Week 13: Lakota West

R

ReLoad

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What: Round 3 of the R4 playoffs

Who: Bombers (10-2) vs Firebirds (10-1)

Where: Princeton HS

When: Friday 11/12 7pm

The Bombers are 4-0 all time vs LW winning 44-3 in 2006 1st round, 34-0 week 1 in 2018, 10-7 in last year’s R4 final and 31-14 in this year’s home opener.
The 2 coaches (Specht and Bolden) have squared off 22 times since 2007 and Specht holds a 12-10 advantage.

Since losing to the Bombers in the home opener, the Firebirds have not been challenged winning their last 10 games by a combined score of 384-92
 
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Offensively Lakota West is led by junior QB Mitch Bolden (6’1” 180lb)
In the opener he ran for 81 yards, completed 8 passes for 103 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs.
His season game averages are 50 yards rushing, 150 yards passing and a 63% completion percentage.

The top rusher is senior RB Cameron Goode (5’11” 205lb) who averages 80 yards/game.
The Bombers held him to 7 yards on 13 attempts in week 1.

Their leading receiver Trent Lloyd (45 catches for 565 yards and 8 TDs) did not catch a pass against X earlier this year.
The rest of the receiving corps is 3 2-way players corner Jyaire Brown and safeties Alex Afari and Ben Minich combined for 800 yards receiving

The OLine boasts a pair of monstrous senior tackles in Ohio State commit Tegra Tshabola (6’6” 310lb) and Lathan McComis (6’5” 274lb). McComis has offers from Butler, Wofford and Findlay
 
Firebird Defense (Game Averages: 95 yards rushing and 79 yards passing)
RE #99 Bryan Henderson Sr. 6'1" 260lb; 42 tackles and 4.5 sacks; Buffalo commit
NG #32 Owen Kauffman Sr. 6'1" 210lb 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks
LE #90 Elijah Davis So. 6'2" 260lb; 38 tackles and 5.5 sacks
OLB #11 Jacob Asbeck So. 5'11" 170lb; 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks
MLB #23 Aden Miller Sr. 6’0” 210lb; 80 tackles and 2 INTs
OLB #34 Mike Brankamp Jr. 6'0" 225lb; 21 tackles
FS #2 Alex Afari Sr. 6’2” 196lb; 46 tackles; Kentucky commit; also WR and KO returner
DB #9 Malik Hartford Jr. 6'3" 180lb; 43 tackles and 2 INTs
DB #13 Ben Minich Jr. 6'1" 175lb; 41 tackles and 1 INT for TD; also WR and KO returner
CB #1 Jyaire Brown Sr. 6’0” 165lb; 8 tackles and 4 INTs; Ohio State commit; also WR and Punt returner
CB #21 Joshua Fussell Jr. 5'11" 170lb 29 tackles and 4 INTs

Asbeck (for Sparnell) and Brankamp (for Jones) became starters after the StX game.
Asbeck Week 2 and Brankamp Week 7

Also new to the lineup since week 1 is Hannah Duncan, a female place kicker (1/1 FGs 27 yarder and 27/28 XPs)
lwhspress.com

Athletic Spotlight: Hannah Duncan

Hannah Duncan, a sophomore, has been the kicker for her football team since 8th grade. First inspired by the small number of girls that played football, she “wanted to show people that football isn’t just for guys and that girls can do the same as guys.” Hannah is currently kicking for the...
lwhspress.com
 
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ReLoad said:
Firebird Defense
CB #1 Jyaire Brown Sr. 6’0” 165lb; 8 tackles and 4 INTs; Ohio State commit; also WR and Punt returner
FS #2 Alex Afari Sr. 6’2” 196lb; 46 tackles; Kentucky commit; also WR and KO returner
LB #23 Aden Miller Sr. 6’0” 210lb; 80 tackles and 2 INTs
S #11 Jacob Asbeck So. 5'11" 170lb; 52 tackles and 5.5 sacks
DB #9 Malik Hartford Jr. 6'3" 180lb; 43 tackles and 2 INTs
DB #13 Ben Minich Jr. 6'1" 175lb; 41 tackles and 1 INT for TD; also WR and KO returner
CB #21 Joshua Fussell Jr. 5'11" 170lb 29 tackles and 4 INTs
LB #32 Owen Kauffman Sr. 6'1" 210lb 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks
LB #34 Mike Brankamp Jr. 6'0" 225lb; 21 tackles
DL #90 Elijah Davis So. 6'2" 260lb; 38 tackles and 5.5 sacks
DL #99 Bryan Henderson Sr. 6'1" 260lb; 42 tackles and 4.5 sacks; Buffalo commit

Asbeck and Brankamp became starters after the StX game.

