Dublin Coffman 2019

Thank you sir . Wish I was heading up to Marion tonight , but’s it’s over the river and through the woods to Donnell Stadium I go
 
Think it will be an interesting matchup for sure . I do agree in the vane that if Coffman defense plays well they have a good chance .

No arm tackling wrap up hold on and get as many to hustle to the ball as possible .

Stay home on read optional and be disciplined
 
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Final plays and opinions on WEEK 12 games in some D-2 { one D-3} vs Pasteur Line

Hoban - 5 Mayfield- Bad line Hoban cruises 38 - 20

Anthony Wayne - 16 Olentangy - Another bad line - Tangy 31 AW 29

Massillon - 20 Mass Perry - Massillon 35 Perry 16

Harrison - 3 DeSales - SFD 30 Harrison 27

LaSalle - 17 Walnut Ridge - LaSalle 35 Ridge 13

Hartley - 9 Granville - Hartley 30 Granville 17

Safe travels and trips and good luck and good health to all

Go Rocks
 
irish_buffalo said:
Coffman by three scores.
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I've followed football as long as anyone on this site. Played and coached at a high level. Threats is an absolute stud. Not many backs have that 190 size and can stick their leg in the ground and get vertical like he can. He has "it". It would have been tough enough if Coffman had just him, but then you have to worry about Drennan, and then Williamson, and then Matthew's, and oh yeah, Diallo.

Two onsides kept the score closer than what it should have been.

Cannot believe OSU has not offered Threats yet. He is a beyond MAC back. And he has swag. On top of all else he is equally a stud defender.

Best of luck forward.
 
irish_buffalo said:
I've followed football as long as anyone on this site. Played and coached at a high level. Threats is an absolute stud. Not many backs have that 190 size and can stick their leg in the ground and get vertical like he can. He has "it". It would have been tough enough if Coffman had just him, but then you have to worry about Drennan, and then Williamson, and then Matthew's, and oh yeah, Diallo.

Two onsides kept the score closer than what it should have been.

Cannot believe OSU has not offered Threats yet. He is a beyond MAC back. And he has swag. On top of all else he is equally a stud defender.

Best of luck forward.
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Yes Buffalo , you read this space and as someone who has watched him
Up close all season I have been saying the same stuff about Mr Threats . Drennan again hurt? Didn’t play the second half . Diallo has a great run himself . Mathews isn’t half bad carrying the rock . Springfield has a great run defense , Rocks will need to pass next week . Few others dinged so hopefully they can go next week .

Defense held Banks under 4 yards a carry . Keller 5-25 passing . Were put in bad spots and did well . Wolfe in the middle and Williams was a beast and was being held all night ( tackled s few times right in front of one ref who never called it ) eventually the back ref called it and not the guy who was closest .

That guy should be finished for the year . Onside kick the first time was obvious off side On TW . Surreal 7 minutes or so . Game was 28-17 and Whitmer deep in territory . Pretty large gap but game was close to a real
Nail biter .

All Coffman has to do was actually get the ball . They did and pushed it out again . Keller was under pressure all night , ran the ball well at times , Banks ran hard but just not enough space . I don’t think Whitmer played anyone who was as capable of getting after them as Coffman was . ( TCC game was without Keller)

The defense played 7 Juniors and Junior Aj Kirk a Ohio State offer guy didn’t play all year and hopefully comes back next year . The defense will be really good next year
 
Great job Harry. Coffman appears to be peaking.

Bring it home next week!

Hoping for an all public final 4!

Mentor, Coffman, Pick Central & Colerain.
 
Thanks DDF , Appreciate the support , you guys beat Springfield 17-14 last year in the second round , and they have most back from that team and you guys were a veteran team so this game will be a tough one for the Rocks but they can win if they play their best game , don't have to be perfect but have to play really well . Davidson had a really good year considering just how many starters they needed to replace , really played to their potential overall which they usually do.

Springfield is a 7 point favorite on the Pasteur line and 8 with Cal Preps. Rocks have to step it up this week and play a clean disciplined game and of course make some plays when they need to . It's time to be a step up program, you've beaten teams that are as good as you before now it's time to beat a team many think is a little better than you are.

Pasteur had Whitmer a five point favorite , CP had it Rocks by 5 ,. What I saw was the Rocks were a solid two scores better and with their big plays won by more than that. Whitmer was physical had a few good guys on defense but overall the team speed of the Rocks was just a problem for them. Springfield is really fast so the Rocks will have to execute really well and hit them with the pass as they can be a bit vulnerable there.

Back in the day when a little kid there were only a few College football games on each week and the big games were covered a lot of the time by ABC and legend Keith Jackson and former Arkansas Coach Frank Broyles were the top announcing team. I was thinking about them a bit on Saturday watching the Rocks run by the Panthers. When there was a play where a guy turned the corner or beat a guy on a post of go route , Broyles would bellow at least once in every broadcast ,


" Keith Keith , thare is noooo substitute Fourrr Speeeed " Loved Broyles , Jackson was born to for the sole purpose of announcing sports , that guy was great . " Keith Keith he just turns the cornaaaahh , and then it's just a footrace, ' Thaaaha is just noooo substitute fourah speeed".

Coach Winters echoed that 'Coach speak " when he admitted after the game that a big key was his team simply couldn't match that speed at times and it helped result in those killer big plays which was pretty much al of Coffman's points.

