Season Preview
Pre-Season
Two seasons ago, the Purple Raiders graduated 33 seniors from the 2002 6A runner-up team and most high school football pundits assumed a rebuilding was in order. Yet in 2003, the Raiders made a return trip to the state championship, and again finished as 6A runner-up. Graduating losses from this team included the lethal trio of Justin Harrison, James Wade and Brandon Hughes who combined for nearly 4000 yards of total offense and over 75% of the teams scoring. So the 2004 season is sure to see the "drop off" that most have anticipated for the past two seasons, right? Well, if I believed that, I wouldn't be writing this, and as the 2003 season demonstrated, the pre-season is not the time to be making predictions. The 2004 team will enter the season with the same lofty expectations as the teams that have come before them, to win the Big 12 conference, qualify for the playoffs, and win the state championship that has eluded them both of the previous two seasons.
Unbeknownst to most, the Raiders enter the season with as many as six returning starters on both sides of the ball, and with more depth than in 2003, so the number of two-way players should decrease. On paper, the team lacks the skill that it had last season, but if the effort in the weight room and summer camp are any indication, several players are accepting the challenge of stepping up in these areas. On the offensive line, four of the five starters from a unit that produced over 4000 yards rushing a season ago, return. All-Conference center Mikey Kelch returns, with Greg Higby and Bryce Henneberg at guards and Erik Miller at tackle. University of Michigan recruit, Tim McAvoy, returns for the third season at tight end, and Adrian Arrington returns at receiver, though he may make a transition to tailback. A seventh starter, Donald Brown, returns at receiver, though he was technically one of a few receivers that rotated play into the huddle in 2003. Defensively, All-Conference tackle Matt Logsdon returns along with Erik Miller on the defensive front. In the secondary, 2003 interception leader and All-Conference performer Brown returns at corner, with Arrington at the strong safety. Juniors, Brent Holtz and Dustin Kelly, both of whom started games at free safety last season, will round out the other two positions. In addition to the starters, several players return that had a significant amount of playing time at defensive positions last season. They included McAvoy at defensive tackle, Derrell Nicholas, who has converted to end after playing tackle last season, Shane Schubbe at linebacker, and Jared Woodrey at end.
What it may lack at skill positions, the 2004 team should make up for in strength. The teams boost of 31 players that are members of either the 750 or 1000 Clubs. This is by far and away the most members on any one Raider team since the clubs were created in 1996. A player joins a club once their strength test total (bench+squat+power clean) exceeds either of the two amounts. The group is led by Mikey Kelch, Matt Logsdon, Jeremy Early, Jared Woodrey and Emmanuel Jones all of whom are in the 1000 Club. In addition to the effort in the weight room, the 2004 team averaged a turnout of 75 players a night during summer camp. Combine that with cooler than typical conditions in August, which promotes better concentration during practices, and the 2004 team should be very mentally prepared for the season opener.
Purple Raider football has been on an amazing run since the 2000 season. In those four seasons, the teams have gone undefeated during each regular season, advanced to the second round of the 5A playoffs in 2000, semifinals of the 6A playoffs in 2001, and the 6A state championship game in both 2002 and 2003. (**Technically the Raiders lost to Decatur Eisenhower 14-12 in 2003, but were awarded a forfeit win due to an ineligible Eisenhower player by the IHSA.) The 2004 team has experienced nothing but success as it has "come of age" in the Raider system. This team expects to win as much as it predecessors did, and strives for the elusive first state championship. None of the history, hype and analysis matters, however, once the new season begins, and that is a mere 5 days away.
Week #1 Danville
Playing Danville in week 1 of the season has been a very interesting proposition in recent years. Three years ago we opened at Danville expecting them to line up in a 5-2 defense, only to find that they had converted to a 4-4. Last season, the Ironmen of Normal were caught off guard when the Vikings, a long time wingT team came out in a no back, five receiver, shotgun offensive set. So what is in store for the 2004 season? Well, we will find Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Yes, 7:00 p.m. For the first time in a decade the Danville school board has moved kickoff back to the traditional 7:00 p.m. start instead of 5:30.
Offensively, I don't think there will be any surprises. The Vikings seem to have taken a liking to the 5 wide offense, and all signs seem to indicate that they will stick with it for the upcoming season. They won three games with it last season after going winless in 2002. They ran it at all three levels last season, and coach Mark Dodd considers it fun and a great way to attract more kids to the program. Read HERE and HERE for more. Actually, it is the perfect offense for the Vikings. They always seem to have an abundance of speed and a strong armed quarterback. So why not put five receivers into the formation, set the quarterback back at eight yards, snap him the ball and let him chuck it down field. It leads to a lot of incomplete passes, and the occasional interception, but on any given play you are only one completion away from a touchdown. High scoring games are encouraged not feared. The concept is simple. The offense believes it can score faster than its opponent, therefore in the end will outscore its opponent. The routes run by the receivers will vary from short slants and hitches to long verticals, crossing patterns and a variety of lateral screens designed to quickly get the ball in the hands of their best athlete on the field. And just when the defense settles in on dropping six to seven defenders into coverage, the quarterback will tuck the ball and run up the middle of the formation himself. This worked to the tune of 120 yards rushing for the quarterback in last season's 33-12 Bloomington victory. What this offense forces the defense to do is cover every zone on the field, or man up and run the risk of being beaten by fast receivers running vertical route. In addition, on every single play, the defensive front is forced to rush 8-10 yards up field after a quarterback that they will likely only sack half a dozen times during the game. It wears out the entire defense, and once they slack off, the ball goes over the top for a probable touchdown. It didn't work out quite this way for the Vikings in last season's contest, but with the additional year of experience, they should be much more effective on Friday.
Defensively, the Vikings will probably stick with the 4-4. With a balanced number of defenders on each side of the formation, it is easily adjusted to defend any offensive set it faces. Typically, Danville will put two very large players at the defensive tackles to occupy multiple offensive linemen and keep their hard hitting linebackers free to make tackles. They will also put two of their faster players at the outside linebackers to cover passes to the flats, take out the pitchman on the option, and occasionally rush up field to disrupt anything the backfield attempts to do. Another advantage that Danville normally enjoys is the ability to man up any of their secondary defenders with receivers, freeing up more defenders to rush the quarterback.
