That Wayne team would lost 4 games in PR's section. No doubt. QB weak arm. Line was soft. They weren't physical anywhere.
Ohio is solid when it comes to HS Football and is one of the top 5 states. I would take Wayne from the last 3 seasons and say they would beat 99% of PA teams pretty good. This years team is way down but they are still a very good team. They did not show that in PA in week 1 but they ran into a buzz saw that day. It is all about Match-ups and I told you guys before the game that it was a nightmare match-up for Wayne. Wayne will not see a QB like PR the rest of the way.
Beat 99% of Pa teams . Utter nonsense !
I understand the matchup nightmare with Jurkovec. It happens to many teams. But that doesn't explain why Wayne didn't score. If they are scoring points against Ohio teams those teams are weak and soft because Wayne couldn't score against PR JV in the second half!
Wood and St. Joseph Prep just beat the top 2 ranked teams in New Jersey PA football is pretty damn good. As far as Pine Richland they beat one good team so far! They are very good but best team they played was just ok.Ohio is good no doubt about it. I am not judging Ohio on one game. But please stop the Ohio is the best, kind of talk. Not that you have said that but you are close with that 99% Wayne statement. I go back a long way and I am very familiar with Ohio football and Ohio HS fans. My wife went to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, I went to college in Ohio. They as a group like to chirp and pound their chest about how great they are. And how much better they are. I like your Wayne weekly updates, please continue to provide but don't think for a second that Pa's best couldn't line up and duke it out with Ohio's best.
Very dominant performance from the rams last night. Defense got back on track after Lebo and I don't think gave up a single first down to Senecas first team offense. Offense rolled as usual. Only shaky part was special teams on coverage, seemed like Seneca valley did their homework and they were trying to key in on thomas burns on the kick coverage. They got a few solid returns in.
Interesting match up coming up with penn hills, this will be penn hills first true test. They've been very hyped the past few seasons only to be very medicore, this year is no different. They have talent, a lot of speed and athleticism at all their skill positions, but in the past couple years haven't played well together. If they can play disciplined and if their line is solid this could be close, or this could be a typical penn hills team that will come in talking like they should be number one in the state and lose by 40. Overall based on their past three games, they haven't impressed me much beating plum 26-0 (bad 5A team), butler 54-21 (also will.be awful this year, my butler sources told me half the kids on the team don't even care about winning), and canon Macmillan 33-17 who aren't world beaters. The talent they have at their skill positions is very evident but I think if PR can play sound defense, limit penalties on offense, and run the ball on penn hills who's lines aren't great they can win by 30+. Hopefully Kenny white can be back for this but we will see.
Seneca Valley is not very good anywhere. I was expecting a little more from their defense, and their LB's in particular given how much hype they get. They start a new QB and he couldn't do anything, but he didn't have much help.
Penn Hills will be interesting. Lots of hype around what seems to be all their skill players. I would like to think that P-R's defense is better than Canon-Mac's, and Penn Hills QB won't throw for 470 like Lebo's. Likely that PH will make some plays but also likely that they will give up a lot more. Maybe new coaching staff can make a difference though.
Key's to game to me are if PH can actually hold P-R offense under 42 for the game, and if P-R can tackle QB when he gets flushed from the pocket to get off the field on 3rd down.
Ohio is good no doubt about it. I am not judging Ohio on one game. But please stop the Ohio is the best, kind of talk. Not that you have said that but you are close with that 99% Wayne statement. I go back a long way and I am very familiar with Ohio football and Ohio HS fans. My wife went to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, I went to college in Ohio. They as a group like to chirp and pound their chest about how great they are. And how much better they are. I like your Wayne weekly updates, please continue to provide but don't think for a second that Pa's best couldn't line up and duke it out with Ohio's best.
Ohio is good no doubt about it. I am not judging Ohio on one game. But please stop the Ohio is the best, kind of talk. Not that you have said that but you are close with that 99% Wayne statement. I go back a long way and I am very familiar with Ohio football and Ohio HS fans. My wife went to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, I went to college in Ohio. They as a group like to chirp and pound their chest about how great they are. And how much better they are. I like your Wayne weekly updates, please continue to provide but don't think for a second that Pa's best couldn't line up and duke it out with Ohio's best.
