. Coach Bolden has said repeatedly that he wouldn’t have changed anything about the first two weeks of the season, except for the outcome of the games. These young men need a win and it will be up to the coaches to deliver a game plan that, if executed properly, will do just that. Manual is a quick, athletic team that is also searching for their first win so putting people in the right spots to succeed is critical. With several changes throughout the offense, it will be interesting to see how the game plan unfolds.
Bottom-Line
0-2. Not something the Cardinals are used to but here we are. What’s done is done and now it’s time to move on. Colerain football players are resilient and now more so than ever, there is certainly “unfinished business” to attend to. Without question, every single game is a playoff game at this point. Just one more loss and the post-season is all but lost. The Cardinals have played two games against two very good opponents and mistakes were made, lessons learned. Now is the time to put those mistakes behind and use what was learned in those lessons. Manual is a solid team but not one the Cardinals cannot beat. 1 TD in 8 quarters of play for ANY Colerain team is almost unfathomable. The Crimsons are led by their quartet of SR LB’s who totaled almost 300 tackles last year. The Cards OL must open holes against this veteran group and those carrying the football for Colerain must run with authority this week. The time for smashmouth Colerain football is here. And if the offense is to throw the ball…it must be caught, plain and simple. The defense will be presented with a Wing-T offense run by a very athletic QB in Derek Woodmore. He is just beginning to click with his receiving core and could be dangerous when throwing to his big TE target, SR Cole Mosser. RB Marcus Helm will get the bulk of the carries and is a sparkplug at 5’7”, 185 lbs. He’s strong and he can move.
Stay the course: run the ball, stop the run. If Colerain can do these things, they can get that goose egg out of the “W” column for the first time in 2009.
GO CARDINALS! WE ARE...COLERAIN!!
No comments:
Post a Comment