Wheelersburg vs Bishop Hartley week #13 Region 17 Final

[Jolly P(irate)]

I don't think the Wheelersburg fans know what they're in for. I'm just going to guess that most of the fans haven't seen Hartley play this season. The team is not very big, but they are physical and smart. Hartley has been battle tested all season which is going to be the difference. Wheelersburgs only test was Jackson, who man handled them. I just don't see Wheelersburg getting enough stops to be in this game. I also think the Hartley defense will surprise you. They have really stepped it up this year.

BLA BLA BLA...

He sure thinks a whole lot.

[siderman57]

I have no idea how to even respond to that last post. Wow

Respond with some football analysis. Slogans and school spirit and vague statements and discussion about all the non-football things, well that's fun and all, but I'm more interested in hearing about your team. Hartley beat DeSales who beat Jackson who beat Burg. Sure the transitive property of football doesn't always work but there is a logic to it. Explain Jackson's 27 and what was unusual that night or where you failed and what you've fixed since then. Then your goose egg. Think and talk like a coach breaking down the game film. It's more interesting than chest thumping.

Here's an example from our side. Our corners can be beat and for big gains. They give a step or two and then struggle to get it back. When the ball is in the air, they don't seem to see it. They don't seem to be able to get vertical and knock it down like the guys could last year. DeSales scored on a long pass. St Clairsville scored on a long pass. Both are very good teams that were able to exploit this weakness. Explain how you can do the same and more often. A not a simple "we just will" or "any given Friday" to take advantage of this particular weakness and hit big on long throws your expectations have to be built on proven experience. You beat Ironton and Valley, both very good teams. Did you have any success in those games throwing the ball?

That's all run and shoot was asking for. Analysis, evidence, and conclusion. String one together.

We have had success throwing the ball. It has mostly been set up by the run but if the WR's have an advatage we will spread it out and throw the ball more. We aren't one dimensional. We had success against Ironton and Valley throwing the ball. As for the Jackson game...... We threw the ball well and seemed to stop as we got closer to the redzone. Dropped pass in the endzone. Two failed 4th and 1 attempts. And Jackson exploited our weakness in the run defense. Since then the coaching staff has made some changes but we also got a couple key players back that has helped with that. Our pass defense is questionable at best. Seems like we do better when we know it's coming on 3rd and long situations. Good pressure up the middle. Linebackers key pretty well and wrap up. Corners can tackle well. O line is big, physical and in shape. We like the hurry up offense. Anything else?

We are THE BURG

[chiefs]

What is keeping a kid from transferring to a different school around our area? Last I checked, nothing. It's all about "pride", which gets in the way majority of the time.

I know for a fact that Burg gains kids from outside Wheelersburg to play sports, if you say they don't then pull the sheet back over your head.

It's always the excuse at the end of the night.

"We lost because they recruit!"
"cheaters!"

Burg wins a State Championship in baseball over private schools, so what is your point?

Scioto County has WAY TOO MANY schools for the area and population. This is the ultimate problem.

Burg does very well in almost everything because it's a community that doesn't make excuses and has enough community pride and invested people young and old that want to make it a place worth moving to and being able to say you hail from there proudly. Academically and athletically I would say they're probably the best school in southern Ohio; they generally have good test scores and have a good reputation academically. Everyone there has competitive and confident blood and don't want anything less. The only thing honestly that makes Burg different from a private school is it doesn't charge tuition and is public, but it has the competitive edge and pride private schools use in their formula for success.

While Burg is winning games after week 10 and winning regionals in other sports annually, too many of the other schools are losing and are crying about private schools beating them or stuff like that. Just play ball. Burg can do it, why can't other communities? And I agree; way too many school districts.

[JasonClaytor]

This thread is comical. Obviously every teams goal has been to shut down the Hartley run game. The problem is that no one has been able to do that. Hartley will be physical and has the ability to control the clock and line of scrimmage, as long as they don't turn the ball over. This Hartley team is faster than recent years, but makes their living between the tackles. They will still stretch the field with jet sweeps some. It will be a lot more difficult to stop Hartley's offense than it was to stop Ironton or Jackson. Hartley will have 5 kids on the field every play that can effectively run the ball, where Ironton had one.
I think Wheelersburgs quarterback is better than last years, at least throwing the ball. With that being said, St. Clairsville had a really good quarterback and only threw for 48 yards last week.
I saw Jackson do everything they wanted against Wheelersburg, also also saw Portsmouth West hang strong against them. This leads me to believe Hartley will be able to score a lot of points.

[ohbuckeye2]

I don't think the Wheelersburg fans know what they're in for. I'm just going to guess that most of the fans haven't seen Hartley play this season. The team is not very big, but they are physical and smart. Hartley has been battle tested all season which is going to be the difference. Wheelersburgs only test was Jackson, who man handled them. I just don't see Wheelersburg getting enough stops to be in this game. I also think the Hartley defense will surprise you. They have really stepped it up this year.

How many Wheelersburg games have you been to this year? Wheelersburgs Defense just might surprise some Hartley fans this year, they are pretty physical and play really smart.

Good luck Pirates!!