Week #2 Normal Community
In week 1, we beat Danville 29-6 and Normal Community lost to Urbana 29-28. That adds up to a certain victory in week 2, right. If you believe that, you do not understand this rivalry, you do not know the history of the intercity game, and you did not watch the replay of Normal's loss on ICN Channel 5. Normal led that game for 47 minute and 16 seconds, and if not for five turnovers, would have won. They will not make the same mistakes two weeks in a row. There is no "sure thing" in the intercity game. The underdog overachieves, the favorite rarely plays like one, and the crowd, the hype, and the turf always seem to factor in. These games are always close (remember the Raider's 24-20 last minute victory in 2003), and the stakes are extremely high. The winner has gone on to win the conference championship for as long as anyone can remember. The loser, motivated by the loss, has just as often won out and made a deep run into the playoffs. And in a recent twist, thanks to the IHSA quadrant system, the two teams are very likely to meet again in the playoffs, with the winner of the intercity game possessing the higher seed, and therefore home field advantage. Still think you can predict Friday's outcome?
Defensively, the Ironmen will again lineup in the same 5-2 scheme used by the Raiders. There are some subtle differences in rules and responsibilities, but it is personnel and experience that the biggest difference between the Raiders and Ironmen can be seen. Whereas the Raiders are replacing All-Area players at linebacker, defensive end and noseguard from 2003, the Ironmen are returning eight starters from a defense that held seven of their opponents to two touchdowns or less last season. Headlined by returning All-Conference selections Shannon Cobb see LINK and Matt Lynch, and with the addition of 6'4" 290 pound defensive tackle Nick Smith, the defense should lead the Ironmen in the early part of the season. The most frustrating thing is that to a man, they play their technique very well, resulting in a sound defense that never seems to give up the big play, and forces their opponents to earn any touchdowns they get. They make adjustments to challenge the strengths of the offense, rarely take risks by blitzing, and never put themselves in a bad position by alignment. Remember, aside from a muddy field in Decatur, the Ironmen held the Raiders to their lowest scoring output in 2003 in a 18-6 loss in the quarterfinals.
Offensively, the Ironmen are a work in progress, returning only three starters from last season. But as the 28 point output in game 1 indicates, the work is progressing well. Jake Hopper returns at quarterback, along with Cody Troutman at receiver and Smith on the offensive line. Hopper is the key, and last week against Urbana demonstrated that he has returned to his 2003 form in executing the option attack, running the football, and throwing downfield to set pass routes and off playaction. One reason for the continued success year after year on offense, is that although the players change, the system remains the same. The Ironmen will line up in pro and twins sets, and run a dive option/sprint option attack. To keep defenses honest they come back with a midline option and counter play. The offensive line is smaller than last season, but as the Raiders have discovered the last two seasons, smaller means quicker and results in a line that is much more effective at pulling and getting upfield to the linebackers. In addition, the Ironmen run playaction routes off of the dive option and counter. For good measure they will also spread the defense with a four receiver formation, and run out of it as much as they throw.
Week #3 Urbana
It was a nice victory, but last week's 6-0 defeat of Normal Community exposed some weaknesses that the Raiders must work on if they hope to continue the success of recent years and challenge for their 5th consecutive Big 12 Conference title. On the positive side, the defense was outstanding for the second consecutive week limiting the Ironmen to 110 yards of total offense and only 19 yards of rushing. In two games, the defense has faced the pass happy Vikings of Danville, and the ground oriented Ironmen, yet only yielded 6 total points. In addition, placekicker and punter Mike Neumann had the first two fieldgoal game for the Raiders in recent memory, converting on kicks from 26 and 35 yards, and routinely pinned the Ironmen deep in their own territory with well placed punts. Unfortunately, the reason Neumann had the opportunity to kick two fieldgoals was the ineptness of the Raider offense that was limited to 141 yards, and only 14 yards passing. In both of the first two games, the Raider offense has moved the ball effectively at times, but seems to stall once in scoring territory. The Ironmen never moved the ball past the 50 yard line in the 2nd half of Friday's game, yet the Raiders failed to score in five possessions with favorable field position. Fortunately, a win is a win, and the Raiders can work on improving while trying to run their record to 3-0 against the undefeated Tigers of Urbana.
After a disappointing 3-6 season in 2003, including a season ending 58-6 loss to the Raiders, the 2-0 Tigers are the biggest early season surprise in the Big 12. In week one, the Tigers defeated Normal Community 29-28 on a final minute touchdown and gutsy two point conversion. They followed that with a determined 27-20 victory over Champaign. Leading 20-0 in the first half, the Tigers let the lead slip away, before preserve the victory with a forth quarter touchdown. Urbana enters the game with the Raiders riding high with an offense based on speed and a defense that plays well enough to win games. Considering the Tigers entered the season with only 28 varsity players (before moving some sophomores up to fill out the roster to 40), and a new coach, their season thus far has been amazing. Teams like this can be very dangerous, think back to Eisenhower in 2003. The Raiders must prepare for the speed challenge and improve offensively if they hope remain undefeated.
The Tiger offense is headlined by two Division I recruits in quarterback Preston Wilson and receiver Antonio Adams. These two hooked up for the only score against the Raiders in 2003, a 78 yard pass in which no defender came within 20 yards of Adams. Apparently, it was a preview of things to come for the 2004 season. To say these two are fast is a severe understatement. Hands down, they are the two fastest players in the conference this year. The offense is rather simple, but sound and features several plays that take advantage of Wilson and Adam's talents. Formations include pro, twin and double twins. They will add motion to all sets to switch the strength and force 5-2 defenses, like the Raiders, to make adjustments. Plays include isolation, dive, trap, counter and pitch, as well as a sprint option that allows Wilson to turn the corner with the threat of a pitch to the outside. Commit to him and the tailback will score untouched. Fail to cover Wilson, and he will embarrass you. The first time they used this play against the Ironmen, Wilson covered 40+ yards before being shoved out of bounds. The passing game consists of playaction off of the isolation and counter, and a series of two receiver routes to twins that generally focuses on getting Adams one-on-one against the defender. The most dangerous part of the passing game may be that when he can't find an open receiver, Wilson will just turn and run. Of his 157 yards rushing against Community, 2/3rds came from scrambles. In addition, Wilson will throw on the run if the secondary breaks off their receivers once he turns up field. This is what allowed him to find Adams wide open on the two point conversion that beat Community with 44 seconds to go.
