Tripaces wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2019 2:12 pm
Question about this game , I think everyone New wheelersburg was going to lose was the score surprising or about what was expected
The score was about what was expected. I didn't expect Wheelersburg to get a stop on the starting offense, and I didn't expect Wheelersburg to get a first down on the starting defense. No disrespect intended to the team and all. They had some key starting slots to fill at the beginning of the season, and they've already lost a few players. I knew when I saw this class of Hartley kids playing mop up in games as sophomores that it was going to be a special class. There was a level of camaraderie among the kids even then that was fairly unusual. And they had a lot of potential in all aspects. Beyond this group of super seniors, this Hartley team is loaded with size and speed. Probably not the best year for the parity of the matchup. This game provided an opportunity to try mixing things up. The secondary in week 1 was juggled during the game, and the coaches starting swapping corners and safeties again last night fairly early. There are some huge challenges ahead for the team, and it's important to know who the best players are for every kind of matchup. For a young team like Wheelersburg that's still trying to come together, Hartley's quick strike with that first touchdown can be fairly demoralizing. It's not easy to coach against that. The rest of the first half was just methodical workmanship. Other than the first score, Hartley had to work for every yard. Hartley did get some breaks. The spot on the quarterback slide on 4th down was fairly generous. I was guessing one or two yards short. And we had a little guy as a blocking receiver who could have been called for holding on even more plays. The offensive line was fabulous in run support, but pass protection broke down multiple times. Lucky to have the fastest guy on the team at QB. All in all, I thought The Burg played fairly well. They never stopped working against a team that was too much probably even before the game started. Seeing the kids with the balloons before the game and the mix of the crowd shows great community support. Outside of MAC territory, that's becoming a rarity. And matching the Hawks on swapping out the starters was a class move. I never like to see a coach keep his starters playing in an out of hand game just to give the kids the imaginary emotional boost of scoring on the 2s. This was my first trip to The Burg. Great community. Great stadium. And great hard-working football team. Good luck with the rest of your season!