Week 2 Elder(1-0) at Pickerington Central(1-0)

Who will win?


  • Total voters
    27
  • Poll closed .
 
IMO, as long as Elder avoids getting hit with a running clock, it’s a success. The Elder OL is way too small to hold up vs the massive PC DL. Also, expect Sonny Styles to make Ramsey a non factor.
 
IMO, as long as Elder avoids getting hit with a running clock, it’s a success. The Elder OL is way too small to hold up vs the massive PC DL. Also, expect Sonny Styles to make Ramsey a non factor.
Lol - ok pboy. PC is likely the better team, but it should be a competitive game.

PC - 30
E - 21
 
Watching Elder on tape they are a very sound team. Not the size of the 2019 state runner up team. But they are very athletic on both sides of the ball and very fundamentally sound. They run a very up tempo offense. QB for Elder is a very talented player. You can tell on film he is very aware of the defense and commands the offense to attack openings in the defense very well. Defensively Elder is very athletic. Swarms to the ball real well and plays within its scheme. Should be a great game.
 
IMO, as long as Elder avoids getting hit with a running clock, it’s a success. The Elder OL is way too small to hold up vs the massive PC DL. Also, expect Sonny Styles to make Ramsey a non factor.

Not much the DL can do if Hambleton gets rid of the ball in 2 seconds. Running the ball may be a problem. Elder might want to watch the state championship game from last season to see how X was able to tear apart the PC defense.

PC does lose a lot of pieces from last year's team. Elder can compete in this and pull of the upset.
 
Here is a nice preview of Pickerington Central courtesy of the Massillon Tigers website.

Pickerington Central Head Coach: Jay Sherrett
  • 19th season
  • Record at Central: Regular season 151-26, playoffs 40-15; total 191-41 (.823)
  • Named head coach in 2003 after Pickerington HS split into two schools, Central and North
Pickerington Central’s recent success
  • Division 1 state champion in 2017 and 2019; state finalist in 2020; regional champion in 2016 and 2018
  • 2020 results: 11-1 record; Division 1 finalist; lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier 44-3
  • Defeated Cincinnati Elder in 2016 and 2019, Mentor in 2017, 2019 and 2020, Huber Heights Wayne in 2016, Colerain in 2017 and Hilliard Davidson twice in 2018.
  • 21-game winning streak against public schools, second longest in the state in D1 and D2. Includes a pair of wins against Mentor. Last loss was in 2019 to Groveport Madison.
Pickerington Central key players
  • Olando Kamara: 5’-11”, 205 lb. running back
  • Kobe Asamoah: 6’-4”, 295 lb., senior offensive lineman; 3 star recruit
  • Alex Styles: 6′-4″, 215 lb. junior defensive back; 5-star recruit
  • C.J. Doggette: 6’-2”, 285 lb. senior defensive lineman / wide receiver; Honorable Mention All-Ohio; 3-star recruit
  • Kobi Gorman: 6’-0”, 260 lb. junior defensive lineman
  • Reece Brancifort: 6’-0”, 195 lb. senior inside linebacker
  • Tyler Gillson: 6’-4”, 245 lb. senior defensive lineman / running back; 3-star recruit
  • Dakari Frazier: 6’-4”, 245 lb. senior defensive lineman / wide receiver; 3 star recruit
Pickerington Central offense
  • Lost nearly the entire offense from last year
  • Unbalanced line
  • Run first
  • Quarterback under center, occasionally in shotgun
  • 1-back and 2-back sets; some double wing
  • Mostly power and zone blocking; some draw plays; some jet sweeps
  • Quarterback will have designed runs from the shotgun
  • Good sized line
Pickerington Central defense
  • Returns several very good players within the front seven
  • Secondary is new
  • 3-4 alignment
  • Press coverage on all receivers; DBs play back on trips
  • Inside linebackers play close to the line; one middle linebacker blitzes on nearly every play
  • Good size and team speed
 
Not much the DL can do if Hambleton gets rid of the ball in 2 seconds. Running the ball may be a problem. Elder might want to watch the state championship game from last season to see how X was able to tear apart the PC defense.

PC does lose a lot of pieces from last year's team. Elder can compete in this and pull of the upset.
Except that’s not Elder’s Offense. I’m not going to single any player out, but they’re way too undersized at certain positions to give Hambleton any kind of time to throw.
 
Watching Elder on tape they are a very sound team. Not the size of the 2019 state runner up team. But they are very athletic on both sides of the ball and very fundamentally sound. They run a very up tempo offense. QB for Elder is a very talented player. You can tell on film he is very aware of the defense and commands the offense to attack openings in the defense very well. Defensively Elder is very athletic. Swarms to the ball real well and plays within its scheme. Should be a great game.

After watching the game on Friday I would agree with this assessment.

My only concern is special teams. After watching CovCath's long kick returns, the snap over the punters head and a penalty for too many men on the field, I was having flash backs to last season.
 
After watching the game on Friday I would agree with this assessment.

My only concern is special teams. After watching CovCath's long kick returns, the snap over the punters head and a penalty for too many men on the field, I was having flash backs to last season.
I agree. There’s no excuse for the STs units to make these mistakes. They’ve had a full off season of practice. You can’t rely on Mauer to get every kickoff in the end zone. I’m also still not certain why Dugan isn’t their full time Punter. He has a stronger leg than Ramsey.
 
They will need to play a cleaner game than last week to beat PC. Those are some of the correctable mistakes I was talking about. They will figure out what went wrong on those kickoff returns.
 