Rocks Williamson got the ball rolling as I was literally walking to my seat , saw Whitmer return their kick deep in Rocks territory but a clip brou9gh that back . Threats was hard to handle , even when Whitmer got some penetration Threats still managed 3- 6 yards with quick jump cuts and using his balance and leaned forward for positive yardage. Drennan added about 40 yards on 4 carries himself working on sweeps lining up in the slot. IF he had played in the second half he would surely have gotten another 5 -6 touches and possibly broken one of them .

BUT and there is usually a but with him , the half was ending with the Rocks up 21-3 and in a position to score more but a couple penalty's pushed them back quite a bit and it resulted in them just running out the clock and in that last play Big DT Grier of Whitmer and Drennan i guess got in a verbal spat and it resulted in both being given off setting unsportsmanlike like penalty's. Now Grier had gotten one previously as showing his frustration just forearm shivered /shoved a Coffman O-Lineman after the play was done on a short gain . Grier was not having much impact early on and it clearly frustrated him and eventually he snapped a bit . He did make a play right after the penalty and posed and preened which made him look silly when his team was down three scores .

So the teams go to the locker room and we see Drennan pacing in front of the stands and then a guy was watching with said he saw him under the stands pacing , never going to the locker room with his teammates. Second half kick-off approaches teams are out on the field and he's not there. He shows up a minute later with his hand wrapped like a ball in a towel and never plays in the second half . I didn't see him hurt his hand on the field and he was out there right before halftime so what was the hand wrap about?

No idea , who knows , we never know actually . Do we see him on the sideline with a hand wrap as his teammates try to beat a good opponent to get the privilege of facing a great Mentor or St Ed's team in the state Semifinal or out there balling and competing against a really good defense showing people he has the goods to get the job done against this level of competition ?

Just when you think he is back and motivated he disappears again . May be he is really hurt and his hand was hurt on the field , watched every play and didn't see it but we can't see everything. Indeed we can't .


A far away play-off game like is a totally different feel to the normal say home game where I sit up higher usually as I like to see things develop from there . This type of setting so differs from the early season larger crowd great weather games. It's devoid of many students { disappointing }and other townies and long time fans are scarce. I'm right near the bench and can see and even hear the coaches and players in the heat of the battle. It's a small more intimate community of players parents and family some friends may be , coaches families , some band parents and some fans who loyally support the program.

It's cold and it's cozy and away from the hue and the cry and buzz you get from a well attended local rivalry game and early home games played in Summer like weather a much different experience. Big game but played far from home with only the diehards and family there. I like this experience like I did last year in Marion. The regional final in New Albany was much better attended but the game as well as the atmosphere wasn't a good as the second week's experience . Hopefully and i think undoubtedly there will be more people traveling the half hour or less to this week's game ,I hope the game goes well but the atmosphere and more communal feel won't be present.
 
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So Harry, settle the debate with the Toledo folks, I would never do anything but take 23 to get to Findlay but know you folks on the NW side have 33 as an (on-paper) better option. What is that drive like? Lots of small town slow-downs and stop signs/lights? Or is it pretty clear sailing? I've never been that way.

Looking at a map, I can't even begin to guess where your game is going to be played this week. Hoping Tangy gets a return to Tiffin. Fun to still be alive in week 13!
 
We went 23 because we were leaving from the Crosswoods area not home in Dublin . Went back the “ back “ way through Kenton ending up in Marysville and 33 . We saw Tangy spirit buses on 23 going to their game . 23 was a good way to go , farmland and quintessential Ohio rural landscape
 
All three possible routes from Dublin came out at the same basic time with the back way being more direct but getting stuck behind Aunt Gertrude on a single lane road made 23 the better choice
 
On to week 13 for 8 teams in D-1 and all the other divisions . Many of the teams still playing and preparing this week are used to this and are frequent participants in state quarterfinal games . Mentor and ST Ed's in R-1 , Colerain in R-4 , Pick C is R-3 are the most frequent . Coffman and Elder have some experience with this but less than the aforementioned programs . Groveport is in the play-offs for the first time in 12 years and have made the most of it edging Davidson by a point in a wild game wining it in the last seconds and Springfield has not been to the third weekend in their existence after they split S-Field North and South and made one HS.


A little change up has R-1 playing R-3 and R-2 playing R-4 next week. Ed's and Mentor appear to be the best teams and Mentor seems to have a very good defense this year after usually giving up more points. Is it that they have much better players on that side of the ball or the competition was not as good ? Yes they play the two Catholics each year , but how good is their league now? Pick C and other participants have close losses, a blowout loss or close wins. I do think part of it is Mentor strength and part of it after the first couple weeks is the opponents appear to be questionable in strength . Still think Mentor -Ed's winner likely wins the title , but wont crush the competition . Not worlds apart at all in terms of talent. Impressive and dominant un beaten regular season including two close wins vs two Catholics is damn impressive including all blowout type wins in other games.

Coffman has been to this point 7 times now in Coach Crabtree's tenure. A couple other teams clearly were good enough to get to the third weekend but were upset or the draw playing a state finalist was a bit earlier than expected . It really comes down a few things in terms of what Coffman has to do to win this game. First they have to clean it up , 4 turnovers and 80 yards in penalty's won't cut it at this level of competition . They will have to grind it out more , probably not as many big plays out there this week. Jerome had a long TD pass to make it 13--7 third quarter before Springfield started separating . Second they need to be a bit more focused and sound than their opponent . Alignment and assignment have to be superior . Can they focus mentally and do their jobs for the full 48? Can they be the more mentally strong team and make fewer mistakes?

