St. X vs. Male: Who Wins and Why?

[jimmyref]

If X is to have a chance against the Dawgs, they had better be able to hang onto the ball a little better than they did for 11 minutes versus the Rocks. Is "The Deuce" fumble prone? I listened as he fumbled on his first varsity carry against BG. Then he fumbled on the final play of the weather shortened loss to the Rocks. How has he done in other games? JimmyRef, you suggested that the Tigers could use Vic as a decoy deep. With Zoeller at QB and Vic wearing a cast. How serious a threat is that? I think I'd be careful about letting Zoeller throw deep, with Male's speed those balls may be coming back at him towards the other endzone.

I guess it's all in your frame of reference. If I had only listened to the MBA game, would you be offended if I asked if Petrino was interception prone? Nick has played better and so has Deuce. That's his only 2 fumbles on the year. Deuce has played well and let's not forget about the run before the fumble. He gives a different style of running that was effective against Highlands and Lexington Catholic, not to forget the 3 TD's he had last Friday.

 

I think by splitting Vic out to one side, he will draw attention. I agree that Male defensive backs are the best in the state. On the Deuce deep down the middle, it's a LB that has to cover him. Advantage X unless pass interference doesn't get called. Someone else has to make the plays or they'll be playing the Male fight song early and often.

 

With that said, I agree with Ox that something tells me that this team will put together a good effort on Friday. First team to 29 wins.

[XCard]

I'm OK, for the most part, with most picking the Dogs in this one. BUT--- I think the X-Men are going to be fine in this game. In reference to some of Jimmmyref's and Ox's synopsis, I agree with the areas of concern. On defense: I believe the run defense will be just fine. They have stepped up for the most part all season. Yes, I know Highlands got good yardage and Phillips broke a big run against us but they aren't the 2nd best run defense in 4A for nothing. They swarm to the ball. The poor tackling can and will be corrected. One thing they must do this game is get to the QB on pass plays (it will help to have good coverage so he has to go thru his progressions)., My concern,also, is the passing game. Particularly the short and intermediate passes. I'm sure that is being addressed this week in the game plan. Coach Walsh usually does a good job with adjustments for Male. I think the D will do their part to keep the Tigers in the game!

As for the offense, the O-Line has to step up and have a huge game. Give Vic and Duece a gap and they match Male's speed and athleticism and they will get thier yardage. Zoeller has to play smart. He can't get rattled because Male's D will put pressure on him. The play calling is going to be sooo important so as to keep Male off balance.

Vic and Beumont on the same field---It's games like this that make high school football so much fun!!

Regarding the various talk of negativity, team fire, lack of consistency ect., I've heard similar talk but I think Glaser should and will appeal to the seniors to rise to new levels of enthusiasm and intensity. They are a good group of kids who have had something to prove ever since their slow start Freshman year and they have come a very long way. I know the drive, talent and determination is there. Coach just has to show them he has confidence in them to lead this team.

He will find a way to do this and the Tigers will step up and make it the game of the year!! No prediction on this one, just going to enjoy the show.

[jimmyref]

:lol: Yeah, he runs. So far this year, Gainey has 24 rushes for 333 yards and 4 TDs.

 

That's another worry for the Tigers. Cecil from Highlands ran like crazy.

[LSURock]

I guess it's all in your frame of reference. If I had only listened to the MBA game, would you be offended if I asked if Petrino was interception prone? Nick has played better and so has Deuce. That's his only 2 fumbles on the year. Deuce has played well and let's not forget about the run before the fumble. He gives a different style of running that was effective against Highlands and Lexington Catholic, not to forget the 3 TD's he had last Friday.

 

I think by splitting Vic out to one side, he will draw attention. I agree that Male defensive backs are the best in the state. On the Deuce deep down the middle, it's a LB that has to cover him. Advantage X unless pass interference doesn't get called. Someone else has to make the plays or they'll be playing the Male fight song early and often.

 

With that said, I agree with Ox that something tells me that this team will put together a good effort on Friday. First team to 29 wins.

 

You are correct, I've only seen "The Deuce" a few times and twice he had fumble problems. Sorry but I'm not all that impressed with a run for 8 or 10 yards if it includes coughing up the ball at the end. I also think if X has to depend on the long ball to a running back from Zoeller its going to be a long night for the Tigers. What in your experience (not hopes) makes you think that Friday night will be the birth of "Air Glaser" ? I also question the tactic of counting on interference calls. Maybe you know something we don't about the crew for the game. Also, if Red has an LB covering "The Deuce" like you said, that means an extra player will be attacking the X QB. People rip on Red's defense, but when he has players it is pretty darn effective. If you don't have recievers that can get open and a QB that can hit them it can be pretty smothering.

