River 22 Buckeye Trail 7

[carbon_dated]

Might be close game. River leads all-time series 8-3. Warriors always play to level of competition.
Trail had huge win over Barnesville earlier in season 54-50.
River won a year ago 29-19, then won by forfeit in 2015. If you saw game, BT ran roughshod over Pilots but used ineligible player.

Pilots trying for top seed in R23 or at least home field in 1st round. Trail has outside shot to host playoff if chips fall right.

[EasternDspy]

Trail to have any shot has to have Pontius healthy.

[Froggy801]

It's a must win for Trail if they wanna have a good chance to make playoffs. I think Trail will come ready to play now that they got some confidence back. Don't really know how good River really is. I'm gonna take Trail in a close one.

[EasternDspy]

We know River is good they went 9-1 last year and are 8-0 this year. This is a top notch opponent with an elite player like Isaly. Trail will have to bring it.

[X8XOHIOLEGENDX7X]

Upset alert...trail gonna get it

[EasternDspy]

If Trail can beat River that would be huge for Fort Frye.

[Stone Cold]

Not gonna happen. River 42-14

[Broncosfan]

Seen most of river film, they are a very good football team. they know what they do well and do it well. Trail can't stand toe to toe with them, they have to find a way to get the ball out to some playmakers. If they try running the ball with pontius and snodgrass over and over, looking like fort frye and Shenandoah games, will be over in first half, 42-12

[skinnyblonde]

^^^^^
This guy has me like..... Yea dude!

[Broncosfan]

Trail scoring 31 points a game and shutout against ridgewood and fortfrye, giving up 28 points a game avg. River avg. 39.7 points a game, comes down to o-line and d-line, both teams have great Qb play, good RBs, edge at WRs only because trail doesnt throw enough, trail doesn't matchup against better line play. Did see river turn ball over quite a bit, could make it a game, unless trail mixes things up, standing firm on 42-12. 12 coming in garbage time

[Froggy801]

I think Trails offense is gonna surprise some people this week. Could be another shootout

[skinnyblonde]

Broncos fan were you the guy behind me yelling throw the ball Friday night when trail was up 8 in the 4th. Sounds like it.

[Broncosfan]

I'm a huge trail fan, love our team, we can't throw the ball very well, so no it wasn't me, need to get our athletic kids the ball in different ways, motion, end arounds, screen passes, ect. We can't run the ball against good teams between the tackles. Hope with all my heart that we play well and kids stay healthy, and hopefully win. Just an honest observer, of what we do well and what we don't.

[carbon_dated]

Is this the last time these two play? I know Trail joining that IVC, right?

[Maverick4]

Trail is joining the IVC, yes. Not sure if they'll play in non league or not. Trail should have a great shot at winning that small school IVC division next year.

[EasternDspy]

Trail is joining the IVC, yes. Not sure if they'll play in non league or not. Trail should have a great shot at winning that small school IVC division next year.

Who is in what division?

[Jason Vorhees]

River 35 Trail 14. Pontius and Snodgrass are really nice players but River has so many people who are a threat on offense. If Trail keys in on Isaly, then others, such as Dietz or Carretti will have big games.

[CFB1]

Trail is joining the IVC, yes. Not sure if they'll play in non league or not. Trail should have a great shot at winning that small school IVC division next year.

Who is in what division?

Trail will be in the small school division with:
Malvern
East Canton
Strasburg
Tuscarawas Central Catholic
Sandy Valley ( not sure why they are going to be in the small school. They are one of the biggest schools in the league now. Word is that they refused to play Garaway and Ridgewood anymore. Very winnable league for Trail next year IMO.

Big school is:
Garaway
Ridgewood
Necomerstown (should be in small school)
Claymont
Indian Valley
Hiland (no football)

There are 2 crossover games for each team also. Not sure if those will rotate every few years or not.

[wagner97]

I was at the West M game. Boy what I saw was a little bit different than what the local offensive and defensive coordinators on this board are saying.