Offensive line needs to keep being smart and being really sharp with the blocking schemes . You can actually use their defenses aggressiveness and pursuit speed against them and may be pop one. Threats doesn't need a lot of space , fanatical effort to get him at least some will go long way to trying to win this one. On defense really good teams do what they need to do to at least somewhat take away their opponents main weapon . I this case in the passing game is Stephens . Make someone else beat them . Also don't break a cardinal rule of defense and let them throw balls over your head , because they will try to on Friday. Make the really talented Soph. be precise , your coaches will put you in positions to make plays in coverage , you need to execute and catch the ball if it gets near you . Kid is really talented with a live arm but isn't always precise as most younger players aren't . . Give him a few different looks .


Offensively you are being told that you can't run the ball on this team ? OK well this team is good and the sledding will be tougher no doubt. Fairfield with McClain was a real challenge for them and I believe that Threats will be the next best guy they have seen at RB, McClain is a year older and more experienced at RB as is heading to Kentucky . Threats has a Kentucky among other offers as well. Threats may be a bit stronger physically but McClain looked slippery and strong on his feet in the film I saw of that 16-12 Fairfield win .

O-Line has to be consistent in scheme and blocking angles , it is a smaller unit than last year but really smart and can be effective if they play their game and are mentally strong and smart . Physically they need to go through the pain and just want to be fanatical in their desire to give the talented backs a bit of room which will be a huge key of course and been a staple of their success so far.


Throwing game will be another key in this one as you need to be a bit more diversified at this level of competition. Guys like Williamson of course who may be the guy they look to take away a bit , but also Hedderley Moriarty Chappa will get some targets and an X-Factor Yousey i thin will be a key. Yousey at about 6-3 can be a match-up problem in the middle of the field especially going against smaller Db's. He can use his strength and hands to make some key plays . He missed a few games and has bene a good soldier , a good teammate and an effective , blocker and his time could be this week . I am certainly rooting for this kid.

I don't mean to purposefully ignore Drennan's possible contribution , but the reality is and football is what some call a real 'Reality" type of sport which is that you need to deal in it to succeed , is simply assumed to be on the sideline where he is located more frequently than not .


Getting back to the players who will be trying to win . Mathews throwing to the aforementioned targets and think they need to roll him out at times using his athletic ability and his ability to throw on the run and also have plays deigned to get the ball out real quickly to negate the rush further.
 
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Coach Crabtree after the last regular season game made some good points about what dynamics are important in successfully advancing in the play-offs. He cited schemes , match-ups with opponents personnel wise, and health . Rocks will be solid in scheme , they have some decent match-ups personnel wise , but how is the health ? Rocks may be without their two most heavily recruited guys and OSU offers ,One definitely and one likely.

This is pretty much known and bene known all year, so there are a few guys who have sucked it up and played all year who could be banged up and their health is questionable. If at all possible these guys will go as they are high character kids . Rocks still have their best player who should go in Mr. Threats and his importance goes further than his playmaking ability on Friday nights. This kid gets it , he feels the brotherhood and craves it wants it, he LEADS, he is a great teammate , picks others up, have heard he is a great practice player, goes hard and focused in drills and is great in the weight room. Encourages his guys , his brothers. Win or lose Friday it has bene a great pleasure watching him ball out each week with heart and determination , be a great teammate and leader . Simply? he is already a Coffman legend with one year to go .
 
Harry - You've been pretty harsh and direct on the Dublin player, I'm personally not comfortable calling a player out on this forum but that's your choice and opinion. I do think one needs to keep in mind these are 16, 17, 18 year old kids who have to deal with personal and family dynamics - divorce, over barring parent(s), critics on forums such as this, social media, girlfriend issues, several other things. I don't know if the player has any of these, I wish him only the best. It is nice to hear Dublin has the junior rb, I have herd he is very good. Hopefully he is able to go to some football camps this summer and run a 4.5 forty if he hasn't already. You credit him with the intangibles (Encourages his guys, heart, determination, great teammate and leader) that are far more important for not only football but for life after football. Sounds like his future is bright. However, calling a kid whose played less than 20 varsity games a "Coffman legend" is a bit over the top. This could be part of the cause/reason a team gets a very talented player to become a primadonna. Let a player and the teams play speak for itself. Dublin reaching the Regional Final isn't anything the Coffman program hasn't done in the past and it's something that this team should have done, they are one of the two most talented teams in Region 2. Now, if they go on to win this week and make a State Championship game with the rb leading the way - then maybe you can start to put him in the Coffman Vince Workman category. Good luck to Coffman in wk 13.
 
Being a legend is not about numbers or stats really, I should have may be explained what I meant more fully. A legend is one who is remembered in a certain way. It isn't about magazine covers , number of offers or hype. it's about ATTITUDE , the kind of team member a guy is , how he will be thought of after he's gone . Threats is one of these guys whose work ethic, the type of teammate he is and his talent that will be remembered well after he graduates . This is a universal feeling among fans teammates and the coaches from what I hear.