[jimmyref]

. What in your experience (not hopes) makes you think that Friday night will be the birth of "Air Glaser" ? I also question the tactic of counting on interference calls. Maybe you know something we don't about the crew for the game. Also, if Red has an LB covering "The Deuce" like you said, that means an extra player will be attacking the X QB. People rip on Red's defense, but when he has players it is pretty darn effective. If you don't have recievers that can get open and a QB that can hit them it can be pretty smothering.

No inside knowledge- you used to be able to see the crews at http://www.kfoa.org but they don't post the schedule anymore. It should be a great crew. It should be the best crew of the year. The X-T crew is the biggest honor but sometimes that is based on time served. X-Iroquois had 4 college officials on it.

"smothering" is exactly what I'm speaking of. Some interpret it as defensive holding, some consider it good defense. The better the crew, the more experience. We call pass interference differently on the college level than the high school level because the rules are written differently. It is called tighter on the high school level.

 

Rumor has it that Coach R checks the crews on the Male-X ( or Male - T) for Catholics vs non-Catholics. Last year was the public-private vote week and 3 Catholics worked the game.

 

No Air Glaser predicted. Just Vic Left, Vic Right and then maybe split Vic out and go to the other side. I think it's going to be a battle of 2 deserving Mr. Football candidates.

[H]

On the Deuce deep down the middle, it's a LB that has to cover him. Advantage X unless pass interference doesn't get called. Someone else has to make the plays or they'll be playing the Male fight song early and often.

 

With Male's defensive system, there isn't much difference between a LB and DB in terms of physical ability. I don't believe there will be as much of a mismatch there as you think.

[LSURock]

 

Rumor has it that Coach R checks the crews on the Male-X ( or Male - T) for Catholics vs non-Catholics. Last year was the public-private vote week and 3 Catholics worked the game.

Are you serious? Where would you get such info? Are you making the assumption that if someone is an X/T/Flaget/HC/etc. alum they are Catholic? What would be the point? Could he ask that someone be removed based on this info? This sounds a little too "cloak and dagger". Any comments or info H fans?

[LSURock]

With Male's defensive system, there isn't much difference between a LB and DB in terms of physical ability. I don't believe there will be as much of a mismatch there as you think.

I agree. A few years ago a kid named Mike Bush was moved to LB late in the season to get him closer to the action as the games got tougher.Red will have his best players where they can help the most. I wouldn't be counting on too many speed mismatches from this year's Male team. This defense has some weaknesses, but I don't see any Brohm to McBroom senarios coming from the X offense with Zoeller at the helm.

[QB42]

X wins by 14 points. Why..because they're X, why not? Male will come out like they own the field and X will play hard nose football. Key word is discipline, X has it and Male doesn't. Male never will have it while Redman is there.

[leatherneck]

Having watched the Birds scrimmage Male and play X, I'm leaning towards Male, but barely. X's swarming defense may actually hurt them in this game. X's defense, very similar to Highlands, may actually over pursue to the ball and allow Beaumont to cut back for long gains. There were numerous times in our scrimmage when we had Beaumont boxed in (or so we thought), just to see him cut back. Because we had so many players flying to the ball, there was no one near him when he cut back. X is going to have to play very disciplined defense to fill the cut back lanes and quickly adjust to Beaumont's speed and running style. Highlands was able to do so eventually, but not quickly enough. Male's qb can most definitely run and is very fast. Also throws the ball well. Their o line is not the most talented or the biggest, but they do an effective job. Blocking for Beaumont, all they have to do is block their man for a second and Beaumont is passed them. Focus too much on Beaumont and their qb will hurt you with his legs and arm. X's linebackers impressed me, but the whole defense is going to have to really perform. X's defensive secondary is really going to have to be at the top of their game and play much better than they did against Highlands.

