WEEK 3 Cont.
Gahanna at Bishop Hartley - CP Line Hartley - 12
I'd take Gahanna in that bet. It's going to be closer than 12.
This is one of those games I wouldn't bet if choosing freely but it's too interesting a game to not look at. Geographically it's interesting because Hartley draws talent form the Gahanna area among others.
Indeed. But... no spin at all... A lot of the Gahanna football talent stays home or goes to DeSales. We get some good legacy kids. And we get some kids who'd never see the field at Gahanna. Prime example was Jaden Manley. Great kid. His older brother was limited to punt returns with the Lions. Too small. Jaden was smaller, but he was fast and a very hard worker. And his family was awesome people. IIRC, he started for two seasons with the Hawks and did well enough to get the notice of Coach Kehres and company at Mt Union. How exciting is that? He's still listed on college roster at 5'8" and 185 lbs. Got a couple catches last season. But measurables? Even now, he wouldn't be a varsity receiver at any OCC school, and you know it. Look at all our wideouts and corners. Fast little guys.
Hartley can talk all they want about being special people { And they do a lot of that } and a special program and there is certainly a modicum of truth to that , BUT make no mistake they are getting more and more talent entering the building every year. Big large Freshman are coming, fast tough Freshman come every year from that part of town. Hartley kills Coffman Frosh every year now{ OK Just the last two } with a couple what looks like a couple 250 pound lineman and fast tough kids and talent in between .
We had to pick up someone else after our freshman shutout Pick Central two straight years. Yes. We get good kids coming in. A couple years ago we had a feeder school night against someone who had no band so it must have been Chucks. They had a little sprinting contest for the kids. I don't go to the grade school games, but we got to see some serious speed that night. They're probably freshmen now. St Pius. St Mary. All Saints. Pipelines for speed. We love those kids.
Not a small few Parish little engine that could program to be sure . They can beat many many D-1 teams obviously It is harder to win state titles at the D-3 level for them to be sure , but they are where they should be division wise.
Agreed. It's good for the kids to play higher level of competition. No disrespect to Central Crossing and Kilbourne, but they didn't match up well.
Hartley booster{ s} will come
That's me. For life. I won't deny it.
at me thinking this is disrespectful for some reason to say they are getting more talent to the school as if that's a bad thing. IT'S NOT , it enables them to blow out some teams on their schedule that they used to win by closer margins vs and it enables them to beat a team like Gahanna tomorrow night and schedule tougher teams. I believe they have a great chance to win a state title this year which will only help get them even more talent in the next few years. I am on record as saying a find Burchfield who I think has built an outstanding program a bit too sanctimonious for my taste has whined a bit at times
I've been watching and listening to the guy for 10 years. He never whines. It's not in his personality at all. He observed that the top recruited athletes at DeSales were transfers and that's a fact. Guys like Smalley, Purpura, and Ulrey are going to ask that question. It's a legitimate question. Burchfield doesn't raise it himself. He just answers honestly. And we're not a mercenary school. If some dad brings a sophomore to school to shop him with the football coach, Burchfield is going to be straight with him. He's got to earn his spot on the roster like everyone else. He's not going to make promises to the kid and family. That isn't what we do. And he isn't the least bit sanctimonious when he says so. He's just making sure that everyone knows the expectations. He does make the sign of the cross a lot during games. I'll give you that. But he's a faithful Catholic guy. He goes to daily Mass several times a week, because I've seen him there. But so did Urban Meyer, and there's nothing wrong with having a strongly rooted faith foundation.
and with the talent he gets he probably doesn't have to . Since moving up from d-5 and D-4 they get better players over there PERIOD! That is a good thing .
I think if you look back at the program history over the last 10 years, you'd have to honestly say that we had some pretty good players in the past as well. Matuska played at Notre Dame. Saxton played at Duke. Morris at Kent State. All great players and a bunch more nobodies who just gave their all. Good guys like Thomas Casimir. He was never going to play college ball. The coaches at the next level were going to rate him as middlin' and too small to play offensive line anywhere. But he worked his tail off at Hartley and played beyond himself. However, being a resident of Pickerington I object to your theory about "better" players. They flock to the Tigers. And they're all moving in from the same Hartley territory - Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Independence, Walnut Ridge, etc. But we won't complain about the kids we get or their skills on the football field. There's no doubting the talent.