Also new to the lineup since week 1 is Hannah Duncan, a female place kicker (1/1 FGs 27 yarder and 27/28 XPs)
lwhspress.com

Athletic Spotlight: Hannah Duncan

Hannah Duncan, a sophomore, has been the kicker for her football team since 8th grade. First inspired by the small number of girls that played football, she “wanted to show people that football isn’t just for guys and that girls can do the same as guys.” Hannah is currently kicking for the...
lwhspress.com
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So, she's a threat to score, any time LW drives inside the 10-yard line then...

Not really the same threat as McLaughlin from Trinity posed (who was a threat to score, any time Trinity passed midfield).
 
I thought RDI was a possibility?? Lakota East is a crappy venue. Too bad Hamilton isn’t a consideration- that’s a nice stadium. Not sure how I would feel sitting on the home side at The Pit. If Dwire weren’t such a house of horrors for the Bombers, that would be my hope.
 
I heard the OHSAA is struggling with venues, so RDI may be in consideration. I could see this more for the Moeller- Princeton game though. Hamilton is a nice place, as is Mason, though that field has not been great to us. I'm guessing it ends up being at Mason- the Pit doesn't really have the visitor capacity and is a nightmare to get in and out of.
 
Playing West in August it was really hot. Have to think their two way players will have a lot more endurance for a November game.

Noticed Klare started playing some defense last night. Have to think he gets matched up on Alex Afari at times.

This is going to be a war.

I see Moeller - Princeton being played at Mason and the StX - Lakota West game maybe being played at Princeton.
 
College#19 said:
Noticed Klare started playing some defense last night. Have to think he gets matched up on Alex Afari at times.
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Matched up with Harp 3 times, the time they threw his way he would have had the INT but collided mid air with Anderson.
With Afari's speed he'll need Anderson or Kirk to cover the deep route
 
WR Terrell McFarlin's 1st quarter TD reception gives him 14 for the season
This is a new Bomber single season record breaking Liam Clifford's 13 set last year.

QB Brogan McCaughey's 3 TD passes vs Elder gives him 31 TD passes for the season.
This is a new Bomber single season record breaking Marty Mooney's 29 TDs set in 1999
McCaughey has thrown 257 passes and just 2 have been intercepted and he has yet to be sacked.

RB Charles Kellom's 4 TD performance last night gives him 43 TDs for his career.
This ties Scott Sollman (1990-1992) for 3rd place all time
The career leader is Darius Ashley (2005-07) with 64 TDs followed by Steve Sollman (1997-99) with 58.
Kellom is 118 yards short of 3,000 total yards for his career.

PK Mason Rohmiller’s 6 XPs vs Elder gives him 215 career points, closing in on Danny Milligan’s 248 and Kevin Kerr's 246
 
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Firebird Offense (Game Averages: 159 yards rushing and 162 yards passing)
QB #7 Mitch Bolden Jr. 6’2” 190lb; 155 yards passing and 53 yards rushing
RB #25 Cameron Goode Sr. 5’10” 215lb; 79 yards rushing and 12 yards receiving
WR #4 Trent Lloyd Jr. 5’11” 180lb; 63 yards receiving
WR #13 Ben Minich Jr. 6’1” 175lb; 22 yards receiving
WR #2 Alex Afari Sr. 6’3” 200lb; 20 yards receiving
WR #1 Jyaire Brown Sr. 6’0” 175lb; 31 yards receiving
LT #77 Tegra Tshbola Sr. 6’6” 300lb
LG #55 Eric Cifuentes Sr 6’5” 240lb
C #72 Tony Curtis Jr. 6’0” 240lb
RG #52 Kaden Fletcher Jr. 6’2” 225lb
RT #73 Lathan McComis Sr. 6’3” 270lb
 
College#19 said:
Alex Afari is a beast, STX needs to be able to neutralize him.
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Yes, Kentucky is getting a helluva player. He rarely leaves the field.
The LW pass defense holds teams to an average of 79 yards per game, 5.4 yards per completion and QBs to 46%.
In 12 games they have allowed only 3 TD catches while recording 24 sacks and 14 INTS.
It's by far the best defense X faced all season with St. Ignatius a distant second.