For the first time this season, the Raiders will face a 4-3 defense. After two weeks of the 5-2, the Raider guards find themselves covered by quick, strong defensive tackles, while the tackles must chase linebackers downfield. The main challenge is that most blocking schemes are the exact opposite that they have been for two weeks. Pass coverage will alternate between cover 2 and 3 depending on the offensive formation. The Tigers have several two way players, This should be an advantage for the Raiders, except that it puts both Wilson and Adams into the secondary and could turn any interception or fumble into a touchdown the other way.
Week #4 Champaign Central
With a resurgent offense and stingy defense, the 3-0 Raiders travel to the 1-2 Maroons of Champaign Central for a week four match-up. Last week, against Urbana, the Raiders finally enjoyed the offensive surge they had been anticipating since the beginning of the season. Five different ball carriers scored, while racking up 373 yards rushing in a surprisingly easy 43-0 victory over the Tigers. The defense continued its dominating play, holding the Tigers scoreless, while scoring twice itself on a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, and a safety. The Maroons opened the 2004 season with two losses, a 28-0 shutout to Normal West, and a disappointing 27-20 loss to Urbana in a game where Champaign fought back from a 20-0 first half deficit to tie the game, only to have the Tigers score late to secure the victory. Turning things around in week three, the Maroons defeated Decatur Eisenhower 27-14. It has been two years since the Raiders and Maroons last met. The last being a 47-19 victory for the Raiders in the first round of the 2002 6A playoffs. A closer analysis of this game and the 2001 match-up sheds some light on what the Raiders can expect from the Maroons on Friday. The Maroons led the heavily favored Raiders in the playoff game 13-6 well into the second quarter. In a 2001 regular season game, Champaign held a 17-0 halftime advantage at Fred Carlton field, threatening a then seven year home conference game winning streak, before the Raiders rallied for three second half touchdowns to win 21-17. What all this adds up to is the fact that regardless of records, statistics and recent games, the Maroons will not be intimidated and are sure to play the Raiders tough.
Offensively, the Maroons hang their hat on nothing. They will run power, option, and misdirection. They will throw the ball downfield, to the flats and runs screens out of the backfield. That have a playbook that can challenge a defense in every way, and prevents opponents from keying on just one aspect. While the plays may be diverse, formations are rather simple. They include pro, twins, and twins split. They also have a shotgun option in all three formations. Plays include a triple option series, trap and counter for misdirection, and a power series of isolation and lead. They will also turn and pitch it to the tailback with the fullback and guards leading in an attempt to get to the corner. The passing game includes every rollout pass that the Raiders run, the difference is that the Maroons routinely run all of them in the same game while the Raiders may only use two or three. The Maroons have always fashioned themselves as a passing team and this season have arguably their best player, Chris Brown, at the flanker position. In addition to rollout routes, they will run play action off the counter and isolation plays, and a quick three step series to isolate the receivers on corners to the outside. And just to keep defenses on their toes, they run a sprint draw off the quarterback roll out, and a screen where the quarterback rolls out, sets up and throws back to a running back waiting on the opposite hash mark. Oh, and one other threat, the quarterback seems to want to roll and bootleg out and run the ball himself as much as Preston Williams from Urbana did.
Defensively, the Maroons line up in a 4-4, with four down linemen, four linebackers, and three defensive backs. Three strength of the defense is that it is perfectly balanced, and requires minimal adjustment to line up against a wide variety of offensive formations. It relies heavily on the linebackers ability to stop the run, cover the pass, and read quickly enough to recognized the difference between the two. Typically, the Maroons have linebackers that are more than up to the task. By walking the outside linebackers up, they also have the option of attacking gaps with six defenders, forcing offenses into audibles and quick decisions.
A reminder to Raider fans, Central plays their home games and Champaign Centennial's home field. For directions, go to the schedule page and click on "map" next to Central.
Week #5 Mattoon
Well the defense continued to play well last week, allowing only 168 total yards, and scoring again as Jared Woodrey intercepted a bobbled Champaign pass attempt and returns it 53 yards to score. The offensive, however, can best be described as adequate, netting 282 yards and scoring three times, but failing to put together a long sustained drive. One highlight was that the passing game finally put points on the board as Jake Callahan hit Chris Jameson and Tim McAvoy for scores of 42 and 11 yards respectively. So the Raiders take their 4-0 record into week five against the very tough 3-1 Green Wave of Mattoon. Wait... Didn't Normal Community soundly beat Mattoon 43-0 a week after the Raiders had defeated the Ironmen at Intercity? Yes, but don't let that lead to any false sense of security. The game against Community was disastrous for the Green Wave. Numerous turnovers led or set up several Community touchdowns. Mattoon was soundly trounced in the field position game and never got on track offensively. Don't forget this is a team that reached the 5A semifinals last season, came into the season ranked, and feature University of Illinois recruit Kyle Hudson at wideout. Hudson is a four year two way starter for the Green Wave and last spring won the Class AA high jump with a jump of 6'11". To put this guys ability in perspective, he beat James Wade, Brandon Hughes and Justin Harrison in the 55 and 100 last track season. It would be best to look past the loss to Community and focus on what this team is truly capable of doing.
Offensively, even with Hudson, the Mattoon game plan is very grounded. They will line up in a pro, twins, double tight, and unbalanced formations and pound the tailback at you repeatedly. Base plays include isolation and counter, but it is the off-tackle lead, and inside zone that the Green Wave hangs their hat on. With a line that stays low to the ground and keeps their legs driving, and a simple blocking scheme, their goal is 3-4 yards per play. They will man up with the defensive line on the zone, and if they have any problems handling a defender, they will all down block and the fullback will kick out the end on the lead. Once the frustrated defense makes its adjustments and put 7-8 defenders in the "box," they run play action to Hudson 30-40 yards downfield. Although he may only touch the ball less than a dozen times a game, any touch could lead to a touchdown. The backfield seems very comfortable with the game plan. The fullback is the lead blocker on most plays, and the tailbacks have patience and do a very good job of finding their seam, without trying to break everything to the outside. Throw in just enough gimmicks (i.e. formation shifts, reverses and reverse passes) and the Mattoon offense give a defense plenty to prepare for.
