FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Li'l Giant]

You are right about the size and %. The size won't change much since the Charter limits enrollment to less than 1100 students. The weekend college is seperate and mostly made up of adults between the ages of 30-40 that did not finish college and are trying to do so while working full time jobs - it is a good program.

As far as the club team thing - I don't think that is it. The school spends alot of money on football - the new facilities, and every year for 5 years they had new uniforms (red helmets with Hiram one year, blue with HC the next, white with a paw print, red with a paw print, red with terriers - each one had different jerseys and pants). I think the coaches have accepted that Hiram loses - and the players have as well. I watched the Earlham - Hiram game last year with my nephew (Earlham grad) and was amazed at the lack of creativity. Hiram lined up and tried to play smash mouth ball (granted they won 7-2) but Hiram is not that type of team.

I figured the weekend college thing was like that. That's not going to make a difference in football at all.

I'm sure some of it is coaching and some of it is recruiting.

Are they recruiting guys that were so-so in high school and just want to keep playing? I imagine it is difficult to compete with the other Ohio schools when you have 2 wins in the last 5 seasons.

edit: I took the virtual tour of their facility. It's pretty damn nice. And they play golf at a place called "Sugar Bush". Nice.

[Desertraider]

I agree it is both coaching and players. But I know they have had some talent over the years - Matt Morris was a good linebacker, Max Kravitz at QB - but they seem to use the same playbook. I remember hearing Lee Corso talking about Mount Union a few years ago after another title and he said "I watched them (Mount) win it all throwing on almost every play, and I've seen them win running on almost every play - they evaluate what they have and make a game plan from it". He was talking about how some schools define themselves as "running teams" (ala Woody Hayes and OSU) or "passing teams (Florida) and that Mount (in this case) looks at what they have in camp create a plan from it.  Hiram does not seem to do this. I think the coach has a system and puts it into play regardless of what his assets are. It did not work with Coach Thomas in the 90's and it is not working now. I'd love to go to a game and see 5 wides, shotgun, no huddle - or an Air Force style triple option.

[WittFan]

Guess you guys only saw Donaldson, who played on some great cohesive teams, but while he is statistcally our best, and the conferences best ever, think Perryman, Warga, Powers, Booker, Parker and Stockdale were all something unlike Bash has seen outside of Sutton.  Grove was good, and did he ever have a motor, but some of the two back combinations under Neibuhr would have scared the ICAC into a 10 man front.

Amen, brother.

[WittFan]

Interesting, Wally leaves town and all of a sudden Hiram and Denison fans start feeling comfortable enough to start posting.

Coincidence? I wonder...

[ScotLass]

It was a bonnie day for football in Scot land today.

Earlham's QB was sure impressive......375 passing yards. Took years off my life waiting for the Scots to get it together.

[nike]

I am not a Hiram fan, but a Wooster Scot guy. From way back.  And as I have stated before, just don't care for Witt folks, based on my personal experiences there and in Wooster. So I was day dreaming about Hiram beating Witt next week. Then I came to my senses and started wondering why Hiram gets the snot beat out of them every Saturday, year after year.
I bet OWU's coaches used today's game to tell their returning people that they can build on today's BIG win to prepare to compete for next year's league title.
So who might Witt play in the first round?
BTW, if Murray was running behind Drushal, he'd leave Witt the all time leading rusher.

[Li'l Giant]

It was a bonnie day for football in Scot land today.

Earlham's QB was sure impressive......375 passing yards. Took years off my life waiting for the Scots to get it together.

Wow. That was way closer than the Scots must have wanted it.

[woosterbooster]

I have offered to take over the Hiram program for FREE - for one year. If I can't deliver 3 wins they can bring in whomever they like - but if I do they have to pay me for that year and sign me for 4 more years. To date they have not replied.

Sounds like a reasonable offer to me....

That's the same offer you made to Wooster, isn't it?  Except for the free pizza you wanted thrown in?

[scotty]

It was a bonnie day for football in Scot land today.

Earlham's QB was sure impressive......375 passing yards. Took years off my life waiting for the Scots to get it together.

Wow. That was way closer than the Scots must have wanted it.

"wanting/wishing" is different than "planning/preparing" 

[ScotLass]

It was more of an example of not learning your lessons......looked a lot like they had just gotten off the bus from the Bash game to face another passing offense and everyone had slept on the way home.......Woo was lucky to win the game.

[ADL70]

Looks like Oberlin wins the "Best of the Rest" Trophy.  Even if Allegheny beats them they are tied for fourth.  And with a squad of less than 50.

[Li'l Giant]

Congratulations to Oberlin's R.V. Carroll and Wabash's Bryan Engh for the Player of the Week awards for Offense and Defense respectively.

Carroll's numbers against Kenyon bear mention: 38 rushes for 336 yards and 5 TDs. That is a MONSTER game. He broke 5 Oberlin records with those numbers and was 2 yards off the NCAC record for single game rushing yardage set by Tony Sutton. Wow. That is impressive company.

Engh had 15 tackles and an INT in the win over Denison. The tackles were a career high.

[jscwittfan]

Carroll's numbers against Kenyon bear mention: 38 rushes for 336 yards and 5 TDs. That is a MONSTER game.

Wow.  The last time I saw numbers like that, it was on PlayStation . . .

[BashBacker#16]

I don't believe anyone has posted this yet but congrats to Witt in handling Allegheny.  I really thought Savage, Tarquinio, & Co. would bring more.  Great win for Witt and Murray did what he's done since he's been there.  I hope the NCAC gets a decent break when the pairings come out.

Saw Bash play Denison.  What a sweet set up and turf.  The one drawback was the gestapo security and only one entrance on to the field.  There was some old dude that was simply amazing keeping people off the track (at one point told a little girl that was probably 4 to get off the track) when he was standing on it himself.  I believe I even heard him say, "this is my track."  What an a&#hole.  They wouldn't even let the Bash parents on the field after the game and resisted letting some of the Wabash players that didn't dress.

The officiating was brutal too with many times there was mass confusion, long delays, joint conferences among officials, etc.

On to Monon Bell week...congrats to Bash for a share of the conference title.  I wish we could have had some luck on Witt's 44 yard line at 4th & 1...

[kcreds]

Congrats to Witt! Are you Witt fans now enjoying the warm fuzzies instead of the knives that were thrown at you last week?  Another reason why the NCAC fans are great, even though some dislike Witt, they now will root for them through the playoffs, I say that is class.

I just read the posts from the last few days. I knew it would be more interesting on here when women started posting, nothing personal Scottlass.

WILLIAMSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, 56 REGULAR SEASON GAMES WON IN A ROW. I couldn't find the national record. Do any of you great football fans know?