I agree, I think that SJP last year could've played anyone in the country, and they easily could've taken care of saint X the D1 state champ in ohio last year. There are definitely other teams in PA that can beat wayne maybe not as decisively as PR but definitely beatable.
BTW regarding PCC watching film on them it looks like this year on offense they are running a more spread pistol look, was curious for your opinions on that and how it compares to last years offense. From what I'm seeing is that they are stagnant and still haven't really found a grove yet, and turnovers are killing them (very evident against NA). I'm curious to how they get it together with PR coming up week 5, gotta score points or else PR will break the game open.
Some thought on the Penn Hills game then some more on the season so far.
Penn Hills is the exact same Penn Hills team that have been for the past several years. Average. They will beat every team they should beat and lose to everyone they should lose too. I was expecting a better performance from their offensive skill guys based on the social media chatter, and they did make some plays, but always shot themselves in the foot due to disorganization or something. The probably could have scored 14-17 if they could have executed a little better, but didn't. Defensively, I have to give them credit that they did shut down Falcone. Looked like they had a couple guys over him all the time. The good news is that P-R's outside WR opposite him had big games. Goltz and Bally combined for over 100 yards, and Goltz had a spectacular TD catch on a missile from Jurkovec. First time I can remember getting much production out of that spot since 2014. That's a huge step forward. But the offense continues to be frustrating to watch. Last week they were lights out and scored 6 times in the first half. Against PH they scored 5 TD's but easily could have had 3 or 4 more. I know they had at least 3 TO's in the Redzone. Against good teams, that will kill them. Gotta get better.
For the season, here's what I'm seeing. Also, check out P-R's maxpreps site - looks like it has good info on who's doing what.
First, their defense is tremendously improved. The first team offense has not allowed a TD in at least the past 8 quarters. The returning kids that I thought were good are performing well. Top 5 tacklers are:
King: 41 tackles - playing like an absolute beast running plays down from everywhere. Has been the best and most impressive kid on the D. This kid could be earning himself some offers soon if he keeps it up.
Jochem: 36 - he's playing a cover 2 safety this year and it looks like Coach K is letting him play anywhere he wants in the box where he can use his nose for the ball. He and King are easily best two tacklers on the team.
Cerminara: 31 - the perfect gap plugging run stopping LB that we've needed. His instincts are really good and he plays downhill. He also has shown surprising quickness, with an INT and a couple pass broken up over the middle.
Camino: 24 - Didn't play much defense after early last year but looks like he is thriving at DE. He's usually a better athlete than the OT's he's going against and his pass rush has been really good.
Crawford: 20 - best tackling CB and is very aggressive. Looks like on defense he is always to the wide side of the field. Not sure why, but he's does a great job coming up, beating WR's and making plays.
Meckler: 19 - perfect compliment to Jochem at safety - very fast, aggressive, and fearless. Can cover slot WR's and still be a good run support guy.
Burns: 14 - not many tackles but this kid is so fast. Unless he falls down, he can't be beat on any deep or crossing routes. A couple times in the last two games he's been "beat" but by the time the ball is there he is knocking it down. Stud on special teams too.
Also, there DL has been very good - not a ton of splash plays but solid - not getting driven off the ball. Their one big weakness that I've seen is their outside LB. Lebo crushed them running and passing outside, and Penn Hills attacked the same spot. I've seen a couple kids rotate through, but nothing of consequence. Kind passive and not real tough or athletic. I'm hoping that as soon as Kenny White is healthy, they will give him a shot there. Would be a playmaker that would be in position to wreck havoc in both the pass and run game. He's got the combination of size and athletic ability that no one else on the team has. If that happens, this could be a very elite defense. Still gotta stop PCC and NA, but with PCC I guess being more spread and NA being a little down, perhaps P-R would be best suited to put more athletes on the field instead of pluggers. But this is a good problem to have.