Defensively, the mindset is very similar. The Green Wave line up in a 4-3 front with two and three deep coverages in the secondary. They do not take many chances in man coverages or with blitzing linebackers. They are a well-coached, physical defense that plays their assignments well and forces offenses to beat them, rather than beating themselves with mental mistakes. With the Raider offense rather stagnant in three of the first four games this will prove to be the most interesting match-up of the game.
This game is the beginning of a three week period that could determine the Big 12 conference champion. Whereas the Raider opponents of the first four weeks have a combined record of 5-11, the next three have combined records of 9-3. Defeating all three should put the Raiders in line for their fifth consecutive title. Any losses put them in a tight race with 2-3 others.
Week #6 Champaign Centennial
In week one of the 2004 season, the Chargers of Centennial were beaten by Decatur Eisenhower 14-7. In weeks two and three, Centennial beat Decatur MacArthur 14-7 and Danville 31-7. In week four, they lost a four overtime heart breaker to Normal Community 27-24. Then in week five they dropped another close game 26-24 to Urbana. Add all that up and what do you have? One ticked off team that came into the season ranked second in a pre-season coaches poll, has lost three games by a total of 12 points, and is now fighting for their playoff lives in the final month of the season. At 2-3, the Chargers must win three of their final four games to meet the IHSA's playoff qualifying standard of five victories. This is a team that has a total of ten previous playoff appearances, reached the semifinals in 1998, the quarterfinals in 2002, and hasn't failed to qualify since 2000. Don't try to do any cross comparisons with similar opponents between the Chargers and the Raiders. Centennial has a renewed sense of urgency. Their "playoffs" begin Friday night and expect them to play like it.
Offensively, the Chargers can be summed up in three words, big, power, and playaction. The Centennial offensive line is the largest in the conference averaging just over six foot, and 245 pounds a man. The are headlined by (I apologize for using numbers and not names) #72 at 6'5" and 290 pounds, who has shown the ability to blow anyone off the ball on either side of the line. Base formations include pro, twins, double tight/flanker and double twins. Unlike most teams, however, they will use shifts and motion to change formations and strength once the defense lines up. This forces an unbalanced defense, like the Raiders' 5-2, to change alignments and responsibilities on the fly, creating potential mismatches in Centennial's favor. Regardless of formation, the ground game consists of a full compliment of power plays behind the big offensive line. They run isolation, lead and the inside zone. They throw misdirection at you with counter and trap, and run just enough option to keep defenses from loading up. The system is run by quarterback Cameron Turner, son of Illinois head coach Ron Turner, who is the second leading rusher on the team. Commit both linebackers and ends to stopping the backfield, and Turner will pull the ball and turn corner himself. A third threat then comes with the playaction passing game. The Chargers will run playaction passes off their isolation, lead and counter plays. The four receiver routes will generally occupy the deep zone and "flat" zone to the playside, drag a backside receiver to keep the linebackers busy, and then run a back out to flood the flat, usually leaving either the tight end or back wide open. Combine this with the fact that the play starts out looking like a run, and you have a variety of plays that test every individual defender and their ability to recognize, react and run. #4 is the big play threat at receiver. Any pass he catches could result in a score.
Defensively, the Raiders are very familiar with the Centennial scheme. It is the same 5-2 alignment that the Raiders run. The main differences are that Centennial typically stays in a cover 2 alignment in the secondary. They like to align one safety on both halves of the field and have them to come up for heavy run support. Most offensive blocking schemes do not account for cover 2 safeties as they are generally back in pass coverage. The Centennial scheme could result in safeties making as many tackles at the line of scrimmage, or for a loss, and most team's linebackers. One other difference is that the Chargers will typically rush both of their ends, where as the Raiders playing a cover three scheme will generally drop one off. Typically, Centennial defenders strong and aggressive, forcing defenses into quick decisions and therefore, mistakes. They have actually given up very few points this season in regulation. Keep in mind, all 27 of Community's points came in overtime, when the ball is put on the 10 yard line and the offense is given four plays to try and score. Take that away, and the Chargers have only given up 55 points.
Week #7 Normal West
The Purple Raiders find themselves in a very familiar place this week, playing an undefeated Normal team for a conference championship. The big difference this season, is that it is Normal West not Normal Community that hopes to end the Raiders five year run as Big 12 champions. For the first time in their ten year school history, the Wildcats are 6-0. And for only the second time in school history that includes a victory over their Unit #5 rival Normal Community (14-7 back in week five). The Wildcats are for real. In their six victories they have quite honestly, seen it all. They shut down a power running game in a 31-12 victory over Decatur Eisenhower in week two. The handled the speed of Urbana in a 44-20 victory last week. They have had an emotional victory over Normal, and faced adversity in a tight, come from behind 24-18 victory over Decatur MacArthur in week three. Second year head coach Darren Hess has to be pleased with the way in which the Wildcats have responded to all of the challenges the season has offered so far. With six victories they have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season, and now have their sights set on their first conference championship. They bring to the game the highest scoring offense in the conference, average over 32 points a game. In the Raiders, they face the stingiest defense in the conference, which is allowing only 3.8 points per game. Something has to give. The winner is practically guaranteed the conference title, as the next closest team to these two has three losses. The loser is practically guaranteed a rematch in the playoffs due to the IHSA quadrant system. The story lines could not get any more dramatic.
The high powered offense is fairly simple to understand, but very complicated to stop. In a word, option, the same attack that unraveled the Raiders at Decatur Eisenhower and in the state championship last season. The Wildcats will line up in twins, pro or an unbalanced twins set and run three different types of option at opponents. The first is a smash mouth triple option with a fullback dive behind the guard, the quarterback attacking the end, and a pitch option to the tailback arching to the corner. One difference between the way West runs it and other triple option teams, is that West blocks all down linemen on the defensive front. Most triple teams will leave the defenders responsible for the fullback and quarterback unblocked and read them. Coincidently, the triple is not West's main threat. It is the midline option that baffles teams. In the midline, the fullback will again dive through the guard hole. This time however the defensive tackle will be unblocked. If he runs upfield, the fullback gets the ball. If he attacks fullback, the quarterback will pull it. He then will attack the very next gap, inside the end. The tight end will turn out the defensive end creating the seam. Most defenses are designed to give the defensive end responsibility for the quarterback against the option. The midline makes this impossible. The unsuspecting linebacker is being blocked by the tackle that ran by the defensive tackle. It is simply a matter of too many ball carriers attacking inside the end. Adjust to stop the quarterback, and he still has a third option of pitching to a tailback outside. Shift over to stop all of this, and the Wildcats will attack weak with a lead option designed to get the ball to the pitch man quickly with a fullback lead block out in front of him. Pack everybody inside and walk the secondary up, and they will wall down with the tight end and run an off tackle lead. Stop that, and they will run playaction to the flat and over the top. It is a well schemed attack that requires individual defenders to make big plays to stop it.