I am aware of family dynamics and other issues that can affect kids . is there things that I don't know that is causing him to be on the sideline more than on the field? May be , but my feelings on this are pretty popular among people in the community. As I said life lessons are taught through athletics , some pupils take these lessons better than others and yes family pressures can affect kids actions or inactions as I have pointed out a few times . he's not a bad person , being a primadonna isn't an unusual dynamic in any team setting whether it's
athletics or other organizations . Threats if he even reads my thoughts isn't going to stop working or miss games trying to avoid getting hurt , that much I can assure anyone . Kids are slobbered over by college recruiters at times and written up in papers with praise from coaches. I am aware of over praising kids, but most praise of this kid isn't really just his ability. He isn't an unknown quantity with no recognition yet ,no need to be noticed this summer . It is a bit over the top probably after about 17-18 games i realized that when i typed it but it was the context that i should have explained better.


Some players are legends for their prowess and numbers , some are thought of partly for that but also for the people they are and the affect they have on the team dynamic . Legend is a premature phrase I realize because you don't become one until you're gone but I guess i am more or less predicting how he will be thought of and the example and leadership and how good a teammate he is will be a big positive part of his 'legend ".

I am well aware of how old HS players are , and i have been that age and played and went to school wit kids this age as all of us have , have seen a lot of things . I am not saying he is a bad kid , he isn't , he's a good kid , one that may be isn't being guided in the right way. He has played pretty damn hard when he is on the field , he has talent and i hope he makes a great college choice that is a fit for him and gets on the field and succeeds .

You say that over praise is a possible cause of someone becoming a Prima Donna? True statement it can be I suppose, but I also think that not being held accountable is also a problem . Lastly I have NEVER heard a coach in a radio interview show say that some players need to 'May be suck it up and deal with some pain or " It being mind over matter for some kids who are sitting out as Crabtree did after the UA game . We all know what he was talking about. Drennan could care less what I opine or anyone else , that's been established , he isn't playing if doesn't want to or is told by someone not to . The coaches can goad him , nudge him and even call him out but they can't make someone play. That's been established .

. Yes I am too honest sometimes
 
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-All of these things that I write about and mention can be summed up pretty neatly by the following thought. You know a common theme on say kids shows on Nick at night or Saturday mornings or on a sitcom is this . ' You have a responsibility to the group, the team, the whatever. ''The parent is saying something like 'You should really thin about not quitting, 'you should rethink this decision " 'the team is counting on you " " You will regret it if you don't give it a shot ", This type of stuff is pretty universal right? That's basically what I am talking about . In some cases the advice or the guidance is not this , it's may be the opposite?

Yes i am direct and honest and say things that many are thinking themselves, but life is tough , lessons need to be learned at some point . Is 18 too soon ? Only root for kids to do well , heck i felt bad for a few Whitmer kids just last week that had a tough night . Never call a kid out for not playing well or getting beat and I realize kids make poor rash decisions in the heat of the moment and should be allowed to screw up and learn without being crucified certainly but not trying and feeling above the team and the actions and inactions that show this mentality? Not being there for the team ? I have a hard time with this .

This is always a learning experience and the Coffman program has been a very positive experience for the vast majority of kids who are held accountable and are asked to take ownership and responsibility for themselves and their actions and inactions which is part of the big picture. and not being bullied and beaten down mentally . I leaned tough lessons at times , was coached hard, was called out and learned from it . That's life.


I certainly hope everyone who can play will play this week including the very talented Drennan , the team needs his contributions , will welcome them ,I am rooting for them and for him to finish his career in a positive way and winning or losing a game isn't part of this . Playing the game hard as your able and being a good teammate is what I am talking about. I hope 6 is an absolute kicker on Friday and shows everyone why he ahs al the college interest . He is capable . If not and the season ends, I will wish him well hope for the best in his future and still recognize good qualities and his efforts when on the field . You can only do and give your best , anything else comes after that . Growing up isn't easy , being part of a team can be difficult and comes with some struggle and issues along the way. Lets hope the things learned matter later on and the process continues going forward.
 
Weather looks pretty good for Friday, not as cold as last week so offenses shouldn't be affected much. As I was saying the Rocks have been to this round 7 times in Crabtree's tenure . In the first 6 they won two of them , so this team can set itself apart a bit from previous editions. A few teams have been as good or better and haven't made it past the first or second game. Match-ups , breaks , injury's among other things including good play from the opponents have derailed a few really good teams .

Team hasn't had the look I thought as I figured Bramonte would e at DE { Moved away } and Kirk would be a stalwart at Safety and he hasn't been with the team all season . But they have put together a good defense with what they have and they are playing a good handful of underclassmen boding well for next year. Springfield is a Senior oriented team with a few talented Sophs and Juniors as well. Springfield like the other newcomer to this level of the tournament Groveport has bene kind of building and planning for this year to be the 'breakthrough" year with strong Senior groups.


Very quick thoughts about all D-1 D-2 games with Pasteur line

Mentor - 4 ST Ed's - Mentor with real incentive and a very good defense , may be the best one statistically they have had . Coach swan song , if not playing Coffman I will root for Mentor to win it . That starts this week and Ed's is a huge obstacle . Tough to beat a good team twice in a season. Points look like they are worth taking. ??