[seasick80]

This thread is comical. Obviously every teams goal has been to shut down the Hartley run game. The problem is that no one has been able to do that. Hartley will be physical and has the ability to control the clock and line of scrimmage, as long as they don't turn the ball over. This Hartley team is faster than recent years, but makes their living between the tackles. They will still stretch the field with jet sweeps some. It will be a lot more difficult to stop Hartley's offense than it was to stop Ironton or Jackson. Hartley will have 5 kids on the field every play that can effectively run the ball, where Ironton had one.
I think Wheelersburgs quarterback is better than last years, at least throwing the ball. With that being said, St. Clairsville had a really good quarterback and only threw for 48 yards last week.
I saw Jackson do everything they wanted against Wheelersburg, also also saw Portsmouth West hang strong against them. This leads me to believe Hartley will be able to score a lot of points.

You went to the Burg Jackson game? and West? Week 5 vs Thurgood Marshall and U were in the Burg vs Jackson? And week 10 U were at Portsmouth West to watch Burg when Hartley played Ready? Really??? LOL!! That's amazing!!! The West score wasn't even close and Jackson, well, u didn't play Jackson.

I know Hartley can run the ball. We couldn't stop it last year because we couldn't penetrate the frontline like LU did. We will be better able to do that this year I hope. As for the Burg O, I hope we pass more. That will lead to better runs Imo. I have been saying all year I think our QB is better than last but very minimal, and only because I thought last years QB got too nervous in the big games and wasn't spot on in his passes like he did vs teams we should beat. But he was still a beast at running the ball against Hartley. Our qb this year can run the same hopefully our receivers can do a better job at getting into open zones.

Like Yabba said, we gave u some gifts last year, hopefully we don't have to play tricks. We have a better frontline on O and a better D line imo when we line up against Hartleys compact Oline. As for Hartleys D, I have watched alot of film on them from Utube and TWC. darn good team. We will be outmatched like last year, but we are a better team than last year. We will hopefully hang in there and get a few breaks. Never know!!

[ohbuckeye2]

I bet Oaf and CG were at the Ribber together last night.

Wait a minute, I thought you and CG was at the Ribber last week :122245

[seasick80]

BTW, Burg PLAYED YOU LAST YEAR!! LOL!! We are getting familiar. And we get a few films from you before Saturday? And just to throw this in, you beat St Charles 24-21. Ironton beat St Charles 25-24. Hmmmmmmmmmm

[moonshine]

Early Week Prediction;

Hawks 38

the burg 28

[4thgoal]

BTW, Burg PLAYED YOU LAST YEAR!! LOL!! We are getting familiar. And we get a few films from you before Saturday? And just to throw this in, you beat St Charles 24-21. Ironton beat St Charles 25-24. Hmmmmmmmmmm

Comparing scores is not always accurate, but also Harley and Jackson both beat Ready by around 30, so take that for what its worth. Obviously, Hartley will try and pound the ball and control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Pirates. Burg will not be able to shut down that running game like they have against LU and Ironton, but if Burg can get a few stops and maybe a turnover, they will be right in the game. I really think Burg will have some success moving the ball, but will need to take advantage of every chance they get and not leave any points on the field. Some have said it will take a perfect game, but I think it will take a game of minimal mistakes and the Pirates will need to capitalize on any opportunities they are given. It seems to me that the coaching staff has been ultra conservative in some games (Jackson this year, Valley in 2012 & 2013). I think we just need to run the plays we run and if Hartley stops them, shake their hands and admit they were the better team that night. It was very unfortunate to have lost Howard to and injury that happened like that and he will be missed in the backfield for sure, but Burg does have some capable backs to fill his spot.

GO PIRATES!

[JasonClaytor]

I don't think the Wheelersburg fans know what they're in for. I'm just going to guess that most of the fans haven't seen Hartley play this season. The team is not very big, but they are physical and smart. Hartley has been battle tested all season which is going to be the difference. Wheelersburgs only test was Jackson, who man handled them. I just don't see Wheelersburg getting enough stops to be in this game. I also think the Hartley defense will surprise you. They have really stepped it up this year.

How many Wheelersburg games have you been to this year? Wheelersburgs Defense just might surprise some Hartley fans this year, they are pretty physical and play really smart.

Good luck Pirates!!

Jackson, Ironton, West, Liberty Union, Minford.

[JasonClaytor]

This thread is comical. Obviously every teams goal has been to shut down the Hartley run game. The problem is that no one has been able to do that. Hartley will be physical and has the ability to control the clock and line of scrimmage, as long as they don't turn the ball over. This Hartley team is faster than recent years, but makes their living between the tackles. They will still stretch the field with jet sweeps some. It will be a lot more difficult to stop Hartley's offense than it was to stop Ironton or Jackson. Hartley will have 5 kids on the field every play that can effectively run the ball, where Ironton had one.
I think Wheelersburgs quarterback is better than last years, at least throwing the ball. With that being said, St. Clairsville had a really good quarterback and only threw for 48 yards last week.
I saw Jackson do everything they wanted against Wheelersburg, also also saw Portsmouth West hang strong against them. This leads me to believe Hartley will be able to score a lot of points.