Defensively, think Mudelein Carmel. Under Hess, the Wildcats have always lined up in a 4-3 cover 2 alignment. One difference this season, like Carmel, they are lining the three linebackers up in a pyramid alignment. Two are at normal linebacker depth and stacked over the guards. The third is 2-3 yards deeper and stacked over the center. The problem this creates for offenses is that you cannot account for the deep linebacker in a blocking scheme. Although he is 5-7 yards deep, all he has to do is read the flow of the offense and run to the ball carrier unblocked. It also provides an extra deep body in pass coverage. While the offense gets the headlines, the defense has held it own, shutting out Champaign Central in week one, holding Normal Community to seven points, and giving up only 20 points to the very quick Urbana last week.
Week #8 Decatur Eisenhower
Week eight pits two angry and very frustrated teams against one another. The Raiders are angry with their two point loss to Normal West, frustrated with an offense that become stagnant at times, and looking to improve significantly before entering the 6A playoffs in two weeks. The Panthers of Decatur Eisenhower are still angry that their victory over the Raiders in 2003 was forfeited due to the use of an ineligible player. They were frustrated by a last minute 24-20 loss to Normal Community two weeks ago, and at 4-3 are now fighting for their playoff lives in the final two weeks of the season. They need at least one more victory to guarantee a playoff spot. Friday night brings some relief to one team, while the other's frustrations continue. In the words of Panther quarterback/running back/linebacker/kick returner Brit Miller, "Bring it on!"
Speaking of Brit Miller, the Uof I linebacker recruit IS the Panther offense. He will line up in the backfield, take a handoff and run over anyone on the defensive side of the ball. If needed, he can also run by anyone on the defensive side of the ball. Another option is to give the ball to someone else and let Brit clear a path like pulling guard. Oh, and he will also line up at quarterback and throw the ball downfield off playaction with defenders hanging all over him. He is, hands down, the most dominating player in the conference. The offense that he conducts, is simple but very effective. The Panthers will line up in a pro or twins set with a split backfield. They generally run to the strong side, but with the spit backs, can go either direction. They run five basic plays, Iso, full back dive, speed option, pitch and lead option. They will run playaction passes off of the option series, and will also attempt shorter, three step drop passes. This smash-mouth philosophy, with Miller in the backfield was enough to defeat the Raiders 14-12 last season. The victory was eventually forfeited, but the Panthers won the battle on the field.
Defensively, the Panthers appear to have returned to the 4-4, after running a 4-3 last season. The 4-4 is better balanced, designed to stop the speed option run by the Raiders, and allows the defense to blitz in numerous ways, bringing pressure up the middle, off the edges or both. The Panthers will play a lot of man coverage in the secondary to allow for the blitzes. Miller plays one of the outside linebackers, usually to the strong side, and will blitz from the outside. When dropping into pass coverage, he is also dangerous. He intercepted a pass against Normal Community and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.
Week #9 Decatur MacArthur
Coming off their best offensive and defensive (in terms of opponents total yardage gained) performance of the season, the Raiders enter the final week of the regular season looking to continue to improve against the 1-7 Generals of Decatur MacArthur. In the Generals they face a team that will be closing out their 2004 season, and have nothing to lose. Their lone victory was a 69-28 drubbing of Danville back in week six. The 1-7 record is somewhat misleading in that three of their losses have been by a touchdown or less, including a close 24-18 loss to Normal West in week three. The Wildcats had to score late in that game to earn the victory. Facing a team at the end of their season can be a dangerous thing. Will they rally in an attempt to find something to build on for the next season, or will they just get the game over with, closing out a disappointing season? The goal for the Raiders will be to prepare for anything and use the game to prepare for their 19th consecutive appearance in the IHSA playoffs.
Quite honestly, I don't know what the Generals will run offensively. I know what they can run, but what they chose to settle in on Friday night is anybody's guess. Their basic philosophy, as always, is to get the ball into the hands of their fastest ballcarrier, put a couple of lead blockers in front of him, and head for the corner. But there are several ways in which they attempt to do this. They will line up in a multitude of formations including a double wing, single back set, pro, twins, unbalanced with trips to the weak side, wishbone with double wideouts, and a standard trips set. Most of the time, the set is balanced with a single running back. Base plays include a fullback dive, speed option, pitch, zone, and iso. They have a variety of ways to get the lead block in front of the speed option and pitch plays. They will motion a man across, but will also line up both slots to the same side of the formation. While this should be a definite key for the pitch, they run a trap away from the strength and a playaction off the pitch action just to keep teams from loading up. The unbalanced set poses several problems for a defense. First, there are four lineman to one side of the center, giving the Generals and obvious number advantage for running a power play. But to the weak side, they still have an eligible "lineman" and two slots just to his outside. Shift too many defenders to the strong side, and they will come back with a flood route to the weak side. Passes include playaction off the pitch, a short, three step drop series of slants and fades, and several combinations of deep verticals and posts.
Defensively, the Raiders will face a 3-4 defense for the first time this season, and very familiar to that of Mundelein Carmel in last season's state championship game. The three down linemen will line up on the center and tackles. The two outside linebackers will look like defensive ends most of the time, but will both play off the line one to two yards. In this alignment, the 3-4 looks like a 5-2, but the outside linebackers play much softer than the ends in a 5-2, allowing them to flow without getting tied up by a tight end or lead fullback. One other adjustment the Generals make is to pull the strong safety up and play him like a third linebacker. Ultimately, they will put eight defenders within four yards of the line of scrimmage, and play man coverage in the secondary. Obviously this dares the offense to pass, but it better not take too long to get the ball off. The defensive line, especially at the tackle positions is very athletic, and will close a pocket very quickly.