Offense has been hit and miss. They either look lights out or just average. Wayne and SV they were lights out. Lebo and Penn Hills, just average. (Ya, ya, I know they scored 53 vs. Lebo and 36 verses P.H. Expectations are high!)
Jurkovec is really good. That's obvious. But it seems like he's at his best when he is taking short stuff most of the time, and selectively taking deep throws. Against Lebo and PH, it seemed like he was just forcing it deep too much and they got way out of sync.
They have been rotating a ton of kids through at RB since White has been hurt. Crawford is still the main man, but Meckler, Cerminara (pounder) and a sophomore have all gotten reps and done pretty well. I think they have been smart to limit Jurkovec's run attempts too. According to that MaxPreps site, he's only got 23 carries on the year - he had that many in single games at times last year. They will definitely need him down the road. The OL has also done better running the ball than last year. Still a work in progress, and sometimes it seems that they need to call more runs to get them in Sync. The three returners (Kristofic, Katic, and Dorundo) look to have all added about 30lbs and are still really quick. The two first year starters seem to be fine too - don't really notice them, so I guess that's good.
At, WR, everyone knew Falcone was a stud, but Defrancisis is currently the leading WR and is on pace for a 1000 yard season too. Both those kids could end up with 60-80 catches and 1200-1400 yards. Opposite Falcone has been Goltz and Bally - combined they have 11 catches and about 150 yards. That's really good from a position we only got about 15 catches out of last year. In the long run, I hope that balance pays off. Jochem has been solid as the inside WR, with 10 catches. And King has been a stud on offense too, blowing people out when he's in at FB. He's also a really good pass catcher so I would expect to see some plays for him at some point.
Anyway, here's the summary. Defense has been really good but need to find one more kid to be great IMO. Offense needs to be more consistent and keep getting better in the run game. Oh, and limit turnnovers!
Was Sunseri going to play? Only a 10th grader. Good blood lines though!
PR vs PCC a great game? I think we will be seeing another mercy rule. PCC can't throw, will try to run but the offensive line isn't half of what it was the past two years. I don't see this game being competitive. Hope I'm wrong, but the film tells a different story. Anyone that knows anything about football and watched tape on Bethel would have known what the result would have been Friday night. It was easy to tell within 15 minutes that they couldn't throw or stop the pass.
I agree, especially since PCC has quite a few injuries now. What I predicted earlier was exactly what happened against bethel: they couldn't stop PR and their offense couldn't keep up. PR's front 7 on defense deserves respect, they've been playing amazing this season. First team defense has only given up 1 touchdown now in 12 quarters.
I expect PR to run the score up on PCC, and I don't see them calling the dogs off until the 3rd quarter. Word I've heard is that they plan on sending a "message".
Yea I've heard the same thing but WTF is that all about. Makes Coach K look like the ass that he is !
Yea I've heard the same thing but WTF is that all about. Makes Coach K look like the ass that he is !
If he's an ass what is Dave Fleming? And i say that with the utmost respect for the defense he pulls together each year. But come on!
On another note, I just find it hard to believe that it will be a huge blowout. PCC may not have as much talent, but they do have athletes and athletes can make plays. Maybe its more on the offense not doing much which will make it hard. Fischer needs to have the best game of his career this week I think.
I agree with jacky, this will be a blowout. Fisher does not have the ability to keep them in the game. PR defense is paying elite and nasty. I would think PR won't call the dogs off early in this one.If he's an ass what is Dave Fleming? And i say that with the utmost respect for the defense he pulls together each year. But come on!
On another note, I just find it hard to believe that it will be a huge blowout. PCC may not have as much talent, but they do have athletes and athletes can make plays. Maybe its more on the offense not doing much which will make it hard. Fischer needs to have the best game of his career this week I think.
If he's an ass what is Dave Fleming? And i say that with the utmost respect for the defense he pulls together each year. But come on!
On another note, I just find it hard to believe that it will be a huge blowout. PCC may not have as much talent, but they do have athletes and athletes can make plays. Maybe its more on the offense not doing much which will make it hard. Fischer needs to have the best game of his career this week I think.
