CB West vs CB South

[bucksftball]

Looks like a perfect night for football with the rain holding off until after the game, if the forecast holds. I'd expect another overflow crowd at War Memorial as the rivals meet for the second time this year. This is now the fifth playoff game in the past two seasons for the Bucks that is a rematch of a regular season game. Bucks are 3-1 in those games, with the loss coming to GV last year in the district final. South comes in off a win over Spring-Ford where they ran for 350 yards and only threw one pass. That game could have been closer if S-F hadn't attempted a long lateral pass on the opening kickoff that went for a South TD, but S-F had no answer for South's run game. West squeaked by GV in OT while running for 351. GV attacked the West flanks all game, almost no dive / double dive / trap. Mainly veer keep and triple option. West needed an all-time great performance from Cooper Taylor to survive.

Storyline is pretty simple, who wins the line of scrimmage? South will have a very big size advantage up-front again (more so this time as West lost an all-league DE to a hand surgery last week), but West will counter with the quickness of their DTs and the guards on offense. Cooper Taylor vs Owen Pinkerton at QB and Ryan Clemens vs Anthony Leonardi / Corey Moore at HB. Devin McGowan for West has filled in admirably for McFadden in the slot, but West really misses McFadden on the defensive side of the ball.
South has gotten back their OLB Jim Wade, the Arch Wood transfer, after missing a few weeks.

Really hard to make a strong case for either team. If you're a South fan you're looking at a depleted West squad and thinking you now have the advantage and can eventually wear them down. West will bank on playoff experience and a slight edge in the skill positions. (not to knock South's guys, they have a LOT of talent on the field) It's cliche, but turnovers, penalties and special teams probably decides this one.

 

[CAMoleskinner]

Bucks -

Nice overview. If I were there I definitely be in the stands for this one.

Good luck to both squads.

PS If South hadn't been split off a few years ago do you think West would be a monster or what?

 

[bucksftball]

PS If South hadn't been split off a few years ago do you think West would be a monster or what?

Well, we'd have two HSs (East and West) roughly the same size as Neshaminy and Pennsbury. With the right staffs, they should both be perennial District 1 contenders. With Rowan at West and an expanded roster of athletes, I have no doubt that they'd be a state power every year. As much as this area has gentrified, it still produces a ton of good football players. They might have fewer top players leaving for privates, and instead lose more mid-level kids who see that they might be stuck behind studs and struggle to see the field.

Just the idea of half of South's roster on this existing West team... you'd certainly be two platoon with studs at almost every position.

 

[HSFB99]

I’m staying on the West bandwagon. I think these teams are evenly matched (maybe a slight edge to South given West’s injury situation), but I believe West holds the coaching advantage. They did a great job presenting new/unique formations to open up their rushing attack against GV. I expect more of the same. Although both teams will rely primarily on their running game, I expect a bit of a shoot-out. Whichever team can come up with two or three stops will win. I’ll take West 35-28.

 

[newport]

Watching Springfield/Strath Haven stream and they said South was up 14-7 after 1. No details. Just the score they said

 

[HSFB99]

It’s still 14-7 at the half. South has outgained West 211-90 yards. West gets the ball coming out of halftime. West has only run 15 plays on offense to South’s 35 (it doesn’t help when both teams are running the ball every play; no clock stoppage). It was 14-7 at the end of the first Q with both teams scoring every time they touched the ball. West came up with a huge 4th down stop around their own 40 yard line. This should come down to the wire.

 

[HSFB99]

21-7 CBS. West fumbles on first play from scrimmage. South capitalizes with a 40 yard TD run. West has had no answer for South’s RB.

 

[HSFB99]

28-7 South in the 3rd. This one’s over. South’s RB already has well over 200 yards.

 

[HSFB99]

35-7. Another 40 yard TD run from South’s RB. An all time performance by him.

 

[solfootballfan]

South has a great run game and they’ve done this before. Besides the cracks showed the last couple weeks.

 

[HSFB99]

I was dead wrong. West struggling to stop GV’s run game certainly should have been a tell. Their defense has struggled the last few weeks.

 

[HSFB99]

I saw the South RB ended the night with 23 carries for 301 yards and 3 TDs.

 

[solfootballfan]

I saw the South RB ended the night with 22 carries for 281 yards and 3 TDs.

I like South’s matchup against DTWest.

 

[bucksftball]

There will be time later for a full post-mortem… but South was by far the better team tonight. They were able to take advantage of their big size advantage and just bully West. Bucks ran out of steam this week. Credit to the West kids for a fantastic run.

 

[HSFB99]

South ended up with 57 rushes for 457 yards and 6 TDs. Their rushing attack is clicking on all cylinders right now.