Springfield - 7 Coffman - A lot of good athletes,. Tolliver and Threats are both excellent backs. S-Field has a bruising back along with the speed back and a stud receiver , and a very smooth Soph QB with a nice arm who can run . Line play is pretty solid. Spread is justified. Coffman will test them though. Springfield first time here but coach and some staff have known this level of the tournament which helps.

PC - 9 Groveport - Team that won is a 9 point dog? Losing I week 10 by 4 touchdowns to a good not great team who just missed the play=offs will do that to the numbers . PC put it on Orange but most week shave bene good rather than great. When they are on though? They can be really good. See them winning here unless they are sloppy like they were against Burg in round one.

Elder - 2 Colerain - better to be hot than great sometimes, Colerain defense really coming on and will be a tough out. the One game i have no idea where I may be going point spread prediction wise .

Massillon - 5 Hoban - Thought this line would be reversed a while ago , Hoban losing steam ? Winning streak in the play-offs in doubt?

Avon - 6 Avon Lake - great for that area, points are there to be taken ? Don't know much about these teams .

TCC - 20 Olentangy - Even if Tangy throws up on itself , the backdoor will be ajar with 20 ripe points? Largest spread by far, but having 5 losses no matter the schedule will do that including losing by A LOT TO Westy Central in week 10 . Can you not take the points here. ?

LaSalle - 10 Harrison - Have the feeling that Harrison will have trouble with a second Catholic team, surprising kicking of DeSales . 10 is a nice chunk , Harrison passing game solid.
 
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Week 13

The football play-off season or what I look at it as the third phase of the season . If you want to count the off-season strength and conditioning programs as the first phase starting in January it is the fourth phase. Camp, two a days, the scrimmage season and the first couple games with the new guys getting their feet wet is the next part. Weeks 3 through say 7 is really finding out what kind of team you have the identity , finding out what you do well and what weaknesses you have to improve on to get better. Play-off positioning is also part of this part of the season for some . Last phase is Senior nights the last couple games for some and trying to get ready for the play-offs if applicable .

Play-off football is a unique experience as I mentioned last week , it is akin to say the NCAA basketball tournament. You battle all year in front of some decent crowds early in the season , you play some rivalry games in front of good crowds , the weather is good, sometimes even too hot and humid , sometimes idyllic as the leaves change and may be a bit cooler but still real nice and conducive to a few more handfuls of people coming out to the stadium .

You then may be get a home game , or play one at the opponents place and may be the crowd is OK may be a bit thin , but possibly a good turnout. Second round you might have to travel a good distance to play . So that was Coffman's plight last week , an hour and half or so to get to the field. The game was played in front of family , a few friends may be but basically , parents of the team and some band parents , That's about it . You might a handful of neutral local yokels who like to watch HS football and play-off football .

In Coffman's case most of those local people probably sat on the home side with higher seating and more options and space. So it was parents basically. It was like the NCAA team who battles in the Big Ten or the ACC all year , played a conference tournament and got a decent seed . They then have to travel to a region further away and may get that 12.15 tip or the 1.20 tip with a sparse crowd on hand . It is your biggest game to date but there are very few of your fans in the stands , in those early games you can literally hear a smattering of unique noises and the shoes squeaking on the floor . Most bigger schools have their band playing and the basketball teams have their smaller pep bands as well giving them some home feeling and familiarity . The crowd for Coffman last Friday was what you may see playing an away game at say Westland .

I don't fault the students for not signing up to get on a yellow school bus for THREE hours round trip and sit in the cold for another 2 and a half hours . It is what it is , that type of involvement is dead and buried in the HS sports landscape. As a young kid it was never a question of not going to watch the HS teams play in tournaments it was a matter of who you were going with and finding a ride if needed.

This week the game is much closer , I expect to see what they now call a 'spirit" bus rolling across 70 for the short 30 minute trek. I expect there to be another couple handfuls of 'fans", the same parents will be there, probably more than made the trip to Findlay. Stakes are a little higher in this one, making the final four or what they call making it to States or playing in the 'state" tournament in this state kind of sets you apart a bit in terms of the level of success the season was. Springfield is here for the first time , ditto Groveport, Old hands are Mentor Ed's , Colerain and Pick C. Coffman and Elder have been here a handful of times in this era { 15-20 years} .

The competition gets stiffer, the yards may be harder to come by for many team this week but it is the competition that gets the juices flowing, the coaches know they need to be sharp, make quick adjustments , find other ways may be to get results . Time to make some predictions
 
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Week 13

Springfield vs. Dublin Coffman - LP line SFIELD - 7 CP S - 8

I opined that I thought the numbers would be 10 or a few less may be. That's where it fell . Having watched a handful of S-Field game tape on you tube this week I am impressed with their organization, their talent and their toughness. Their reputation is one of stud tough guys playing sound schemes with some real playmakers. The consensus seems to be Springfield is a bit too strong here . They will run the ball well and stop the run well. They certainly have the players to succeed and perform well in this game.


Smoot at QB the young Soph. is kind of smooth in a willowy type way, as he hasn't gotten his man meat yet. Slippery , and at times a deft passer with good tou9ch on the deep ball. He has a D-1 { Toledo?} Receiver Stephens who seems to get past people and has good ball skills . this is a huge concern for Coffman. Will they roll coverage and try to limit him and take their chances in man coverage vs their other guys? I think as I have said changing things up , some different looks might be a way to go as the young QB has had some bad throws I have seen on tape. You rattle the younger guy and you have a better chance at a turnover or two and victory as well.


