Week 6 Preview - Princeton Vikings

by Chris Himonidis
WeAreColerain.com

What: Week 6 Preview
Who: Colerain Cardinals (3-2) vs. Princeton Vikings (3-2)
Last 3 meetings between these programs
2007: Colerain 42 – Princeton 27
2006: Colerain 44 – Princeton 6
2005: Colerain 57 – Princeton 20
Where: The Cage @ Colerain High School
When: Friday October 2, 2009 @ 7:30 PM
TV: None
Internet: WeAreColerain.com - pregame starts @ 7:15 PM
Radio: 1480 AM (Colerain)

Key Players & Stats/Comments
PRINCETON VIKINGS (3-2, 1-1 in GMC)
Last Game – Beat Lakota East, 16-6

QB - #11 Spencer Ware (Sr.) – The one, the only…20-52 for 252 yds, 4 int – 81 rushes for 370 yards, 7 TD’s
QB/RB - #9 Nate McGill (So.) – 14-30 for 178 yds PASS, 2 TD-2 INT – 24-108 RUSH
RB - #5 Tevin Redmond (Sr.) – 63 for 353 yds (5.6 avg)
WR - #17 Jay McCants (Jr.) – Big 6’5” target ….13-120 yds REC (10.8 avg)
WR - #8 Justin Cornwall (Jr.) – 12-210 yds REC, 2 TD – 11-33 RUSH, 1 TD
DE - #49 Marcus Armstrong (Sr.) – 2.0 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR, 1 TD
LB - #44 Charles Mason (Sr.) – 2.0 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR

COLERAIN CARDINALS (3–2, 2-0 in GMC)
Last Game – Beat Hamilton, 27-16

QB - #8 Greg Tabar (Sr.-CAPT) – 3rd in the GMC in rushing at 565 yds and 5 TD’s
RB - #1 Tyler “Uno” Williams (Jr.) – 4th in the GMC in rushing at 479 yds and 5 TD’s
RB - #34 Trayion Durham (Jr.) – Avg 5.6 YPC and keeping defenses honest up the middle
RB - #22 Chris Davis (Fr.) – Fantastic Freshman is AVG 8.3 YPC
DL - #50 Jake Blust (So.) – Leads team with 2 sacks
LB - #5 Tyon Dixon (Sr.) – verbal to Louisville, aggressive & emotional leader on the field
LB - #44 Jarrett Grace (Jr.) – @ 6’4” 210 lbs, already has 3 D1 offers and is leading team in tackles
LB - #25 Joe Bolden (So.) – quietly leading the team in fumble recoveries and is really making a name for himself on defense
DB - #7 Jovanta “Bam” Harrison (Sr.-CAPT) – Had 3 int last week vs. Hamilton

Keys to Victory for Colerain
• 3RD DOWN DEFENSE– No need to change this point from last week. This cannot be stressed enough. The defense allowed Hamilton 43% conversion on 3rd downs. The Cardinals are not getting off the field defensively on 3rd down. They are allowing opponents to convert on 3rd down a remarkably high 38% of the time. That may not seem high, but consider this:
- It’s the 2nd worst % allowed in the GMC, only Mason (39.3%) is higher. Princeton allows just under 30% conversion rate on 3rd downs by comparison
- It’s the highest % allowed by any Colerain team since before 2004. Over the past 5 years (04-08), that avg. has been 21%
The Cardinals must improve in this area defensively.
• KNOW “WARE” SPENCER IS AT ALL TIMES – Spencer Ware is a special, special athlete, there is no question about that. He is a 4 year starter at QB for the Vikings and will continue his athletic exploits upon graduation. Ware will be playing both football AND baseball at Louisana State University, that’s LSU for those who weren’t certain. Look up the word PLAYMAKER at Dictionary.com and his picture is there…at least it should be. At 5’11”, 222 lbs, his shiftiness and strength are unmatched in the conference, possibly the entire state. The offense begins, and ends, with Ware. You aren’t going to stop him, but you do need to contain him. Colerain LB Jarrett Grace has looked very good early but will be severely tested on Friday night. The Cards must limit Spencer’s big play capability. He will run but is not afraid to throw the ball so the DB’s must keep the WR’s honest and not let them get behind them because Ware can chuck the ball downfield. The defense must never lose sight of this incredible football player. And for the fans, make note to enjoy watching this young man one last time. It may be a very, very long time before you see someone of his caliber again.
• CONTINOUS OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT – The offense is looking better. They played a very tough, athletic team last week in the Big Blue and came away with a hard fought victory. The drive to end the first half was very, very encouraging. The single most impressive thing about this offense seems to be their ability to not turn the ball over. They have done a very good job maintaining their possessions and if there is a fumble, have done an excellent job of getting on the ball. That said, the OL needs to continue to improve and the decision making needs to be fine tuned from the QB position. Don’t like to look ahead…but…there is a very large battle looming in the not to distant future that is going to require this team hitting on all cylinders to keep up against a certain GMC opponent. This is a great game to continue the development of the offense.

Bottom-Line
Matchups are so important in football. How a team matches up with another is critical to success. And many times, as much as football is the consummate team game, there are individuals that change that dynamic. Princeton QB Spencer Ware is one of those players. He can single-handedly change the outcome of any game if given the opportunity. This will be his last game against Colerain and while he’s never beaten the Cardinals, he has constantly caused our defense problems. This year will be no different. He will get his yards and probably score a few TD’s on his athletic prowess alone. However, no matter what kind of show Mr. Ware puts on, football is ultimately…the consummate team sport and this Princeton Viking team does not have the depth or the experience necessary to win a four quarter game against the Cardinals at the Cage. Colerain should continue to use time-consuming drives to keep Mr. Ware and his offense on the sidelines and at the same time, protect the defense from over-exposure to Mr. Ware and his play-making abilities. Do that, and the Cards will move to 4-2 on the season and remain undefeated in league play.

GO CARDINALS!

WE ARE...COLERAIN!!


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