Excellent. He is, after all, a pre-season first team all-American.Tommy Eichenberg named one of 3 captains for Buckeyes this year
Agree. Many of my fellow buckeye alums were surprised when he played so well, I wasn't. We had the pleasure of watching him 10 plus weeks a yearExcellent. He is, after all, a pre-season first team all-American.
2023 CBS Sports Preseason All-America team: Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan lead with most honorees
There were just three unanimous first-team selections from our CBS Sports and 247Sports expertswww.cbssports.com
For sure, soph QB has a HIGH ceilingNow if Zinger uses that philosophy when he chooses the starting QB for the next game.
So shocking after we were the QB envy of the state, and possibly country, from Pickens on. Was such a joy to watch again and again for years. Completely agree thoughIgnatius needs to fix the QB situation. All 3 on the varsity AND JV struggled this weekend. Team will never progress even if other positions get better until the QB play is much better.
Like anything, including some of Kyle's reign, things needed to change. Restifo was integral in QB development. Eventually his play calling was a bit suspect. Ironically,he sat next to me at the Eds playoff game last year. He was losing his mind with the time it took Welo to get the plays in.Could the much-maligned Nick Restifo have had anything to do with the amazing string of top flight quarterbacks? Hmmmmm.
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone - Joni Mitchell
Has anyone anywhere yet offered any reasoning for why Welo has such issues getting plays in timely? Here or there I suppose I can get. But repeatedly over years seems like an indecisive issue. Did he have the same issue, if anyone knows, before coming back to SIHS?Like anything, including some of Kyle's reign, things needed to change. Restifo was integral in QB development. Eventually his play calling was a bit suspect. Ironically,he sat next to me at the Eds playoff game last year. He was losing his mind with the time it took Welo to get the plays in.
Still the QB play, both because of talent and coaching, has been an issue for years now. And again, it’s all of them right now from 10-12.
In response to your last question, I doubt the Benedictine Yappsters will have anything positive to sayHas anyone anywhere yet offered any reasoning for why Welo has such issues getting plays in timely? Here or there I suppose I can get. But repeatedly over years seems like an indecisive issue. Did he have the same issue, if anyone knows, before coming back to SIHS?
A quick take on Welo from his Benny years. On the positive he was good at connecting with the grade school kids and getting them interested in the school, good salesman. Some alums liked his direction of the lower levels. On the down side he rubbed admin the wrong way and his gameday management was not always sharp, some thought it was due to his first time being in the big chair. Nonetheless he probably hasn't stayed very long at any of his stops so maybe he stays put at Iggy and gets comfortable just being the OC and grows into the role?In response to your last question, I doubt the Benedictine Yappsters will have anything positive to say
Put the Chardon kid at QB. Frontino.Ignatius needs to fix the QB situation. All 3 on the varsity AND JV struggled this weekend. Team will never progress even if other positions get better until the QB play is much better.
Mondays are normally a film review day.Can anyone find out what QB is getting the majority of snaps at the practice this afternoon?
I would argue the entire program lacks that take over a game talent. We'll see with the current freshmen.My takeaways from Friday:
- The good:
- The sophs generally held up well playing in a lot of key moments. I thought the offensive line was one of the better units on the team despite all the concerns around their youth and size
- Nick Rivera and Jayshon Thomas played well on defense (despite Thomas getting beat for one long touchdown). They should potentially remain as full time starters. Thomas was physical and fast to the ball and had a sack from his safety position
- Washington had a quietly productive game despite no threat from the passing game - averaged around 4 YPC. In a few cases I thought he could have broken longer runs but missed the right cutback lane or opportunity to bounce outside. Generally avoided negative plays in the running game (playing out of the pistol with a FB helped)
- Max Ritt showed game breaker potential from a few different spots on the field - explosive and great effort
- The team didn’t quit even when it looked like the game was going to turn into a laugher early on. The kids fought hard
- The bad:
- Everything about the passing game. I don’t see that a personnel change is an obvious fix to the woes here. We haven’t had an efficient, productive passing game since Elvis Grbac left after the 2015 season. I think final passing stats were 7-20 for about 70 yards and 2 INTs. Obviously Springfield has a lot of talent in the back half of the defense that deserves some credit for that. QB development and decision making has not been up to our traditional standard for years
- There were some clock management issues - let too much time run down before half and were too slow to get plays in a few times. Had to burn two bad timeouts in the 2nd half. At one point huddled coming out of a timeout
- Secondary was caught out of position several times and left multiple receivers unguarded for long gains. Couldn’t get off the field on 3rd and long / 4th down multiple times. Allowed a really efficient night for Springfield’s QB
- This team overall lacks the type of D1 players that can consistently win individual matchups and take over a game. I expect them to improve but that puts a limit on their ceiling
Auggie - Thanks. Really good summary. Hopefully he does grow in that roleA quick take on Welo from his Benny years. On the positive he was good at connecting with the grade school kids and getting them interested in the school, good salesman. Some alums liked his direction of the lower levels. On the down side he rubbed admin the wrong way and his gameday management was not always sharp, some thought it was due to his first time being in the big chair. Nonetheless he probably hasn't stayed very long at any of his stops so maybe he stays put at Iggy and gets comfortable just being the OC and grows into the role?
