Sayer,

The King's Comets are hosting this years MCFL All-Star game.  In the past, think the game has had an interleague format with the MOFL providing the opposition.  Pretty sure this year's format is intraleague, but I've been wrong before.  Think my friend's relative is representing from the Louisville Bulls.  Know a handful of the guys that will be donning Indiana Mustang helmets.  Haven't been to King's Island since my table muscle jammed up the over the shoulder restraint harness on the Vortex.  More glad was stuck in it afterwards than ejected midride, but don't think the sight of me beached in that thing inspired confidence in those boarding. 

The OVFL, former incarnation of the MOFL, jumpstarted at least one player with the Odessa franchise in the Intense Football League. 

signed,
Reggie Williams

The third round has four matches from each weight class going consecutively in Indiana.  Wrestlebacks so to speak on the outter mats and semis in the middle two.

Have to retract, Mater Dei qualified a kid at 145.  145 is by far the toughest weight in wrestling, high school or otherwise.  Mater Dei like the hometown usually sends at least six kids to qualifier night and more often than not eight.

Nice job for your lightweights, Sayer.  How many total matches did your 12 pounder wrestle to get eighth? Three?

Regards,
Lorenzo Neal

I'm dropping down, I'm gonna wrestle the Shoot.

Mater Dei, like the hometown, is in a current state qualifier drought.  Unheard of!!! 

signed,
Carlton Haselrig

Sayer,

Went to the Indiana High School Wrestling individual finals two weeks ago.

Couple upsets and per usual great wrestling in the middle weights.

On a football note, usually the 160 pound class and greater, saw a couple nice ones:

The realtively new 215 pound class champion is headed to the Marian College gridiron, but also took note of the young man he squeaked by on qualifier Sweet 16 Friday night.  Close match with great discipline on both accounts.

Heavyweight, where the 215's would've been grouped in my era, showed two interesting grapplers in the finals.  The runner up from Mount Vernon (Posey) looks to be a great collegiate grappling prospect.  Didn't appear to have a great deal of weightroom but uncanny balance, also one of those types should expect to develop grappling strength with maturity.  The champion from Winchester looked to be the real deal as a collegiate football prospect.  Lotsa weightroom and rumored varsity competitor in the 100 meters at 265 pounds.    Par for the course, the big men could stand to learn to change levels.

Utmost competence at the lower weight classes, but did notice in the upper lightweights and lower middleweights several missed spladles.  Did see a pin using head fours, and our all time pins record was threatened by a kid that needed to pin his way to the finals or pick up an extra in consolation.  That pin record is held by a master spladler and fellow alumnus of the Carthage OC's high school.    Sayer's favorite!!!

The 152 champ looked like he could squat a ton.  Young Man from South Bend Riley at 160 looked like he would probably ball out.


signed,
Greg "the Hammer" Valentine and the Hart Foundation

4mrduck,

The Quake^tm passes the ball a bunch.  Sometimes they even pass the ball a bunch from Bunch would suppose.

With Earlham's ability to launch the ball a pair of Keith Byar types could put them over the top offensively.  Though, it could be argued one slashing gamebreaker might serve this function as well.

Defensively things can be accounted for schematically if the offensive side of the ball is drawing the bulk of the talent within the team, but an impact defensive player augmenting scheme could draw the score differential closer making them more than formidable.

If you don't mind the asking, what position does your nephew play?

signed,
Bruce Matthews

Hardin Simmons on Whitworth's schedule is a known commodity around the NWC per the Linfield boys.

Wesley on PLU's schedule will be a tough test.  Very good team that had a rough go of it between weather cancelling a good matchup with Christopher Newport to begin the season and a then perceived or real upset the following week at the hands of Delaware Valley.  The lopsided score against Mary Hardin-Baylor in the playoffs shouldn't fool anybody as they are the team that took down Hardin-Simmons twice last year.

Assuming Coach Scott Westerling is Frosty's son.  Same offensive sets that produced the national title?  Remember it as being very pass happy.   A little quarterback run game could help against this squad.

signed,
Bike Sansabelts

How much has narrowing the hash marks changed quarterback play in the NFL?  Boundary and Wide have been mitigated quite a bit since the time of Bradshaw and Staubach.   Marvin Harrison and Jim Harbaugh might be prime examples of this phenomenon.  In a two wide set: Harrison could play a slot like position to Boundary, and Harbaugh's rollout ability helped to open some veer potential in the pro run game.

This is all not to mention effects on field goal distance and accuracy.

Martz-Vermeil Rams' offense employed some of the old body of knowledge, when the hash marks were wider, successfully with upbacks getting carries and deep backs getting the yards.  Still, to get this effect, Marshall Faulk with oneback speed-option knowledge and the two step drop from Warner's AFL experience manipulated some of the parameters to get those once Wide-Boundary looks.   Was it coincidence Holt, Bruce and Hakim have builds similar to Harrison?

Kleinsasser and the Wham trap were innovations looking to prolong this offense once defensive coordinators figured out what was going on.  But we all saw the effectiveness employed by Oregon State against USC using this scheme with different body types, interference as opposed to pancake blocking.

signed,
Ben Patrick

Ted Seay the Austrian?

Seay's Wild Bunch is the Wheel route to Canada's Whip route.

Though they tend to stay under center, Carnegie Mellon University uses some A formation. For those not in the know, A is essentially a short punt formation or rifle type formation with bone backs and fullbacks.  Rich Erdelyi, the CMU offensive coordinator, I believe uses a tackles over approach from A formation and combines it with front side guard pulls.

As some of the purists have moved away from the buck lateral, the tackles over approach has given way to bunch receiver formations with attendant jet/rocket sweeps.

signed,
Byron "Whizzer" White

Sometimes bits of history get lost or misconstrued along the way too.