 

X's offense is also pretty good. Vic and the Deuce are probably the best 1-2 running back combo in the state. Vic in particular impressed me with his power. Zoellner is the better of the two qbs, and I'm not surprised he won the starting job. Receivers for X are skill wise average, but run good disciplined routes. X's o line is a little bigger than Male's, but pretty much on the same level. No superstars, but decent from end to end. To the extent X has to pass (and I think they will), I'm not sure they will be able to give Zoellner enough time. This in my mind will be the key to X winning the game. Male's db's are very good, so Zoellner is going to need a lot of time passing. X's o line did not look particularly quick so may have some match up problems pass blocking. I do expect X to run a bunch of screens and draws to slow down the Male rush. If they can do so effectively, it may overcome X's pass blocking difficulties.

 

Like Raiderbird, I expect this to be a high scoring game, with several plays in excess of 50 yds. The key to X winning will be keeping the game close into the 4th quarter. I was very impressed with X's depth and think it is an advantage over Male. For Male to win, they have to be up by 14 going into the 4th quarter and play disciplined football. No stupid penalties and blown assignments.

 

Good luck to both teams and two very good programs. Represent Ky football proudly and play good, hard hitting clean football.

[Xtiger69]

This game is just for show. The next one will mean something and that's the one St.X wants to win.(not that the team does not want this one I just don't think they will get it this time) I hope the Tigers play well and prove they can hang with the Dogs and eliminate the silly mistakes. Use this game to feel out what will work and improve the pass defense and kicking game.Male is not used to being stopped and forced to punt, X must have some stops and try to make Male do some things they are not used to like 3 and longs. I see a very high scoring game: M-42 X-35 Go Tigers prove me wrong!

[jimmyref]

Are you serious? Where would you get such info? Are you making the assumption that if someone is an X/T/Flaget/HC/etc. alum they are Catholic? What would be the point? Could he ask that someone be removed based on this info? This sounds a little too "cloak and dagger". Any comments or info H fans?

 

Let me tell you that coaches have the ability to "scratch" referees on any sport. In basketball, there is a coaches rating system. Did you completely miss the Vic Montgomery incident during basketball? That isn't "cloak and dagger", it is reality based on KHSAA control board policy and Jefferson County ( 6-7th region) policy board rules. The U S constitution gets thrown out the window because reasons behind scratches are usually based on sex and/or race or religion.

[LSURock]

Let me tell you that coaches have the ability to "scratch" referees on any sport. In basketball, there is a coaches rating system. Did you completely miss the Vic Montgomery incident during basketball? That isn't "cloak and dagger", it is reality based on KHSAA control board policy and Jefferson County ( 6-7th region) policy board rules. The U S constitution gets thrown out the window because reasons behind scratches are usually based on sex and/or race or religion.

 

So you are saying that a coach could scratch an official based on his religion? Sorry, I just don't believe that. I have a little more faith in the system than that. I don't think there are many crooked officials out there and I don't think many coaches think that way either. Refresh my memory, Montgomery was scratched for what reason?

[GR8BigBull]

I personally think it is good to be able to "scratch" officials from doing your games. There seems to be this "mightier than thou" attitude by some officials regarding certain coaches. I think an official should not try and work certain games if there is a strong conflict of interests. With the shortage of officials causing some less experienced crews to work certain games, I would prefer to have a more experienced official whenever possible.

 

There is a reason that judges will recuse themselves from court cases, to relieve any doubt or questioning of one's integrity. Sometimes, even if the correct call is made, there will be questioning of a call based on an official's background. Right or wrong, it will happen.

 

To the thread though, I believe that Male has too many weapons and will be swarming on defense limiting the running lanes for Vic or any RB for St. X. The defense can be questioned but with the athleticism on the Male Defense, there will be less room to run and alot of tight coverage on recievers who do not have blazing speed. The passes will have to be PERFECTLY placed or the risk of picks and big returns are high. The Male offense speaks for itself, once again some players stepping up to make you ask, "where did this guy come from?" There are more than enough players to spread the field vertically and horizontally. Again, a mismatch in speed in the secondary will cause problems.

Score will be too much to not enough, advantage to Male. I guess something more like 35-14.

[Alabama Larry]

Remember the Pass Interference call last year against the Dawgs? The guys on the TV said "I didn't see any problem with the DB". Two different stations asked this question. Who was the guy who made this horrible call? Where does he go to church? Doesn't matter, these guys all do a great job and there are blown calls every game, every sport. Male never mentions it players or coaches. Should be a lot of fun on Friday. BGPs folks come look me up, I'll have a Male hat on with a Male Jacket. Good luck to the Tigers a classy school and program.