Here's my recap:

(1) Pontius, who is responsible for nearly both 1,000 yards on the ground and air, did not play. #12 started. Not sure if this kid - who did a very good job managing the game - has ever started a game before.

(2) The first three out of seven plays on offense were some type of jet sweep, obviously hoping to get to the outside and not run between the tackles, as most of you on here are so up in arms about. This approached worked with mixed results, for West M aligned defensively to take both away the jet sweep (by slanting to the motion) and by alignment with safety help.

(3) Trail countered away from the strength to #22 and that resulted in a touchdown.

(4) Defensively, Trail played one of their better games of the season. Their coaches obviously had a decent game plan. One of you experts correct me if I am wrong (I'm sure you will) but didn't Trail spot West M something like 13 points on or because of special team missteps?

(5) Coming out at the half it was obvious - perhaps by playcalling - that Trail was going to give the ball to Snodgrass out of several different formations. I counted three: a trips set, spread, and what looked like a double tight or double wing set. Out of those formations I counted four different run plays, an isolation, trap, counter, and a qb isolation. On the first possession of the second half Trail marched down the field riding Snodgrass and punched the ball in.

(6) Defensively the second half was the best Trail has played all year. The blitzing packages that were called caused West M incredible trouble in both the running and the passing game. #22 must be getting near some sort of record at Trail for tackles. He was all over the place. Corners did well shutting down #44 for West M, who must have been something like 6'5" or so. That was one big kid. I was surprised that West M did not isolate him against man coverage and throw to him more often. Maybe their offensive coordinator is related to Trail's??? (LOL)

(7) Trail continued to pound the ball with Snodgrass, primarily out of a double tight set. Then, came back with several play actions passes to again #22, and to #4, who I believe scored a touchdown to take the lead.

(8) #22 on defense had a pick six to give Trail the lead for good. Once again, the blitzing caused West M's QB to throw an awful pass out their endzone that resulted in a great play by #22.

(9) Trail decides to run out the clock on the back of Snodgrass, which proved to be successful.

So from all of this it appears as if the game plan on both sides of the ball was to get the win without the passing game and running game that Pontius obviously adds. As for Fort Frye and Shenandoah (that several of you have mentioned? The Shenandoah game was played in an absolute mud hole. There was an hour long delay at halftime because of a down pour. On a dry field Trail wins that game by 14+ points. Fort Frye played completely cover zero against Trail and did so better than any team I have ever seen in high school football. Trail's receivers - those athletes that many of you have been call for getting the ball - were getting BLOWN off the line of scrimmage and unable to run their routes. If you are a receiver and can not get off of the line of scrimmage against cover zero, than you have no chance. Period.

Again, sorry for the long winded comments, but I must be watching a completely different game from the stands. I hear many of the ignorant comments that are made and just shake my head and keep my mouth shut.

Several years ago, Chuck Amato, the former head coach at North Carolina State, and now defensive coordinator at Akron, once told me: "There is a reason that fans sit and the stands, and that coaches stand on the sideline."

[skinnyblonde]

Coach Kerns hates the crossover games and told my uncle that those two games could cause him to resign long term. He dont think year in and year out they can compete with schools 3 divisions bigger. In addition to those two games they play two non conference games against ridgewood and Newcomerstown, so essentially Barnesville is the only non IVC school the Warriors play. That's really strange.

22 is Carter Streiff he is a baller. He is to their defense as Pontius is to their offense.

Snodgrass is a baller to.

The struggle with Trail is the kids don't know how to win. These kids have never been part of a winning season at the varsity level. They probably won more football games this season than the basketball team has won the last two combined.

Trail suffers because a lot of their kids don't play for one reason or another.

This is going to be a process and the full effect of the coaching and program change will be noticed more so next year and even more after that.

The last time a week 9 game mattered at Buckeye Trail bush was in the white house and before that Clinton in 95.