Formationally, Walter Camp's original T formation had the signal caller a quarter of the way into the backfield, hence the title - quarterback.

Most identify the T quarterback with the under center variety, but the pistol variety as Camp actually employed retains or should say holds the potential for some of the ball wizardry almost nonexistent from shotgun.

signed,
Dan Fouts

http://dumcoach.com/mswf/mswf.pdf

Personally, unless there is some turf maintenance nightmare that isn't playable to homefield advantage or a pressing need for use by more than one sport during concurrent seasons, prefer natural to synthetic surfaces.

Old school turf played like a trampoline and believe a team would tailor their strengths to this.  The new stuff, Nexturf, Sprintturf, Fieldturf what have you play eerily similar to regular turf in optimal conditions regardless cold or heat.  In the rain however, don't wear molds unless auditioning for the icecapades.

On the other hand, would have gone to see Franklin take on Wheaton had they played at the college.  The campus is picturesque and the stadium is a great venue.  Unless deemed unsafe by the NCAA, the game should have been played at THE FAUGHT^tm. 

Bad field conditions can surely work against a team's strengths and to its weaknesses as much as a team can be tailored for certain.   It has been said the NFC Norris has been a run first conference for the very reason of a cold and mucking field, but felt and still feel Franklin would have been better served playing at home.  And while it was unknown Gingg's status, the unsure footing held by Rupp and company should have been the same for Ittersagen and his men.

Guess if field turf came with underground heaters to keep the surface clean of actual precipitation would vote fyr it instead of gint it, but isn't this novelty just as applicable to natural surfaces?

signed,
Spackler the Swede

Quote from: reality check on December 22, 2008, 04:29:56 PM
Jason Trusnik missed the first nine games of the season but has managed 5 special teams tackles in the last six games.

While using the quote function, Trusnik adds another tackle to go along with his fumble recovery.

singed,
Ultimate Mahi Mahi

Weather predictions for Saturday, medicine man?

regards,
the Mighty Kwinn

Coming into this game the Allegheny score that stood out most was versus Westminster, Pennsylvania.  6-2 shows a team playing stout defense, not allowing many points and gleaning their own.

There are three ways to play successful defense and they all begin with turnovers.  Generally, believe the three to be: competent and disciplined while finding turnovers to buy the offense opportunities, bend don't break baiting the offense to flirt with Uncle MOJO, and bar the door and pin the ears back we're coming for the points ourselves.

Defense isn't a stand alone product unless you're Frank Beamer looking to win with special teams and homeruns.  Looking at Allegheny's number of passes and situational choices to pass,  Allegheny's D looks more like the former - competent, disciplined and increasing offensive opportunities. 

Watched the LSU-'Bama tilt at the watering hole, and the guy on the neighboring bartstool noted a turnover in overtime being nearly equivalent a defensive score. 

There's been discussion whether homefield advantage exists or not.  If it does exist should posit defense, both style and demeanor, is the most pressing variable.  Against the type of stand mounted by the Gators, a visiting team must strike on all chords without cyphering or misapprehending an octave.

This years brand of Witt defense has shown glimpses of all three aforementioned defensive types.  Against WasUStL, the defense bent and bent some more, but then when it seemed defeat was imminent... snapped back and nearly took Uncle MOJO for the win.  The Witt defense against Bash looked more like the latter, ears pinned back and slamming the door.  Against CMU the Witt defense most of all looked competent, disciplined and willing to give no quarte

What occured this past week, well... to all appearances Allegheny proved a homefield stand amongst quality defenses favors the more disciplined at home.  The penalties, particularly roughing the passer and personal foul variety, must be eliminated.  That is not to say play with less passion.  Nor is it to say don't drive your feet through blocks or tackles.  It is not mistaking an unwarranted hit for pinning your ears back.  It is to say be sharp, honed and true: atonal of the three offered defensive means and modus if must be.  The THING^tm about following this years Tiger squad has been apparent, they don't know the meaning of the word quit.  Good leadership is infectious.

When LSU beat Auburn earlier in the season, the very defense that made the game clinching sack was also the same defense that on the very play prior had been flagged for roughing the passer.  The fact the quarterback drug himself up and took the following snap resonated grit.  The next play, though for the win, clanged without relative pitch.

Just as the online stat sheet late in games nominates rushes as TEAM instead of listing indiviudals, penalties to turnovers are credited to the whole.  Don't see the film.  Don't know that the turnovers are the fault of line, back or receiver.  Don't have a feeling as to whether the personal fouls are egregious or legitimate.  Doesn't matter, the film from last week is probably already in moth balls.  Heard there is a bell that is rung on campus following a victory, and the way the Tigers decide to handle themselves, the officials and opponent this weekend will determine whether it was a clang when rung last or will be a true sonorous strike.  The cold of the Hollow in deep winter acts like bedrock on seismic waves.

signed,
Chuck Long

That logic seems to say Franklin wouldn't have issue putting those same teams away.  Should place some value, if any, on an ability to win the close game. 

Franklin has let some big early leads slip, but this might be attributable to the way the FC defense is tailored to fit their offense.

For some reason these two Indiana teams' compositions are remniscent of championship teams from the far West and Northwest, whereas the dynamic of Indiana's third playoff representative appears more akin to those of the nearer West and East recent championship teams.

Weather very well might play a significant role in these teams' fortunes.  There is a significant argument why Big Ten teams don't perform as well in the sunshine weather of bowl games where the fair weather conferences' teams might not be built for the plodding style of ball found to be most frequented in the colder climes.

signed,
Frosty the Snowman