Speaking of Gahanna , NO ONE , and I mean NO ONE in public school circles plays a tougher schedule than these guys do. Start off with Elder with a huge O-line and a solid experienced team , then go to Coffman who has a lot of skill kids and a fast defense and a regional title contender , Hartley who may win a D-3 title and has a lot of horses , they get a 'breather" with New Albany next week before getting a very solid and talented Westerville Central team, then the best team in CO in Pick Central then a very physical talented R-Burg team? WTF, BRUTAL . Does anyone play a tougher 7 games?
Gahanna is good enough to get some things done on offense here but I have to wonder even after just two weeks if they are a bit beaten up? I am not talking injuries as I don't think they are going to be missing a ton and i saw kids go down last week but come back or were just shaken up , BUT I mean mentally as well as physically. Have given up over 40 in both games against two excellent D-1 teams and now face may be the best D-3 team with weapons that may be rival Coffman's especially without Drennan who warmed up but didn't play and Elder who is offensive line driven.
Fleming , Sawyer and January are a great trip . Fleming is at QB but won't play that at Minnesota next year as he is a D-1 'Athlete " but not a QB .Receiving corps is missing a key guy I think and isn't as polished or dangerous as the backs are.
Agreed. We could use some taller receivers. We had a couple legitimate holds on sweeps last week where the little guy on wideout lacked the strength and leverage to put clean blocks on DBs and LBs. He'll learn.
Hartley is going to be a bit more fresh physically as they haven't played nearly the same level of competition so far as Gahanna has. That means they will see more athletic talent than they have seen so far to be sure so that will be an adjustment but they will be may be a bit more ready physically to go at Gahanna .
Yeah. Nothing counts like the real thing, but we have gone to more of an OCC approach to scrimmages. That makes perfect sense for a schedule that includes pretty big teams from Gahanna and Austintown-Fitch. Looking forward to see how we do against this team.
Fundamentally this is a good match-up for Hartley who is run based with a excellent backfield including the QB who can really run . Gahanna gave up big runs on sweeps last week , one with the RB Diallo on a straight power sweep and two receiver in motion more jet like sweeps that went the distance from distance . Hartley has the personnel and a good enough O-line to gash the Lions at times no question .
Agreed. The offensive line is looking great, and they've seemed to have gelled quicker than some have in the past. And we have some decent size there with future all-state and likely D-1 prospect sophomore #86 Daniel Tooson (dad is Kevin Tooson who coached 14 years at Northland if you follow city schools and thought the name might sound familiar.) And junior #78 Jake Skelly who is being actively recruited by Cincinnati and Maryland for sure. Great kid, textbook frame, good hips and feet. His dad coached my youngest daughter in hoops and had a Bobby Knight intensity in coaching. His kid looks to play with the same level of drive but so far hasn't grabbed a metal folding chair and threatened to throw it at a ref like dad did, ha ha. The offensive line is key to a long drive come playoffs season, so we hope they stay healthy.
The crux of the matter for Hartley is , can they adjust to a better level of competition quickly and early on ,with their defense especially being tested by a very talented Running back in Whitaker who I was very impressed with and who played tough going both ways , taking many blows but dishing them out as well and smooth QB Thomas who throws the ball well and has really improved his passing skills from last year and can run with the ball as well .
So far the OCC opponents we've faced have played with zero intensity assuming that D-I > D-III. Some of their guys are going to be shocked at the minor league guys laying down some serious wood in this one.
The weather will be disgustingly humid and warm tomorrow, chance of rain as well. Depth will be an issue for some teams in these conditions . Both teams I believe have the same amount going both ways . One of the keys will be and one that may decide the ballgame is Gahanna 's ability to stop the run as Elder went for over 400 and Coffman had over 300 on the ground.
If I was Gahanna I would sell out to stop the run and force Hartley to beat you in the air
I'm hoping that's the plan. Load up the box and run blitz. Lunkster is the only team on their usual schedule still playing midget ball. And Hartley isn't a vanilla wing-t team. Gahanna has a reputation for getting out-coached. I think that's going to happen again.
and if I was Hartley's staff I make Gahanna drive the field slowly and make them earn every bit of real estate .Whitaker is dangerous in the flat out of the backfield and Thomas can spin it downfield to a nice group of receivers . Stillwell is a great punter for Gahanna.
I think we assume that Gahanna will match scores. Our goal should be to keep their defense on the field as long as possible. Wear them down. Get the O frustrated with the waiting to help cause mental mistakes. Basically the same game plan as the Steubenville games a few years back but with a bigger opponnent this time around.
Touch call great line by Cal Preps.
Hartley 31 Gahanna 20 - Narrow on the line but I think if Gahanna gets a second wind they can hang here. at least within the 12 point line.
I'm thinking more like 28-24, but I think you're right on covering the spread.[/QUOTE]