Another Smoot is a bruising 220 pound RB who plays hard. REAL HARD. Hats to the ball . about 15 pounds or so bigger than Banks but his feet aren't as quick, HAVE TO GANG TACKLE this kid . Tolliver is a really good back and playmaker , 5-11 may be 190 or so ? He is a guy you want to limit in terms of letting him get started , take away as much space for him to operate as possible . He is a special teams monster as well , so I know the Coffman staff will proceed accordingly . Stephens can return punts really well They run a similar scheme offensively as Coffman does but throws the ball more and takes more shots downfield. Coffman will have to throw it more here as I am quite sure Sweet Mo and the defensive staff will try to take Threats and Mathews runs away or limit their usual damage

That will give the receivers { Williamson , Yousey , Chappa , Hedderly et al} some more room perhaps? Rocks will have to find match-ups that will work in the passing game. Move some guys around and use some formations or personnel groupings you haven't before . There is absolutely no reason not to use everything you have this week. l really believe that while Coffman is well known to NOT BE A TRICK PLAY team and offense this is the week that you can throw some wrinkles in and go for it.

Rocks need to step up their level and be able to concentrate and focus and play hard and fast for the full 48 . Nothing else will be good enough here . Relentless effort play after play no matter what happens . They have to play smart up front on the offensive line which is their strength , they know the blocking schemes are a smart unit who know exactly what to do and use the right angles and take the right initial steps to be effective . Can they do this consistently for the whole game?


I saw Wayne move the ball on this team quite well at times,. The Rocks have some personnel who can make some plays and I know the coaches have seen what match-ups might be ripe for success and yardage. I saw Centerville throw it well with their young D-1 Soph. QB Harrison . That's not what Coffman does offensively , they are more run oriented as we know , BUT you watch film to see what weaknesses your opponent might have in certain situations and certain modes of attack and you try to 'Copy" it a bit especially if you run basically the same type of offense of line up in the same way { One back , three to four wide } .

Springfield is a very good team, no question about it , but in no way should Coffman feel inferior or be intimidated to the point it affects your performance . It's funny that last week I opined that Whitmer had some 'tells in terms of their passing attack especially throwing into the middle of the field . Coffman coaches obviously saw it too as the Rocks had two picks had one called back and dropped another , all inside the hash marks, offensively I saw a few tings that I didn't mention for obvious reasons that I thought be utilized{ Mathews running after establishing Threats , screen game { Mixed results poor execution} etc.

I see some things with the S-Field defense this week that can be attacked , force them to make some adjustments may be? S-Field offensively I see some possible alignments and schemes they can use that will possibly confuse S-Field and may be force an error or cause them to make a physically unforced error because mentally they slipped a bit? it will be interesting to see if the Coffman coaches see the same things, I am quite sure they do .

I am going to take the 7 points here . The game really comes down to a few things IMO. Coach Steve Hale who has been real successful in the play-off the last 3 - 4 years is known to say 'How much do you want it, how much do you NOT WANT TIHS TO END , to keep playing , to have another week ? Are you willing to go through the mental and physical strain play after play for as long as you can. ?


Then it comes down to who is going to be a bit more focused , a bit more sound in what they do , whose going to be in the best positions to make plays and then make them ? What staff will make some quick adjustments on the fly and or notice something that they can exploit at the exact right time ? What player is going to step up and make a few difference making plays? Which team will take better care of the ball and be a bit sharper on special teams? Blocking and tackling goes without saying , who is a bit sharper ?

Lights get a bit brighter this week a few more fans than last week and a possible date in the final four? There are only 8 Big school programs practicing and preparing for a game this week and the Coffman Rocks and Springfield Wildcats are two of them . Which school wants to be one of only four still going to practice and preparing another week with their brothers ?

Does Coffman have a fanatical deeply focused performance in them ? I Hope so and think they do . Will it be enough ?

Coffman 23 - Springfield 21
 
Week 13 Cont.

One of the themes of Coffman's play-off games so far is the coaches saying there should be no pressure . I agree that at this point even a terrible loss wont ruin the season or make it a failure. But the no pressure doesn't mean no expectation to play smart hard and well. Fundamentals , play balls in the air , turn your head , limit their stars as best you can and play your azzes off isn't something that denotes pressure. If you play smart hard and focused , win or lose you can look in the mirror and be proud. It's all you can do , sometimes the chips fall where they fall no matter the effort you give or how well you play . All teams playing on the third weekend should feel a certain less pressurized way, but not laid back . It's the team that can respond to bad things that may happen best not affecting the next plays and the team that can take advantage of breaks as well .


Anyway sitting at 61-38 using the Louie line starting in week 4 season and 73-53 overall It's down to the last few weeks trying to finish strong


Pickerington Central vs Groveport Madison - LP Line PC - 9 CP PC - 1

8 Point disparity? PC rolled last week , I think that statement tells me that they think this time of year is THEIRS, they put it together and will now roll through to at least the state Semi's and then be a tough out at the least vs Mentor or St Ed's . GPM only runs the ball , they outplayed the tigers early in the season in week 4. Well earned deserved victory, not a fluke at all . So there is that evidence , but that was a long while ago . GPM escaped for dear life vs Davidson , a comeback of that type happens may be once in a lifetime . Liberty was banged up still and lost 35 Seniors last year, they were never a dominant team at any point of the season. They were tied with them until the last part of the 4th quarter .


