Had to DVR the game as I took the family into Philly for the traditional Christmas activities downtown. Harrisburg was as advertised (kudos to Stalker for the analysis). They have a tremendous number of athletes. Obviously, Kane Everson is special and the linebackers are studs.
The surprise of the game (for me) was how effective the Prep’s run game was throughout the night. The passing game is as strong as it’s ever been. The line has been dominant in pass protection, and the defense still flies to the ball. Granted, the Prep fans were spoiled with having Swift in the backfield for 4 years, but one of their staples had been getting 4-6 yards on the ground on first down, which made getting first downs a whole lot easier and gave you options on third down. This year, with all due respect to Burrell and Mason, who are both very good backs, they didn’t seem to have that threat and they were in a lot of 3rd and 9 or 3rd and 10 situations. McCord and the receivers (for the most part) kept the chains moving throughout the season. Both the 1st down running attack and passing game (regardless of down) was effective throughout the game. I’m also surprised the coaching staff of Harrisburg took a while to adjust in sending more blitzes in an attempt to better contain the passing game.
McCord gets the ball out of his hands very quickly and generally makes good decisions. With the exception of the interception, he threw into traffic a few times with jaw-dropping accuracy. More often than not, he went through his progressions and found an open receiver. He didn’t take any shots down field as most passes were in the 1-6 yard range and receivers made plays to add extra yards. He threw a few 10-15 yard passes, but the “West coast” style passing game was effective.
Trotter had his best game of the year on defense. The Hawks will miss Cooper Kim, Johnny Freeman (underrated) and especially Bougess (who may rank as their second all-time best cornerback behind Reid). Yet, they’ll continue to be a strong contender with the amount of underclassmen who saw serious time this year and with a lot of the big-play guys being sophomores.
Not sure about the rest of the state, but Coatesville is still going to be scary good next year. While they have big shoes to fill in Young, I think Bryant may be the best WR/multi-purpose athlete in the State. There are many other up and coming teams that were also young and made some noise this year.
Curious question...not sure if the wind was blowing strong in Hershey last night, but nearly every extra point was missed badly or skewed to the left post. Anyone know what was causing problems in the kicking game for both teams?
Final thoughts: Thanks for another exciting season of football to all the players and coaches. Good luck to the graduating seniors. Will definitely be watching for Everson, Young, and others on Saturday afternoons. Finally, thanks to all the great posters on this board. Someone said it in a recent thread, but we are blessed to have some of the most insightful football minds in the State on this board. I’ve enjoyed following the discussions and learning more about lots of teams from the Lehigh Valley to District 3, to the WPIAL. Happy Holidays to all!
The surprise of the game (for me) was how effective the Prep’s run game was throughout the night. The passing game is as strong as it’s ever been. The line has been dominant in pass protection, and the defense still flies to the ball. Granted, the Prep fans were spoiled with having Swift in the backfield for 4 years, but one of their staples had been getting 4-6 yards on the ground on first down, which made getting first downs a whole lot easier and gave you options on third down. This year, with all due respect to Burrell and Mason, who are both very good backs, they didn’t seem to have that threat and they were in a lot of 3rd and 9 or 3rd and 10 situations. McCord and the receivers (for the most part) kept the chains moving throughout the season. Both the 1st down running attack and passing game (regardless of down) was effective throughout the game. I’m also surprised the coaching staff of Harrisburg took a while to adjust in sending more blitzes in an attempt to better contain the passing game.
McCord gets the ball out of his hands very quickly and generally makes good decisions. With the exception of the interception, he threw into traffic a few times with jaw-dropping accuracy. More often than not, he went through his progressions and found an open receiver. He didn’t take any shots down field as most passes were in the 1-6 yard range and receivers made plays to add extra yards. He threw a few 10-15 yard passes, but the “West coast” style passing game was effective.
Trotter had his best game of the year on defense. The Hawks will miss Cooper Kim, Johnny Freeman (underrated) and especially Bougess (who may rank as their second all-time best cornerback behind Reid). Yet, they’ll continue to be a strong contender with the amount of underclassmen who saw serious time this year and with a lot of the big-play guys being sophomores.
Not sure about the rest of the state, but Coatesville is still going to be scary good next year. While they have big shoes to fill in Young, I think Bryant may be the best WR/multi-purpose athlete in the State. There are many other up and coming teams that were also young and made some noise this year.
Curious question...not sure if the wind was blowing strong in Hershey last night, but nearly every extra point was missed badly or skewed to the left post. Anyone know what was causing problems in the kicking game for both teams?
Final thoughts: Thanks for another exciting season of football to all the players and coaches. Good luck to the graduating seniors. Will definitely be watching for Everson, Young, and others on Saturday afternoons. Finally, thanks to all the great posters on this board. Someone said it in a recent thread, but we are blessed to have some of the most insightful football minds in the State on this board. I’ve enjoyed following the discussions and learning more about lots of teams from the Lehigh Valley to District 3, to the WPIAL. Happy Holidays to all!