Playoffs - Round 1 Urbana
First, go up to the week three preview and read it again. The Tigers haven't changed much, and the Raiders are still looking to improve and play a complete game in all areas. Second, lets look at a few facts that relate to this game and lead to some misconceptions. The Raiders are making their 18th consecutive appearance in the IHSA playoffs. They have a 30-19 overall playoff record, have finished as the 6A runner up for two consecutive seasons, and have not lost a first round playoff game since 1996. The Urbana Tigers are making their ninth overall playoff appearance. They last qualified in 2002, and have an 0-8 overall record in playoff games. When these two teams met in week 3, the Raiders prevailed at home, 43-0, making the Raiders an obvious favorite in the rematch. Combine all of this with the perception that the Raiders got a "good draw" in the playoff pairings and many pundits may be looking past the Tigers to future match-ups. Do that, and you create the atmosphere for an upset. Since the week 3 game, Tiger quarterback Preston Williams surpassed the 3400 yard mark for his career, making him the all-time career yardage leader in Champaign-Urbana. He was offered and accepted a full scholarship to Northern Illinois. As a team, the Tigers had a impressive 26-24 victory over Centennial in week 5, giving them the intercity championship in Champaign-Urbana. Then with their backs to the wall regarding the playoffs, won their final two games to improve to 5-4 and earn the playoff spot. One way to look at, it is that the Tigers are now entering week 3 of the playoffs. Pit a hungry team like this with a team like the Raiders, that qualified for the playoffs a month ago and won their final two games comfortably, and you could have upset in the making. The key for the Raiders will be to ignore everything I have said above, prepare for each game as its comes, and play every down from here on out as if it is the most important of the season.
Back in week 3, the Raiders were able to contain Williams to 17 yards rushing and 44 yards passing. Wide receiver and division I recruit Antonio Adams was held to two catches for 50 yards. So what will the Tigers change for the rematch? Probably not much. These two are still the most dangerous offensive players in the conference. Both of them have the potential to turn any play into a touchdown. If anything, they will probably try to increase the number of plays in which one of these two end up as the primary ball carrier. In Williams case that probably means more option plays, both belly and speed option. They will lead the fullback out in front as a blocker, and have the tailback trail as a pitch option, but it will be the elusive Williams that will lock to keep the ball when he turns up field. To get the ball to Adams they will probably attempt more three-step short passing routes like hitches and slants. The objective will be to get the ball as quickly as possible to Adams and let him elude the defender. But defensively, the Raiders cannot just key these plays. The Tigers have a very good fullback/tailback combination in the backfield, and run a healthy dose of dives, counters and isolations. Either back with good blocking in front of them can also go the distance. The offense moved the ball well at times against the Raiders in week 3 (200 yards total). They just couldn't finish drives once they got inside the 30 yard line. This team averaged 24 points a game during the season. Expect them to move the ball.
Defensively, the Tigers didn't fair well in week three. But one of the Raiders scores was on a fumble recovery, and others came on short fields. While giving up 343 yards rushing to the Raiders, they limited the passing game to only 70 yards. The Tigers still line up in a 4-3 alignment and will switch coverages from cover 2, 3 and man. In the second half of the first game, they went with 5 and 6 man lines and brought several blitzes. Anticipate more of this. With Adams and Williams in the secondary they can man up with receivers and take chances up front. The best way to stop a rushing offense is to send more defenders than the offense can block.
It is an old cliché, but expect the unexpected with Urbana. They have nothing to lose, and sorely want to win this game. On the other hand, the Raiders are still looking for that perfect, or as close as you can come, game. The playoffs must bring focus and motivation.
Playoff - Round 2 Troy Triad
I did not exaggerate on the marquee, at 49.7 points per game, the Knights of Troy Triad have the highest scoring offense in the IHSA. Who is this team? Where are they from? Ask their right tackle, Jason Kleindorfer, "Ever since the beginning of the year we've told ourselves that we are going to be state champions." Full of confidence, the Knights face, in the Purple Raiders, one of the stingiest defenses in the state which is allowing only 5.2 points per game. Something has to give.
The facts. Troy is a moderately sized town located just to the northeast of St. Louis. Though the Raiders have played several teams from this area (i.e. Cahokia, East St. Louis, Edwardville, and Jerseyville) this will be the first meeting between the two schools. Both teams enter the contest with identical 9-1 records. The Raiders are hosting the game as a #2 seed in the quadrant. The #3 seeded Knights hosted a first round game against Decatur Eisenhower last Friday, defeating the Panthers 42-6. During the regular season, the Knights were champions of the Mississippi Valley Conference with a 5-0 record. The conference can best be described as a 5A conference with schools ranging in size from 800 to Triad's 1249. To say the Knights won the conference is an understatement. They demolished it. In five conference games, they allowed just 36 total points, shutting out three teams, while averaging nearly 50 points themselves. The Knights were actually pleased that their last conference game was a close contest against Bethalto Civic Memorial (32-22), because, "the starters got to play all four quarters." Troy faced two playoff qualifiers during the regular season in Jerseyville and Belleville Althoff, a team that defeated the Knights 20-19 in the season opener. The only time Troy has been on the Raiders radar in the playoffs was in 2002. The Knights lost 20-6 to Champaign Centennial in the first round. The Raiders then defeated Centennial 13-6 in the quarterfinals. Troy has a spotty playoff history. They have now qualified for the post season 10 times, losing in the first round 8 times. In 2001, however, the only other time they advanced beyond the first round, they went all the way to the quarterfinals of 4A (under the old 6 class system) losing to eventual state runner-up, Morris 27-16.
