Leatherneck great point about T and X. MBA caused us great problems in the fisrt game for the past two seasons because they are a very good program which had already played one game and more importantly for the very reasons of which you just gave. This would be more true of the 05 season then last year. We got out coached in the forth quarter as our D did not make the ajustments needed to finish the game. Point is your analysis is right on. Good luck with the up coming season Go Birds.

 

 

Thanks and go luck to the Rocks also this year.

PH, the bolded part may be your greatest understatement of the year. BG, like Highlands, benefits greatly from playing teams like T and X in the first game each year, as BG and Highlands generally return a decent number of starters. Programs like X and T however, are generally senior laden teams that do not return a lot of starters. As a result, the first game of the year for T and X are not what I'd call well executed games by them.

Personally, I think the effect is often overstated. By and large, those aren't inexperienced kids being thrown into the fire in the first game if the season. Those players have varsity time from the year before (from some blowouts) and have been seasoned by knocking heads with one of the top teams in the state in practice every day the previous season.

Leatherneck,

 

If that was the case, how in the world did Warren Central almost beat St. X in the State Semifinal game in 2003. Central was on the six inch line with less than two minutes when their QB fumbles on sneak. I'm not against you. I'm sure that X and T get better as the season goes along. But, please do not think for a second that other teams get worse.

 

 

My personal opinion of the game. Trinity beats BG 3. BG will have alot of missed opportunities in the game to win by 2 TD's, but do not capitalize on them. (Scary to think about it, but if they do...BG does have some good players coming back....BG wins by 10.)

Leatherneck,

 

If that was the case, how in the world did Warren Central almost beat St. X in the State Semifinal game in 2003. Central was on the six inch line with less than two minutes when their QB fumbles on sneak. I'm not against you. I'm sure that X and T get better as the season goes along. But, please do not think for a second that other teams get worse.

 

 

My personal opinion of the game. Trinity beats BG 3. BG will have alot of missed opportunities in the game to win by 2 TD's, but do not capitalize on them. (Scary to think about it, but if they do...BG does have some good players coming back....BG wins by 10.)

 

I think it would be safe to say that X peaks during the regular season and T reaches their peak at some point during the playoffs.

Personally, I think the effect is often overstated. By and large, those aren't inexperienced kids being thrown into the fire in the first game if the season. Those players have varsity time from the year before (from some blowouts) and have been seasoned by knocking heads with one of the top teams in the state in practice every day the previous season.

 

 

I only know from my own experiences and I don't think its overstated at all. I played a fair amount as a sophomore for Highlands. When it came to start my junior year, even though I had been knocking heads with one of the better teams in the state in practice during the previous season, I was no where near as ready as the returning starters were in our first game. There's a big difference in mop up duty/practice and in playing a real game. The speed of the game if very different and the experience gained from starting the prior year makes a huge difference. I think the effect is understated.

Leatherneck,

 

If that was the case, how in the world did Warren Central almost beat St. X in the State Semifinal game in 2003. Central was on the six inch line with less than two minutes when their QB fumbles on sneak. I'm not against you. I'm sure that X and T get better as the season goes along. But, please do not think for a second that other teams get worse.

 

 

My personal opinion of the game. Trinity beats BG 3. BG will have alot of missed opportunities in the game to win by 2 TD's, but do not capitalize on them. (Scary to think about it, but if they do...BG does have some good players coming back....BG wins by 10.)

 

 

I don't for a second necessarily think that other teams get worse (although injuries, which do add up over the course of a season, have a much greater effect on smaller squads than they do on teams like X and T, which are talented 2 and sometimes 3 deep.

 

As for the Warren Central example, perhaps they had a better team that year than X. Or at least a team almost as good as X.

I only know from my own experiences and I don't think its overstated at all. I played a fair amount as a sophomore for Highlands. When it came to start my junior year, even though I had been knocking heads with one of the better teams in the state in practice during the previous season, I was no where near as ready as the returning starters were in our first game. There's a big difference in mop up duty/practice and in playing a real game. The speed of the game if very different and the experience gained from starting the prior year makes a huge difference. I think the effect is understated.

OK, so it's true for most or all teams ... not just Trinity and St. Xavier. That is why I think the effects are overstated. Other teams aren't exempt from it.

west,

 

I think lneck's point is T and X traditionally start a lot of seniors so it could have more of an effect on them than most other teams.

west,

 

I think lneck's point is T and X traditionally start a lot of seniors so it could have more of an effect on them than most other teams.

I understand that. I just feel that the effects are overstated.

 

The reserves at St. Xavier and Trinity aren't typical reserves.

I understand that. I just feel that the effects are overstated.

 

The reserves at St. Xavier and Trinity aren't typical reserves.

 

They are still just kids without real game experience playing in their first real game. Which means real pressure and real jitters in your first game particularly when you are playing for a program like X or T. Aggregate that effect on almost every starter, since they have usually very few returning starters, and hopefully you can see how the first game isn't normally a smooth performance.

I'm not maintaining that the transition is always smooth ... I just think it isn't as much of a factor as some portray it.

They are still just kids without real game experience playing in their first real game. Which means real pressure and real jitters in your first game particularly when you are playing for a program like X or T. Aggregate that effect on almost every starter, since they have usually very few returning starters, and hopefully you can see how the first game isn't normally a smooth performance.

 

Leatherneck, I think you're defeating your theory...Please read the 6A preview, Trinity has alot of returning starters from last year, so, the jitters, pressure, 1st game thing, etc., shouldn't have much if any affect on T. If anything, BG lost more than Trinity did...

Leatherneck, I think you're defeating your theory...Please read the 6A preview, Trinity has alot of returning starters from last year, so, the jitters, pressure, 1st game thing, etc., shouldn't have much if any affect on T. If anything, BG lost more than Trinity did...

 

 

This year T may, but in most years, the X and T starters are predominantly seniors, which means the following year the starters are first year starters. I'd wager a dollar to a donut if you compared the percentage of returning starters on X and T vs a BG or Highlands, BG and Highlands in 8 out of 10 years has more starters returning.

 

And as for T, how tight do you think T's starting qb (Will Stein I think is his name) is going to be in his first game, having to follow Brohm and Petrino? With the T faithful watching and judging his every move, he'll be tighter than a drum full of nuclear materials.

This year T may, but in most years, the X and T starters are predominantly seniors, which means the following year the starters are first year starters. I'd wager a dollar to a donut if you compared the percentage of returning starters on X and T vs a BG or Highlands, BG and Highlands in 8 out of 10 years has more starters returning.

 

And as for T, how tight do you think T's starting qb (Will Stein I think is his name) is going to be in his first game, having to follow Brohm and Petrino? With the T faithful watching and judging his every move, he'll be tighter than a drum full of nuclear materials.

 

 

Lneck..I get what you're saying. :thumb:

I don't disagree with what LN is saying. However, while other teams may actually return more on offense and/or defense each year, the players that must be replaced are a lot of times replaced with sophmore and junior players and not seniors that have been in the program for 4 years. That, IMO, is where T and X ultimately end up gaining an advantage whether it is early in the season or late.