PC is a different animal than Davidson and Liberty though. Staying with the Tigers and beating them in the 4th quarter while they are still one dimensional ? Revenge , focus, increased confidence and athletes carry the day here. GPM has some too don't get me wrong , and they have some horses up front who will battle well. But the bottom line is this is PC's time of year and while the Cruisers are a GREAT story , they aren't necessarily a great team which I thin would be necessary in this situation to get the victory.

Styles , Mosely and Crenshaw rule the day here and make a few plays that will spell the difference in a hard fought physical game. Venue is unfortuante, DeSales isn't the best place to watch a game, and I think at some point this won't be the best game to watch . Would back up the Brinks truck if I could get down on this using the Cal Preps line of PC - 1, but I an now loyal to Louie's line which has this at PC - 9

PC 24 GPM 9
 
Week 13 Cont.

Just reading the this weeks news sports staff predictions for the Regional finals. Most have Springfield beating Coffman, the consensus is that sentiment here as well . I'll grab the 7 points and of course I predicted a very narrow victory. [ Bias ? probably lol} Rocks need to play with a bit of a chip I guess as they get little respect .

Elder vs. Colerain - LP line Elder - 2 CP Elder - 1

Big back and two way player Jaylen Thomas is out after sustaining injury's in a car accident . Leading rusher and excellent two way player will be a big loss. Team is rallying around their fallen star and their defense is playing really well lately . Elder was crushed by this club last year but Elder may have been a year away last year . Does Colerain have depth to keep churning out yards? I think they can do a reasonable job, defensively they are playing so well I don't think they will collapse certainly.

Elder has their best team in a little while and they can move the ball in a balanced fashion. Colerain may be the sentimental favorite here from dealing with the adversity but I think Elder has a slight edge overall offensively but Stopping the run hasn't been a strength most of the year. Teams can and do overcome things and this sport being the most team oriented and a brotherhood, I think Colerain can use that emotion to their advantage and their defense can continue their stingy play.


Colerain 23 Elder 20
 
I know this is about a week late but I want to congratulate the Rocks. I'm a Whitmer alum, played football at Whitmer and have in the past couple of years become a fan and you guys are all class. I watched as your players, QB and RB, came over after the hand shake line and hugged Keller and Banks, utmost respect for your staff, team, and community after being at that game and watching the way you guys handled your business. Good luck tomorrow.
 
Thanks , your kids and staff and fans possess that same class . Rock players are good respectful kids , it's a very good group of guys and the coaches likewise. You guys fought back well and had us sweating in the 30 degree weather in that late 3rd very early 4th quarter . Also was impressed if I haven't mentioned in the space up above already with Grier after the Skirmish at the end of the half and getting a 15 yarder before that compete his butt off with no bullcrap involved. it's an emotional game kids are passionate like he is and things happen. He competed hard and with class the whole second half. Was very impressed with his bouncing back in that fashion . Keller didn't have it easy out there, a lot of pressure and eh competed his butt off until the very last play , ran hard and well at times. Banks also persevered when the sledding was tough at times and those two kids among others certainly earned any respect the Coffman kids gave them which I agree showed well on them .

Good luck going forward , love to see you guys do well going forward, it's a traditional play off team with a great record of success , good fan and community support is important.
 
No take on Mentor vs St Ed's Harry?? I'd love to see about 7 different games tonight between DI, DII & DIII. Sucks that they put them all on the same night!! Good Luck to the Rocks vs Springfield!
 
Thank you guys { USA Tiger A} , appreciate it. Going to be a challenge. You guys { PC} should roll as I wrote.

Week 13 Cont.

Have run out of time some last minute things I didn't think I would have but such is life in the Mid Major city . hers a lightening round of the remaining games I will take a stab at al using the Louie Line

Mentor - 4 St Ed's- Rooting for Mentor no question , hope they bag their title for the coach who built the great program. A title won't suddenly make him a great validated coach , he is already that , but it will be a tremendous feather in the cap. Think this one will be close , 4 points may prove helpful here . Classic ?

Mentor 31- Ed's 28


Massillon - 5 Hoban - Love Mass's QB and I think the Hoban streak comes to and end finally , they work hard and have a program that they are fanatical about without having a boundary to be concerned about a wealth of talent and a school committed to excellence in this particular sport in particular ? That sounds wrong. All good and even dynastically great things and long unbeaten in the play-offs streaks


Massillon 28 Hoban 20


LaSalle - 10 Harrison - Nice line here 10 is perfect? Harrison can sling it and will have a backdoor opportunity ? Not sure but Harrison is confident . May be not after tonight?

LaSalle 30 Harrison 17

Toledo CC - 20 Olentangy - Have written about this one on the game site. Respect Solis and his staff greatly , TCC has some studs as usual , but Tangy will keep running plays until the lights are turned off , stay fairly close here , rooting for them but TCC a bit too strong. Tangy with the cover

TCC 34 Tangy 23



Hartley - 5 Jack Alder - Too much January here, gets stronger as the game goes, JA has no answer at some point. Will hang but Hartley wins and covers here

Hartley 31 JA 17



Good luck to all teams still playing tonight , Rocks need to hustle every play , concentrate every play and play real hard smart and clean . Use all your personnel with a whatever it takes mentality . [Williamson at DB ?} Good luck fellas ball out and leave it where it should be , ALL ON THE FIELD. Fast , focused and relentless . GO ROCKS!!!
 
