The O inside LBers are tough, but they are a bit undersized so if the X OL can work up to them in the running game there cold be some nice running lanes for X to run through. Similar to last year.

O's 4-2-5 defense is going to be tested against X's running game, but I'm sure O will adjust and try to add another player into the box for run support. 

After seeing St. X against Frederick Douglass, I think Owensboro will have to be better than Frederick Douglass if going to win this game, and maybe Owensboro is better that Frederick Douglass so guess we'll just have to see on Friday.

Hopefully no Jack Sivori this year!

The early computer ranking from Massey have a prediction that favors X, 42-13.

I went back and read my play by play from last years game. St. X was up 17-0 midway through 2nd quarter. X injuries on defense piled up and Owensboro scored at around 5 minutes left in 2nd quarter and then became a shoot out with Wimsatt looking like the D1 QB he was.

This game will be previewed on our podcast, Thursday, 7:30 pm. 

 

10 hours ago, Tigerpride94 said:

I went back and read my play by play from last years game. St. X was up 17-0 midway through 2nd quarter. X injuries on defense piled up and Owensboro scored at around 5 minutes left in 2nd quarter and then became a shoot out with Wimsatt looking like the D1 QB he was.

Yeah, Wimsatt was the real deal in getting the Red Devils back into the game. Should be another good one, but hard to see another shoot out like last year.  

Miller is healthy per radio program - OHS had to have that!  I really like O’s chances here, ton of team speed, several burners, very nice O line, big, athletic D-line.  I think O can cash in on a defense/special teams score or 2.  Can O get stops on X running game?  Is there another unknown like Sivori?  

I believe it’s O’s year I’m going 17-14 O in a low scoring affair.

Coach Wallace said that this is fastest defense he's had since he's been at St. X and showed against Frederick Douglass by holding FD to 3 pts in varsity portion of scrimmage. Jaxon Panariello who is best LB didn't play in scrimmage but will against Owensboro. I'm going with a 21-7 Tiger win.

2 minutes ago, Tigerpride94 said:

Coach Wallace said that this is fastest defense he's had since he's been at St. X and showed against Frederick Douglass by holding FD to 3 pts in varsity portion of scrimmage. Jaxon Panariello who is best LB didn't play in scrimmage but will against Owensboro. I'm going with a 21-7 Tiger win.

Very fast! I agree and said I love the Jaxon kid.  Throw that in with the D line - probably top defense in state.  X is phenomenal and O will need some turnovers or special teams play to get the W.

I know X has much more depth than all other schools except maybe T.  But it looks like they lose a lot of leading tacklers from last year:

They lose 3 of top 4 including top 2:

Marks, Shaffner and Saner, with  97, 94, and 78 tackles.

Also lose top 10 tacklers:

Walters, Poma, Donhoff.

They return Carter and Meier on the line, but lose Maxwell (who I think was hurt most last year).

 

1 minute ago, Brown said:

I know X has much more depth than all other schools except math be T.  But it looks like they lose a lot of leading tacklers from last year:

They lose 3 of top 4 including top 2:

Marks, Shaffner and Saner, with  97, 94, and 78 tackles.

Also lose top 10 tacklers:

Walters, Poma, Donhoff.

They return Carter and Meier on the line, but lose Maxwell (who I think was hurt most last year).

 

Maxwell didn't play last year due injury. Trey Prather and Tyler Neal also played a lot on line last year. Ashton Jones who is one of top shot putters in state played some but I think they moved him to Oline because of depth on defense. If Panariello played whole year he would have been one of top tackers. He led St. X in tackles when was a sophomore. One LB that I thought played well in FD scrimmage was Jr Kruse Metzmeier.

Yeah jaxon was still a top 10 tackler last year for X despite missing a lot - he’s a load and fast.  Marks was great last year.

1 hour ago, Brown said:

Miller is healthy per radio program - OHS had to have that!  I really like O’s chances here, ton of team speed, several burners, very nice O line, big, athletic D-line.  I think O can cash in on a defense/special teams score or 2.  Can O get stops on X running game?  Is there another unknown like Sivori?  

I believe it’s O’s year I’m going 17-14 O in a low scoring affair.

I don't know if there's an unknown like Sivori last year. Boone and Havill are good players but even combined it will be tough to match the production of Savori. Havill has probably the most potential but he seems at times to hold the ball too long waiting for guys to come open. Boone is probably more like the style of Sivori, tough player, and can a lot of things well, but probably not the tough runner like Sivori. Where X will make up the rushing yards will be in three deep RB position. The ability to rotate fresh backs in mid August is very beneficial. 

My big question mark for the Devils offense is QB play. How will Boone perform under the inevitable pressure that will be coming for him. I can’t help but to think of the FD game where he seemed to fold under the pressure they brought…. @Brown has Boone improved over the summer? Because I have a feeling X’s Dline will be more dominant than what Boone saw in the State-Semi’s last year. The few Manual scrimmage clips I saw didn’t give me much of a reassuring feeling either.  

For the Defense I’m not too worried about the pass too much as Clark, Pendleton, Goodwin, Carbon, Johnson are all ball hogs once it’s in the air. For me it’s the run Defense I’m not to sure about after last years sub par performance. I hope the inside LB’s will be able to step in up a notch this year because that seemed to be the weakness of our Defense. If O can stop the run I like out chances that much more.