So how have they scored so many points? Surprisingly enough, mainly on the ground. Think Augustana College, or Rock Island High School, or for that matter, Normal West. The Knights run the double wing offense. Their base set appears to be a double wing, single back set with a tight end on one side, and a split end on the other. To balance things out, they will widen the tight end to another split end. They can also provide an unbalanced look by putting the tight end and split end on the same side of the formation like Normal West did in week seven. Basic plays include the midline and speed options, a triple option look, and a series of traps, counters and reverses to provide misdirection. Misdirection is the artistry of the double wing. By motioning a wing into the backfield, they can threaten a defense with a dive, pitch or reverse option on nearly every play. Add to that a quarterback that can simply pull the ball on any play and take it around end himself, and you have an offense that forces the defense to prepare for everything. The dominant ball carrier, in terms of number of carries, is the single back, 5'9" 180 pound Nathan Stuller, but the biggest threat comes from the left wing back, 5'6" 180 pound Shane McBride. The total number of yards between the two is close, but McBride averages far more yards per carry. The Knights are not however, one dimensional. They do throw the ball some, and with great effectiveness. While only averaging around six passing attempts and three completions per game, they are also averaging nearly one passing touchdown per game. One of every three completions for a touchdown. We should all hope to be that effective. Obviously, the passes come off of playaction out of the backfield, and not surprisingly, the wing backs are the leading receivers at 34 yards per catch. Those numbers will force any defense to at least honor the pass. On the line, the Knights are not overly large. With this offense, you don't have to be. They will line up with large splits that create natural running lanes, and beat the defense to the point of attack. Before defensive linemen can react the ball carrier is already through.
Defensively, they will line up in the 4-3 cover 2 alignment that three of the last four Raider opponents have. One difference is that the Knights have no two way starters, which keeps the defense rested and provides for easy adjustments. Though the secondary aligns in a cover two, most of the coverage may be man, allowing the safeties to flow up quickly for run support. Troy will also gamble some by blitzing the weakside linebacker, and twisting interior tackles. With their biggest defender at 5'10" 225 pounds, the Knights flow quickly and run well in the open field. They have only allowed 11.3 points per game. When you consider that most of their games have been blowouts with back ups on the field for most of the second half, that is impressive.
Quarterfinals - Chatham Glenwood
A week after holding the state's highest scoring offense in check, the Raiders must now face one of the biggest offenses in Chatham Glenwood. I don't mean big as in big play potential, although they certainly have that, I mean big as in size. From left offensive tackle to right guard, the Titans average about 6'1" 235 pounds. Slightly above average, but nothing that jumps out at you. Add to that a 6'5" 320 pound right tackle and a 6'5" 235 pound tight end, and things start to get a little scary. The offensive line of Chatham Glenwood will be the most formidable the Raiders have faced since the semifinals and state championship games last season against St. Rita and Mundelein Carmel. Chatham comes into the game looking to become the unofficial Big 12 champions have already defeated third place Normal Community 19-7 in round one, and co-champion Normal West 20-0 in round two. The Titans rolled through the first six weeks of the regular season before suffering two setbacks (55-15 to Sacred Heart Griffith, and 32-14 to Metamora) in final three weeks of the season. They seem to have hit their stride in the playoffs however, and now look to advance to the semifinal round for the first time since 1998, when they won the 4A state championship. A #4 seed, Chatham will be hosting the game due to the fact that they have only hosted once in the first two rounds. This may actually benefit the Raiders as the turf and Fred Carlton has seen it better days:)
The size up front is impressive, but the Titans also have plenty of dangerous skill players in the backfield to compliment it. They are led in rushing by Derek Cowen, who with 1105 yards rushing in 123 attempts for a 9 yard average and 18 touchdowns, led the Central State Eight Conference in all categories. They also boast of one of the conference's leading receivers in 6'4" 185 pound Jake Rouke (20 catches for 414 yards and 6 touchdowns). Making it all happen is strong armed quarterback Jason Schroeder who has thrown for 717 yards and 9 touchdowns while completing nearly 50% of his attempts. Their base offensive sets include pro, double tight double flanker, double twins and couple of different trips formations. One where two of the three receivers line up tight to the offensive line, and another, more typical, trips formation where all three line up wide. Base running plays include power, counter, trap and a toss sweep. With big agile linemen that can pull and get up field, four plays are about all you need. Yet the Titans do considerable damage through the air as well. From their trips and double twins formations, they will run a series of vertical and chair route combinations, as well as slants and comebacks. Although Rouke seems to be the main target, #8 Hartzler is just as dangerous. In double twins, he will pair with Rouke on the same side of the formation, but in double tight, he will drop down as the second tight end. This causes some defenses to lose track of him on seam routes, or find themselves in a mismatch with an outside linebacker trying to chase him downfield. To keep defenses from keying on formations and plays, the Titans will run a playaction series off of their counter play, and have several draws, screens, swing passes and delays that will catch an opponent of guard if they don't have every zone and receiver accounted for.
Defensively, the Titans, as with most of the state line up in a 4-3 cover 2 alignment, but in contrast to several recent Raider opponents, they are very disciplined in their approach to it. The defensive line averages about 225 pounds and looks to be very physical. They look to jam the offensive line, get extension, and then flow off towards the ball carrier. It proved very effective against the option attack of Normal West, an offense that the Raiders struggled against. They linebackers and secondary find the ball very well and flow quickly. In both of their earlier playoff matchups, this paid off in the form of a fumble returned for a touchdown by free safety Jake Rouke. So one key for the Raiders, don't fumble, and if you do, don't let Rouke pick it up. While this defense did allow an average of 21 points a game during the regular season, it has only given up 7 total in the playoffs. So as with the team itself, it is peaking.
Semifinals - Geneva
Raider fans, think back the excitement of the 2001 or 2002 seasons. For those of you that have been around a while, think back to 1991. For you short timers, think back to last season's semifinal game against St. Rita. The point is, think back to a time when the Purple Raider football team achieved something they weren't expected to, then double the emotions and you might be close to what the Geneva Vikings bring in to this Saturday's semifinal match-up against the Raiders. This is a team that had not qualified for the playoffs since 1992, had not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 1988, and had not made an appearance in a semifinal contest since 1977. This is a team that with 11 wins this season has equaled their total number of victories from the previous seven seasons. To say the players, coaches and fans in Geneva are excited is SOMEWHAT of an understatement. Their 2004 season is what high school football is supposed to be, and exactly what the IHSA hoped would happen when they expanded the playoffs to 8 classes back in 2002.
The Purple Raiders, on the other hand, are entering their fourth consecutive semifinal game, hoping to make it to their third consecutive 6A state championship game. So they will enter the contest over confident, prime for beating at the hands of the emotional Vikings. Don't bet on it. Keep in mind, this a Raider team that stood on the sidelines and watched a deep senior class compete for a state title in 2002, and then played along side a very talented senior class that returned to Memorial Stadium in 2003. Entering this season, most pundits felt that the talent pool at BHS had finally run dry. This team was picked to finish third in the preseason conference pool, and after losing their first game ever to Normal West, many felt it would be a short playoff run. But here we are in week 13 of the season and the Raiders are still practicing. This team has something to prove and goals to achieve, and after all that watching and standing in the shadows, a senior class that knows what it takes to get to Champaign.