The StX offense had their lowest output in week 1 with just 113 yards passing and another 104 on the ground.
McC had plenty of opportunities to tuck the ball and take off because they dropped everybody into pass coverage.
He had his highest season numbers for rushing attempts (8) and yards (41) in a game

Down 14-10 at the half, the pic 6 by Lyons turned the tide.
Hopefully the offense has a better showing this Friday
 
ReLoad said:
Yes, Kentucky is getting a helluva player. He rarely leaves the field.
The LW pass defense holds teams to an average of 79 yards per game, 5.4 yards per completion and QBs to 46%.
In 12 games they have allowed only 3 TD catches while recording 24 sacks and 14 INTS.
It's by far the best defense X faced all season with St. Ignatius a distant second.

The StX offense had their lowest output in week 1 with just 113 yards passing and another 104 on the ground.
McC had plenty of opportunities to tuck the ball and take off because they dropped everybody into pass coverage.
He had his highest season numbers for rushing attempts (8) and yards (41) in a game

Down 14-10 at the half, the pic 6 by Lyons turned the tide.
Hopefully the offense has a better showing this Friday
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Agreed that West is the best defense X has faced and probably will face. The two biggest differences I see in the X offense from then to now is the run game being more relied upon and the QB trusting the other weapons more. The run game has allowed for some deadly play action and misdirection- I haven't seen another HS team run those better. Wassler, Eary, and Farrar have become more dangerous every week, and could have key roles Friday.

I still don't have much fear of the West offense. The two scores they had in the first game were on short fields, and looking at their stats I'm not seeing a lot of improvement. I don't think they had 250 yards total against Colerain, and overall they were 4th in overall offense in the GMC.

I think the game plays out similar to the first with it being close early, and X eventually just wearing out the West line. Let's remember that X defense is pretty damn good too, and has faced better offenses all year.
 
bomberinmonroe said:
I still don't have much fear of the West offense. The two scores they had in the first game were on short fields, and looking at their stats I'm not seeing a lot of improvement.
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This is the discussion/argument we've had on Yappi multiple times over the years.
The advantages/disadvantages of a difficult schedule vs a soft schedule
Maybe the West offense hasn't evolved/improved because it has not been challenged since Week 1.

I started a thread early in the season that this year's StX schedule may have been the weakest in over 30 years.
Did this season's strength of schedule hurt, help or have no effect on the Bombers improvement over the course of this season?
Is the fact that X was only in 2 close games, both of which were lost, going to hurt in the post-season?
 
ReLoad said:
This is the discussion/argument we've had on Yappi multiple times over the years.
The advantages/disadvantages of a difficult schedule vs a soft schedule
Maybe the West offense hasn't evolved/improved because it has not been challenged since Week 1.

I started a thread early in the season that this year's StX schedule may have been the weakest in over 30 years.
Did this season's strength of schedule hurt, help or have no effect on the Bombers improvement over the course of this season?
Is the fact that X was only in 2 close games, both of which were lost, going to hurt in the post-season?
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I would say that X's schedule although not as tough as years past, was tougher than most anyone else they will face in this region. Wins over Moeller, Lasalle, Lakota West and Elder say it all. Although Moeller Lasalle and Elder aren't as tough as they normally are look at what they have done when playing against the GMC and other conferences. Ultimately the playoffs will be about what we show up and do that particular day. if the defensive backfield can perform at a decent level we will be fine. If they get burned consistently it will be a problem. The offense is finally starting to use all of its weapons. Another key will be whether Coverdale takes what teams are giving him or decides to get sexy and want to win a certain way. This team can run the ball and throw the ball so he will need to assess the situation and exploit what the team is giving him. i.e if West chooses to drop 8 into coverage make them pay on the ground and let Brogan know it is okay to take off get what he can get and get on the ground. Don't force the ball into coverage. Keep the chains moving. just my two cents
 