Real tough one last night. Not a lot of time as I am heading to South Bend today for the BC- Notre Dame game, get there early watch as much as the Buckeyes game as we can and head to the stadium. As usual I will be honest and type what I am thinking here. And I make a point to come right out after a loss .

Really frustrating loss for the Rocks who played really hard but as has been the case in their close games they simply didn't make plays with a game in the balance in the 4th quarter and as always the third quarter is a problem for them . They always lose momentum even in some wins and the other team makes plays either to make it closer or go ahead or get real close and then the Rocks recover get it together a bit but don't finish the job . Springfield deserves credit of course, really aggressive hard hitting defense as this was by far the most physical game of the year for the Rocks . Outgained the Cats 270 - 220 to round it off . No real big plays and Threats being hobbled probably had something to do with that .

Drennan hurt his hand not playing football last week , did it at halftime , you can fill in the blanks, but he had a cast on his hand and was a non factor as expected in this game and wasn't an unfortunate injury that made that so why he was out there as a decoy I am not sure because what was he going to do ? Catch the ball with one hand? . I think you guys are smart enough to figure it out bottom line and what everyone is thinking ? One carry for two yards was the final ledger for the game I am sure he feels badly for how it ended and I wish him well in making his college choice but this is what's up and what happened This isn't some secret or sole opinion it's just the well known truth of the matter. . Keys to the game were completely controlling most of the first half and only being up 3 . Drove the ball down deep poised to score a TD , moving the ball easily , they had not yet adjusted to covering the slip screen and the Rocks utilized it well.

Well they had a sure TD on a quick screen to Yousey with 4 blockers in front of him and one Springfield defender , his own lineman knocked him over . Kid was hustling pulling out trying to block , a really bad break but typical in these types of Coffman losses this year. Another thing that happened like clockwork was as the Rocks moved in territory most of the night , going more hurry up they had motion penalties EVERY TIME it seemed to negate a second and short . Well missed 30 yard FG to end the half was huge because at the end they would have only needed a Short FG to probably win the game , but instead got stopped short on 4th down at the 11 .

Anyway another key was a HUGE pass interference penalty that was criminal in it's importance . Third and long in Rocks territory a deep crossing route to Stephens was timed PERFECTLY by the corner arriving exactly at the same time as the ball and jarring it out of Stephens hands . Terrible call and a tremendous gift that in the end turned out to be the difference in the game ultimately . I am not saying that play lost the game for the Rocks because they had plenty of chances to rectify the situation but failed to . Another key was a perfectly set up play action pass that saw a Rocks receiver break free and clear by over 20 yard with about 5 minutes left , the pass was completed down deeper in Cats territorybut unfortunately it was a bit overthrown and the receiver had to take a dive for the ball leaving his feet making the catch but there was so much room and he was so wide open that you could have just thrown it put it on him and made him wait for it and he makes it into the end zone. 4th and two on the 12 eventually and they go jumbo but it was a long 2 and coach Crabtree admitted it may be was too long for that paly at that time against this opponent . But has been the case in every loss this year , key plays were not made when needed .

Threats still went over 100 yards total offense but his cry's were audible during the first series of the 3rd quarter rocks moving it towards mid field he runs for about 6 yards and sprains the ankle comes out the drive stalls . His absence on defense was huge as well as he couldn't play that side of the ball at that point at all . He missed some key plays getting the ankle wrapped and taped a couple times but still had some moments but it wasn't enough as he was reduced not being able to actually plant and cut as is his strength , no jump cuts or sharp cuts which against this level of defense was needed . This isn't being a homer , this is being completely honest and trust me the Springfield fans were thinking the same thing , Threats not being near 100 percent was HUGE , they had a real tough time handling him in the first half . Rocks problem was only being up 3 before he got hurt , I really believe if up 10 like it looked like they would be they win the game even with Threats being limited .

Springfield's Stephens was very good and made key plays Smoot the QB and Smoot the bruising RB were competitors and tough and talented, Tolliver was negated which is a credit to the Rocks . the defense was very good . They deserve credit for making stops and plays when needed. I'll have more thoughts in the next few days but have to hit the road jack . Congrats to the advancers last night , PC in particular , represent CO well next week . Called that game pretty well I must say. Rocks covered the spread like I thought but they didn't win a close one like I thought .Hartley took care of business being pushed , Elder had too much for Colerain as there big loss { RB - LB} was may be too much ? Lost that one .Mentor won a classic as I had the 4 points with Ed;s and won that one. Tangy was getting 20 lost by 21 , good season guys , they represented well .


Rocks left it on the field , just couldn't find a way to make that one or two extra plays . Showed grit and heart but came up short , a good handful of good and really good players coming back. Truth be told the Rocks would have had a rough time physically next week as I am sure Threats playing on the sprain would have made it hard for him next week and he is only one of many who weren't 100 percent , trainers room was a mash unit early in the week and the physicality of this game was going to be tough to bounce back from against a good Elder team . I and other fans and parents are really Proud of the effort and tenacity , laying it out there and even coming up short showed themselves well as tough high character kids . They got and earned the respect of Springfield that much I can tell you .
 
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