You went to the Burg Jackson game? and West? Week 5 vs Thurgood Marshall and U were in the Burg vs Jackson? And week 10 U were at Portsmouth West to watch Burg when Hartley played Ready? Really??? LOL!! That's amazing!!! The West score wasn't even close and Jackson, well, u didn't play Jackson.

I know Hartley can run the ball. We couldn't stop it last year because we couldn't penetrate the frontline like LU did. We will be better able to do that this year I hope. As for the Burg O, I hope we pass more. That will lead to better runs Imo. I have been saying all year I think our QB is better than last but very minimal, and only because I thought last years QB got too nervous in the big games and wasn't spot on in his passes like he did vs teams we should beat. But he was still a beast at running the ball against Hartley. Our qb this year can run the same hopefully our receivers can do a better job at getting into open zones.

Like Yabba said, we gave u some gifts last year, hopefully we don't have to play tricks. We have a better frontline on O and a better D line imo when we line up against Hartleys compact Oline. As for Hartleys D, I have watched alot of film on them from Utube and TWC. darn good team. We will be outmatched like last year, but we are a better team than last year. We will hopefully hang in there and get a few breaks. Never know!!

No I wasn't at those games. Ever heard of Hudl? It's Amazing!!! Lol.

Your right I never said Jackson played Hartley. But West did hang around with Wheelersburg, and Hartley could have hung 100 on them. But I digress..

[Tumble4You]

Don't see a way that this game is close. Think the burg is really good, but Hartley is on another level. I'd gladly take being wrong, as I always want to see SE teams do well. I'm thinking like 35-13 or so.

Yes I understand this won't be a popular post.

But you are prob right.

[js7_22]

I have been told by a reliable source that Burgs RB suffered a broken ankle in the victory over Ironton. If this is so, how will Burg respond to this?

[AHM]

Burg is really beat up. Not a good week to be beat up.

Did Coach Woodward have any words with Coach Vass or the Ironton staff? The play of the Tigers, particularly late in the game, was very costly for the Pirates.

[4thgoal]

I have been told by a reliable source that Burgs RB suffered a broken ankle in the victory over Ironton. If this is so, how will Burg respond to this?

That was mentioned back a page or 2 in this thread, but it will be a impact for sure. Thankfully, Burg has more than 1 solid running back. There have been several games where we have had 3-4 players run for 50+ yards. So to answer your question, yes it is an impact, but Burg doesn't have an offense that is built around a single "featured" running back.

[4thgoal]

After his name was brought up earlier, I googled Estaban Weaver. It is great that he is working with young people now to hopefully keep someone else from following his footsteps, but who knows how his life would have turned out if he had his head on straight at a young age.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-bes ... ban-weaver

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

I think wheelersburg has a legitimate shot at winning this game. they have a very solid defense as far as containing Hartley. personally I think Hartley will win this. these private schools are a beast. but nothing would suit me finer than to see burg upset them, sand go all the way to the state game. they are that good. and they are gelling right now. sure I wished it was my fighting tigers. but the truth is when it was 14-7 , we had a legit shot at winning. then burg just took it to another level. they were clearly the better of the 2 teams this year. just so very excited seeing the fighting tigers back in the playoffs. this fighting tiger is rooting for the pirates to pull off an upset.

[Westfan]

Seen both teams up close.
Wheelersburg has a huge line. But Hartley is the more physical team. They are nasty up front.
Wheelersburg has excellent team athleticism and speed for the area. But Hartley is just on another level.

Hartley jams receivers and leaves their corners on an island. You can beat them in the passing game. How much contact down field the zebras allow could have a big effect on the game. If Wheelersburg is not able to keep Hartley off balance throwing, they will no get much running. Hartley's D line and linebackers are really good. I think Wheelersburg can score some points but they have to possess the ball and score a lot because they are going to struggle stopping Hartley.

I've seen a lot of good high school teams but few run their offense with the precision that Hartley does. They don't get cute and they don't care how much you stack the box. They are still going to run it. The speed of the quarterback and wings make it very difficult to stop. You have to have great linebacker play to have a chance. That is not the strength of Wheelersburg.

[Crab's Brother]

Every time the Burg wins a playoff game, I feel a little better about the 2nd half whipping they gave us in week 9. LOL

As far as this game goes, I hope the Burg gives them all they want. I have no doubts that the Pirates have the athletes, ability, and coaching to make this a game. However, the biggest issue I see in this match up for the Burg is the difference in competition these two teams have faced. When the Burg takes the field Saturday, they will be playing against the best team they have played all season. Hartley, on the other hand, will be playing about the 7th or 8th best team they have played this year. I just think this is a really hard thing for a high school team to adjust to in a 48 minute game. I feel as though this is harder for football teams to overcome in relation to basketball and baseball teams. With those sports, kids play AAU and Legion ball and get used to playing the best of the best. Football teams are not afforded that same luxury.

That said, it is a factor that can be overcome with strong assignment based, mistake free, football. I hope the Pirates can do that Saturday. Lucasville is pulling for you.