I agree. There’s no excuse for the STs units to make these mistakes. They’ve had a full off season of practice. You can’t rely on Mauer to get every kickoff in the end zone. I’m also still not certain why Dugan isn’t their full time Punter. He has a stronger leg than Ramsey.
Ramsey is used as a punter when they want to give the punter an option to run. If you notice Ramsey rolls to the side then kicks. He is looking to see if he has a clear lane to get the first down and then kicks it. Elder is purely using Ramsey as a Punter to give them a much better option to run a fake punt. If I recall right, Ramsey only punted when it was 4th and short.
 
Ramsey is used as a punter when they want to give the punter an option to run. If you notice Ramsey rolls to the side then kicks. He is looking to see if he has a clear lane to get the first down and then kicks it. Elder is purely using Ramsey as a Punter to give them a much better option to run a fake punt. If I recall right, Ramsey only punted when it was 4th and short.
I have to reiterate how much I hate the rugby punt in general. Once the Punter breaks out of the traditional punting stance, he should be viewed as a runner, and should be able to get hit as such. All the roughing the punter penalties after he gets hit releasing the punt are bogus.
 
I think this game will be important to the rest of Elder’s opponents this year. In last years state game it seemed like Pick Central decided Liam Clifford was not going to beat them and everybody else torched them. Will they do the same to Ramsey and if so does Elder have anybody that can step up
 
I think this game will be important to the rest of Elder’s opponents this year. In last years state game it seemed like Pick Central decided Liam Clifford was not going to beat them and everybody else torched them. Will they do the same to Ramsey and if so does Elder have anybody that can step up

Harp and Kirch are big targets, both excellent basketball players. Hambleton can place it anywhere he wants it seems, he is that accurate. I would think you will see more targets to Harp and Kirch this week.
 
Harp and Kirch are big targets, both excellent basketball players. Hambleton can place it anywhere he wants it seems, he is that accurate. I would think you will see more targets to Harp and Kirch this week.
Kirch is going to have to stay in and block to help the OL.
 
PC by 6. Gotta love the does Elder have a chance post. No post yet about length of the bus ride from the Elder underdog loving fans?
 
PC by 6. Gotta love the does Elder have a chance post. No post yet about length of the bus ride from the Elder underdog loving fans?

I predicted Elder 24 Pickerington Centeral 21 on the main board.

You don't have any faith in the Panthers this week. Is the bus ride the reason you predict Elder to lose?
 
PC by 6. Gotta love the does Elder have a chance post. No post yet about length of the bus ride from the Elder underdog loving fans?
Travel is a factor, I’ve seen it many times. It’s ignorant to think it doesn’t have an impact, especially early in the game.
 
It’s very simple, Elder does not have the size in the trenches to stay competitive in this game. You can scheme and technique all you want, but at a certain point, it’s just physics. When there’s a 50 lbs + difference, there’s not much that can be done. Also, Styles is going to take Ramsey out of this game. And with no true run game, Elder needs to get their other WRs involved.

I just don’t see how Elder can keep this close. And I’m not sandbagging or being overly pessimistic, it’s just my honest opinion.
 
There has never really been a time when elder can’t beat a team on their schedule. I think Pickerington is probably a better team, but Elder can certainly win this game or any other game on their schedule.

This will probably be their second toughest game behind Saint X. But the difference is not as drastic as pee boy is making it out to be.
 
I know Elder has played them several times, bu I'm not sure how much PC's style of offense changes from year to year, but they were a slow-moving ball control offense that 2019 season. Now Elder had more offensive firepower that season, granted some of the guys were banged up (Ramsey, Vollmer), but they were only able to put up 14 against PC. I think they'll have more success moving the ball being that it's early in the year, but if PC wants to play ball control then Elder will have opportunities to create turnovers and steal the game. They're definitely the underdog, but they're not going to get the doors blown off like some seem to believe.
 
I know Elder has played them several times, bu I'm not sure how much PC's style of offense changes from year to year, but they were a slow-moving ball control offense that 2019 season. Now Elder had more offensive firepower that season, granted some of the guys were banged up (Ramsey, Vollmer), but they were only able to put up 14 against PC. I think they'll have more success moving the ball being that it's early in the year, but if PC wants to play ball control then Elder will have opportunities to create turnovers and steal the game. They're definitely the underdog, but they're not going to get the doors blown off like some seem to believe.
I just don’t see how either line for Elder can hold up the entire game. There’s too much of a size disparity on both sides. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see how they hang around in this game. I don’t see a single advantage except maybe QB.
 
I just don’t see how either line for Elder can hold up the entire game. There’s too much of a size disparity on both sides. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see how they hang around in this game. I don’t see a single advantage except maybe QB.
Win field position. Win time of possession. Win turnover battle. Have fewer penalties than PC. They do all those things, they'll be in a good spot in the 4th Qtr.
 
Win field position. Win time of possession. Win turnover battle. Have fewer penalties than PC. They do all those things, they'll be in a good spot in the 4th Qtr.
To win FP, that means you need to have better STs. Mauer is a weapon when he boots KOs into the end zone, but if they’re returnable, the Kick Cvg is not up to par. Same with Punts.

Again, I hope like hell Elder wins but I don’t see any logical way they can even be competitive over a full game. Someone, please give me a reason to believe they can.

Im sure Elder will have a well constructed game plan, but that’s only takes you so far. Talent, size, speed, strength mean a lot more than some of you want to admit.
 
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