Good win for the Tigers. I watched the game at home. Yesteday was my 31st birthday so that is why I didn't go. I haven't seen Holy Cross play that will be one heck of a game the end of the year.

S32,

 

What do you mean by the missed extra point comment?

 

S32 nailed it. NCC ran all over Beechwood in the first half and in the second half NCC looked like a JV team going through the motions. It could go either way if they play again but I think you have to give a slight edge to Beechwood. The Holy Cross game should be interesting.

 

On a side note, I watched the game on ICN6 and they did a nice job with the exception of the play by play announcer. Coach Coleman did good on color and Dan Pelstring did a real nice job as a sideline reporter. The play by play guy has talent but he was lost.

I just couldn't remember how they got 18 points in the second half off the top of my head. Not a dig. Beechwood dominated the second half hands down.

I thought that NCC's play calling in the 4th quarter was questionable. NCC's last three series went like this:

 

1st down: Vicars up the middle for little or no gain

2nd down: Vicars up the middle for little or no gain

3rd down: Long Incomplete Pass

4th down: Punt

 

1st down: Vicars up the middle for little or no gain

2nd down: Vicars up the middle for little or no gain

3rd down: Vicars up the middle for little or no gain

4th down: Punt

 

With Beechwood now leading:

 

1st down: Long pass incomplete (30+yards)

2nd down: Long pass incomplete (30+ yards)

3rd down: Long pass incomplete (30+ yards)

4th down: Intermediate pass incomplete (pass dropped by WR)

Good win for the Tigers. I watched the game at home. Yesteday was my 31st birthday so that is why I didn't go. I haven't seen Holy Cross play that will be one heck of a game the end of the year.

 

Here's my worthless opinion. Beechwood will handle Holy Cross fairly easily. NC will beat HC in the first round of the playoffs. Beechwood will win the rematch with NC. The only way for NC to stay close to Beechwood is to effectively mix the pass and run. (The team I root for has that same problem of not mixing up pass and run effectively so I am not trying to be overly critical of Coach S.) NC scored two short-field TD's due to a Tiger TO and then a poor decision by Coach Rash to go for it on fourth and short inside their own 40 when momentum was all NCC.

Here's my worthless opinion. Beechwood will handle Holy Cross fairly easily. NC will beat HC in the first round of the playoffs. Beechwood will win the rematch with NC. The only way for NC to stay close to Beechwood is to effectively mix the pass and run. (The team I root for has that same problem of not mixing up pass and run effectively so I am not trying to be overly critical of Coach S.) NC scored two short-field TD's due to a Tiger TO and then a poor decision by Coach Rash to go for it on fourth and short inside their own 40 when momentum was all NCC.

 

That is basically how I see it although NCC better get up for Ludlow because that could be a "trap" game. Away, after a loss to your rival, and Ludlow most likely is more like the team that lost to Newport 13-6 instead of the one that lost to Beechwood 45-7. I see Beechwood beating Holy Cross and the seeding being 1. Beechwood, 2. HC, 3. NCC, 4. Dayton or Ludlow with Beechwood advancing by beating NCC in Round 2.

 

As for the Beechwood game:

 

--- Never saw a team physically run the ball down a team's throat in the first half to be so absolutely shut down in the second half. Teams have lost leads before but that usually imvolves turnovers or defensive lapses.

 

---NCC's special teams are not good. Opening kickoff and other punt and kickoff returns are just killing them.

 

===Beechwood TD just before the half on 3 and 8 to make it 21-10 was huge. Turned the MO to the Tigers. I think they would have kicked a FG to make it 21-6 if they didn't score on third down but who knows.

 

---NCC play calling in the second half could be questioned but if you can't make A (as in one) first down running the same plays that allowed you to doiminate the first half then the players have to look at their execution first. If they could have made just maybe 4 first downs in the second half Beechwood probably could not have won because time would have simply run out.

 

---Beechwood obviously made some adjustments at halftime defensively but unless they went out and got the Chicago Bears defensive unit and put them in Tiger uniforms NCC should have been able to at least move the ball forward instead of backwards which lead to great field position for Beechwood.

 

--- Beechwood passing game has improved alot. The routes are high completion percentage routes that control the ball. And Elliot can pull it down and run if need be.

I would have like to have seen that one! Sounds like a great game and between 2 class A powers also.

Game came down to two things. 1) Coaching adjustments as has been stated by everyone and 2) Absolute lack of emotion and leadership by the players. Yes, the coaching was atrocious the second half, but the players had an 11 point lead at half. They had absolutely dominated the first half with a chance to get back into the district hunt. Beechwood came out and pushed them, and they didn't push back.

I was amazed that NewCath seemed to make NO adjustments at halftime. It was very apparent, after the first 2 drives in the 3rd qtr, that they needed to open the offense up a little bit if they wanted to get something going, but they stayed with runs up the middle. Beechwood completely shut that down and mixed their offensive play calling well in the 2nd half. All the credit goes to Noel Rash, the Tiger coaches and players. They made the adjustments and dominated the 2nd half.

I thought next year was the year that the districts play each other in the playoffs.