How much of the D secondary's problems do you think were due to the absence of Haddad and Taliak, out due to injuries?My takeaways from Friday:
- The good:
- The sophs generally held up well playing in a lot of key moments. I thought the offensive line was one of the better units on the team despite all the concerns around their youth and size
- Nick Rivera and Jayshon Thomas played well on defense (despite Thomas getting beat for one long touchdown). They should potentially remain as full time starters. Thomas was physical and fast to the ball and had a sack from his safety position
- Washington had a quietly productive game despite no threat from the passing game - averaged around 4 YPC. In a few cases I thought he could have broken longer runs but missed the right cutback lane or opportunity to bounce outside. Generally avoided negative plays in the running game (playing out of the pistol with a FB helped)
- Max Ritt showed game breaker potential from a few different spots on the field - explosive and great effort
- The team didn’t quit even when it looked like the game was going to turn into a laugher early on. The kids fought hard
- The bad:
- Everything about the passing game. I don’t see that a personnel change is an obvious fix to the woes here. We haven’t had an efficient, productive passing game since Elvis Grbac left after the 2015 season. I think final passing stats were 7-20 for about 70 yards and 2 INTs. Obviously Springfield has a lot of talent in the back half of the defense that deserves some credit for that. QB development and decision making has not been up to our traditional standard for years
- There were some clock management issues - let too much time run down before half and were too slow to get plays in a few times. Had to burn two bad timeouts in the 2nd half. At one point huddled coming out of a timeout
- Secondary was caught out of position several times and left multiple receivers unguarded for long gains. Couldn’t get off the field on 3rd and long / 4th down multiple times. Allowed a really efficient night for Springfield’s QB
- This team overall lacks the type of D1 players that can consistently win individual matchups and take over a game. I expect them to improve but that puts a limit on their ceiling
I agree with all the good things you noticed and would add some more.My takeaways from Friday:
- The good:
- The sophs generally held up well playing in a lot of key moments. I thought the offensive line was one of the better units on the team despite all the concerns around their youth and size
- Nick Rivera and Jayshon Thomas played well on defense (despite Thomas getting beat for one long touchdown). They should potentially remain as full time starters. Thomas was physical and fast to the ball and had a sack from his safety position
- Washington had a quietly productive game despite no threat from the passing game - averaged around 4 YPC. In a few cases I thought he could have broken longer runs but missed the right cutback lane or opportunity to bounce outside. Generally avoided negative plays in the running game (playing out of the pistol with a FB helped)
- Max Ritt showed game breaker potential from a few different spots on the field - explosive and great effort
- The team didn’t quit even when it looked like the game was going to turn into a laugher early on. The kids fought hard
- The bad:
- Everything about the passing game. I don’t see that a personnel change is an obvious fix to the woes here. We haven’t had an efficient, productive passing game since Elvis Grbac left after the 2015 season. I think final passing stats were 7-20 for about 70 yards and 2 INTs. Obviously Springfield has a lot of talent in the back half of the defense that deserves some credit for that. QB development and decision making has not been up to our traditional standard for years
- There were some clock management issues - let too much time run down before half and were too slow to get plays in a few times. Had to burn two bad timeouts in the 2nd half. At one point huddled coming out of a timeout
- Secondary was caught out of position several times and left multiple receivers unguarded for long gains. Couldn’t get off the field on 3rd and long / 4th down multiple times. Allowed a really efficient night for Springfield’s QB
- This team overall lacks the type of D1 players that can consistently win individual matchups and take over a game. I expect them to improve but that puts a limit on their ceiling
I agree Welo isn't going anywhere and I hope he can learn from his own mistakes in the playcalling arena. I actually like the pistol it has the potential of opening up some things and utilizing the playmakers we do have currently on the team. Ritt being a scat back and utilized in the running and passing game from the pistol is an exciting and dynamic possibility.All good observations but Welo isn't going anywhere. His playcalling was really bad against Eds last year and it's frustrating to watch after one game. They changed to the pistol but the plays are still predictable and questionable.
I also assume it's coaching when anyone watching can see the defense coming and they end up running or throwing right into it. The QBs must be told not to check out of any play.
Bentley has massively upgraded the o line coaching.
Absolutely agree about utilizing Ritt. Would love to see him come out of the backfield in the pistol formation and run some screens and slants to put pressure on the LB and make them sink in coverage to open up that first level for the run game. I know we have all seen Papesh struggle the past two years but I believe he is a better-than-average High School QB who just needs to be fed some simpler play concepts. Start the game with quick hitters and some outside fade passes and I think we would all be surprised by what he could do. We saw it against heights when our backs were against the wall.Lots of good insights from A Football Fan. Agree completely about the offense being too predictable and degree of difficulty too high in the passing game. Need some bubble screens to Ritt, quick hitting slants, attacking the flats, etc.
Freshman roster is up. Numbers look good but seem a bit small on the lines. This doesn’t include the two o lineman who are playing JV:
Freshman Football - 2023 Regular Season - Roster
www.ignatiuswildcats.com
Absolutely agree with this. I think that is where Merimee would shine in the passing game and he could put a ton of pressure on the middle of a defense and suck the safties in and the linebackers back. We have number 84 who could do some damage in that area as well. I mean we have a kid who's 6'4" 215 and catches darn near everything that comes his way. I just don't understand why they don't exploit those matchups against high school safeties who are almost a foot shorter than him.The passing game has evolved everywhere but there are still holes behind the LBs and in front of the safeties. Ignatius had about 8 guys go All-State playing TE and exploiting that area.
To me, that's clear he is suspended next week. AbsurdDoes anyone know what the rules on suspensions for unsportsmenlike are? I looked up the regulations and they seem to indicate Merimee is suspended all of the next game which is pretty extreme but ya I wanted to figure out if anyone else knows clearly what the regulation means.
That's how it reads to me I just feel like that's so extreme. That is quite a hard lesson to learn but I'm sure it will be one he learns from this experience. What's even crazier to me is that if it were to happen again it would be the remainder of the season which again seems so absurdly extreme. The remainder of the game seems fair enough or if its at the end of the game the first half of the next game but ya it is what it is I guess.To me, that's clear he is suspended next week. Absurd