2020Dad said:
I would say that X's schedule although not as tough as years past, was tougher than most anyone else they will face in this region. Wins over Moeller, Lasalle, Lakota West and Elder say it all. Although Moeller Lasalle and Elder aren't as tough as they normally are look at what they have done when playing against the GMC and other conferences. Ultimately the playoffs will be about what we show up and do that particular day. if the defensive backfield can perform at a decent level we will be fine. If they get burned consistently it will be a problem. The offense is finally starting to use all of its weapons. Another key will be whether Coverdale takes what teams are giving him or decides to get sexy and want to win a certain way. This team can run the ball and throw the ball so he will need to assess the situation and exploit what the team is giving him. i.e if West chooses to drop 8 into coverage make them pay on the ground and let Brogan know it is okay to take off get what he can get and get on the ground. Don't force the ball into coverage. Keep the chains moving. just my two cents
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Agree completely. The opponents may not be what it has been, but it's certainly better than the GMC shelf full of tomato cans that West has faced.
 
I have heard a couple people say this. Playing guys two ways in August is really tough because of the heat. Playing guys two ways in November is a lot easier because they won't get as tired. Afari and Brown are probably faster than anyone X has playing on Defense. Even Hamilton was able to get their WRs behind StX secondary. I realize you can't throw the deep ball every set of downs but Bolden knows what everybody else knows, StX Defense is susceptible to the deep ball.

It is going to be a battle. I think StX wins because they simply have more high level players, but Lakota West is going to be ready to play and they have a lot of talent.
 
2020Dad said:
I would say that X's schedule although not as tough as years past, was tougher than most anyone else they will face in this region. Wins over Moeller, Lasalle, Lakota West and Elder say it all. Although Moeller Lasalle and Elder aren't as tough as they normally are look at what they have done when playing against the GMC and other conferences. Ultimately the playoffs will be about what we show up and do that particular day. if the defensive backfield can perform at a decent level we will be fine. If they get burned consistently it will be a problem. The offense is finally starting to use all of its weapons. Another key will be whether Coverdale takes what teams are giving him or decides to get sexy and want to win a certain way. This team can run the ball and throw the ball so he will need to assess the situation and exploit what the team is giving him. i.e if West chooses to drop 8 into coverage make them pay on the ground and let Brogan know it is okay to take off get what he can get and get on the ground. Don't force the ball into coverage. Keep the chains moving. just my two cents
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I hope Coverdale chooses the "sexy" route :ROFLMAO:
 
2020Dad said:
The offense is finally starting to use all of its weapons. Another key will be whether Coverdale takes what teams are giving him or decides to get sexy and want to win a certain way. This team can run the ball and throw the ball so he will need to assess the situation and exploit what the team is giving him
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I absolutely love the sexiness of Coverdale's offense over the past 3 years
But against LW's Power 5 level secondary in wet and windy conditions sexy didn't fare too well.

In hindsight a non erotic direct snap offense (sorry McCaughey) loaded with run blockers (starting OLine, plus Fogler and Eary) followed by various combinations of the best rushers (Kellom, McFarlin, Houston, Vrsansky, Napier and Eary) would have been a better choice.
Woody Hayes would have been proud.

Let's get back to the topic of Coverdale and the StX offense.
Hiring him in 2019 was one of the best off season moves in Bomber football history
His wizardry has given us offensive performances never before seen on Ballaban field by the home team.

Before his arrival Coach Specht's offenses (2004 to 2018) had been averaging 295 yards per game, 155 yards rushing and 140 yards passing.
For the last 3 seasons the numbers are 376 yards per game (127 rush, 249 pass)
That's a 27% increase over the previous 15 years.
The passing yardage has almost doubled while the rushing yards has dipped just a smidge

And it's been done in an aesthetically pleasing sexual way with multiple formations and schemes
Both the FOOLS and the skill players love playing in his system.
He!! Kirk Herbstreit moved his kid to Cincy just so he could be a part of it!

GO X!
 
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