I'm almost positive that the message that was being talked about is meant for people like fleming. Guys got a big mouth for sure...
After PCC's performance against seneca valley, I think this is gonna get ugly to be truthful. Seneca valley isn't very good at all this year, there's a chance they don't even make the playoffs. Athletes or not if a team doesn't play well together it doesn't matter, look at penn hills as a good example. I think the way PR's defense is playing fisher will need to be perfect every play to keep them in it, and that's a very big task.
Wasn't aware that Fleming was such a bad guy or a big mouth. He's always been very respectful to me. Remember, he's a Hazelwood city guy, the son of Rooster Fleming, a very colorful Pgh legend to say the least. They are tough kids, much tougher than the North Hill's punks.
BTW way, what is the message. I guess he's saying he's going to humiliate a bunch of high school kids.
Not that it will matter come Friday but Fisher is currently 2-0 versus versus Jergovich.
Actually, SV played great against Central Friday night. They got some breaks, Brian Dallas went down in the first defensive series, never to return. The defense is not the same without him. SV got a tipped ball that resulted in a 70 yard TD. They fumbled inside Central's 5 yard line, kicked the ball into the end zone. The Central kids thought that they recovered it but it was ruled TD for Seneca. Looked like to me that Central's game plan was to establish the run with Weathers. They never threw deep. But I can't take anything away from the Seneca Valley kids, they came to play. It will be interesting to see how they do in their remaining games.
Wasn't aware that Fleming was such a bad guy or a big mouth. He's always been very respectful to me. Remember, he's a Hazelwood city guy, the son of Rooster Fleming, a very colorful Pgh legend to say the least. They are tough kids, much tougher than the North Hill's punks.
BTW way, what is the message. I guess he's saying he's going to humiliate a bunch of high school kids.
Not that it will matter come Friday but Fisher is currently 2-0 versus versus Jergovich.
Actually, SV played great against Central Friday night. They got some breaks, Brian Dallas went down in the first defensive series, never to return. The defense is not the same without him. SV got a tipped ball that resulted in a 70 yard TD. They fumbled inside Central's 5 yard line, kicked the ball into the end zone. The Central kids thought that they recovered it but it was ruled TD for Seneca. Looked like to me that Central's game plan was to establish the run with Weathers. They never threw deep. But I can't take anything away from the Seneca Valley kids, they came to play. It will be interesting to see how they do in their remaining games.
PR vs PCC a great game? I think we will be seeing another mercy rule. PCC can't throw, will try to run but the offensive line isn't half of what it was the past two years. I don't see this game being competitive. Hope I'm wrong, but the film tells a different story. Anyone that knows anything about football and watched tape on Bethel would have known what the result would have been Friday night. It was easy to tell within 15 minutes that they couldn't throw or stop the pass.
You don't watch much football obviously. A few dunks and a few lobs down he sideline is not throwing. An 8 year old can do that.Central can throw, saying they can't is a little over the top!
If they could throw hen they would be winnng games by 40. Not squeaking by weak teams.Central can throw, saying they can't is a little over the top!
Wow! Thought BP would offer more, running enough to prevent matching scores; a race no team in this state can win. Plus, can’t be one-dimensional against them.
Evidently matching scores is the only way to stay with or beat them. You can find teams with a decent pass rush but nobody has that many cover people, not at the HS level.
I love rivalries. Intentional misspellings! People named Rooster! Misapplied stats! And comparing the tough guys from Hazelwood to the "North Hills punks"
Now, back to the earlier comment, unless someone actually talked to Coach K and he said that they are going to run it up, then I think a lot of this is hype. There is nothing in his track record to say he would do that. (As long as you acknowledge that playing starters in first half's of games is ok no matter what the score - like at BP.) Even during the Wayne game on ESPN, the starters only played 1 series in the second half.
I guess I am on record saying this may be a closer game than people think. Definitely believe P-R is a winner though.
Absurdity !You don't watch much football obviously. A few dunks and a few lobs down he sideline is not throwing. An 8 year old can do that.