Back to the Vikings. During the regular season, they were crowned champions of the Suburban Prairie (North) Conference. They finished the regular season 8-1. Their loss came at the hands Lombard Montini in week 2, 42-28. Montini, by the way, will be competing for a berth in the 4A championship game this weekend against Herrin. Tight victories over Plainfield Central (41-38), Glenbard South (14-7), and Batavia (14-12) prepared the Vikings well for their playoff run. And then last weekend, they pulled off something amazing. Trailing 21-17 to the Freeport Pretzels with 35 seconds remaining, the Vikings scored not once, but twice to win 30-21. The first score was set up by a 60 yard "I'll chuck it and you run underneath it" pass to the eight yardline. A flood pass on the very next play, gave Geneva the lead. After kicking off, they intercepted a Freeport pass and returned it for another touchdown. I told you this has been a special season for the Vikings. The playoff run has also included a 35-21 victory over defending 6A champ Mudelein Carmel, the team that beat the Raiders last season. This team can handle the pressure and will not give up, no matter how the game unfolds.
Offensively, the Vikings are similar to last week's opponent, Chatham Glenwood. Like the Titans, they like to spread the defense with formations, but still run the ball and throw playaction and rollout passes off of it. The offense is led by 6'2" 165 pound quarterback Alex Pokorny, who has passed for over 1200 yards on the season and run for 500 more. The backfield consists of fullback Nick Castner (6'1" 190) and tailback Nick Herrera (5'7" 160). Both Nicks are strong backs with quick feet and the ability to catch the ball off playaction. The offensive line is even larger than that of Chatham. Anchored by tackles Devin O'Connell (6'6" 285) and Nick Scofield (6'5" 265) the line is not only large, but can pull and trap as well as turn up field to lead backs out of the backfield. Primary sets include twins split, pro, twins and double twins. Base plays include iso, lead, trap, counter, speed option and belly. They also run a cross buck trap where the full back will dive to one side of the center and the tailback to the other. A guard will pull and trap for the tailback, but the quarterback can handoff to either back. The result is a couple of misdirection reads for the linebackers. But don't think that all the Vikings do is run the ball. They actually seem to prefer the pass, and just use the run to set it up and finish off drives. Passes include three step slants, hitches and outs, dropback crossing routes with all five receivers out in the pattern, a flood route involving a back out of the backfield, and playaction off the counter and cross buck trap plays. The have a group of sure handed receivers that include Matt Skaar (5'9" 165), Mike Issacson (5'10" 165) and Justin Gerkin (5'10" 155) so Pokorny doesn't seem to favor any one of them. Skaar sat out the entire regular season with a back injury and did not score a touchdown till last week's game, when he had FOUR. Favorite routes seem to involve Pokorny rolling out to one side with Issacson or Gerkin running a drag route to him from the backside, and Castner floating out to the flat. They also run a screen and draw for defenses that get over aggressive in trying to pressure Pokorny. Oh and Pokorny will take off on his own when the pocket breaks down and linebackers have dropped way off.
Defensively, the Raiders will again face the 4-3. Unlike Chatham who preferred to sit back, read and flow to the ball, the Vikings attack by blitzing any or all of the linebackers. The defensive linemen are aggressive in trying to penetrate, and the safeties, no more than 7 yards off the ball in cover 2 and man-to-man, will fill quickly to the outside. After spreading and stretching the defense of Chatham, the Raiders must now deal with the pressure of Geneva. They also run a few stunts with the defensive line and quick tackles Chris DiBartolo (5'11" 225) and Dan Monaco (5'10" 220). Overall the defense is giving up an average of 15.3 points per games and plays very good situational defense. In other words, they step up big when they have to.
2004 6A State Championship - New Lenox Providence
Two weeks ago, the Pantagraph ran a headline for the Purple Raiders that read "Back in familiar territory." Well as it turned out, they jumped the gun a little bit. With the victory over Geneva last Saturday, the Raider are now, truly, back in familiar territory, and in several ways. For the third season in a row, we will be competing for the 6A State Championship. For the third season in a row, the opponent will be a catholic powerhouse from either the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) or the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) Blue Division. So, for the third year in a row, we will enter the game as heavy underdogs. Big surprise. Many have claimed that Providence's 16-15 victory over Chicago Mount Carmel was the "real" state championship. Opponents of the quadrant system argue that we would not have gotten beyond the second round in a northern quadrant. Some have even claimed that the IHSA created the quadrant system so that we could take the "easy," southern road back to the state championship every year. That's some conspiracy theory. Try selling it to Urbana, Troy Triad, Chatham or Geneva. Even Providence coach Matt Senffner has joined in, telling his team after last week's victory over Mt. Carmel, "I told them that no matter what happens next week (against Bloomington), that this is the game they would tell their grandchildren about. This is the game they will talk about for 25 years or more." Gee, we should probably just forfeit. The pundits haven't come down this hard on us since, uh... let me think back... ummm... ST. RITA last season. Intimidation has always been a factor in games like this. The catholic teams and their fans simply consider public teams to be inferior and unworthy of a berth in a championship game. So lets just play the game and see what happens.
In the 2004 Raiders, the Celtics will face a team that is much different from its predecessors. The players on this team are not championship game novices. Many of the seniors were on the sideline during the 2002 game. Several of them started in last year's game. The shock and awe of the moment will not be a hindrance. There will be no starry eyes when they take the field Saturday morning. They are very familiar with the underdog label they enter the game with. They were predicted to finish third in the Big 12 at the beginning of the season. They were expected to exit the playoffs early after a week 7 loss to Normal West. Many predicted a road loss to Chatham in the quarterfinals. And any thoughts of a return to the championship game was considered a pipe dream at best. People have been underestimating this team's chances all season. This team is also very aware of what they face in Providence Catholic. They have seen teams like this, they have competed against teams like this, and they have defeated a team like this. I'll be honest, for most of the season, I wondered what the real strength of this team was. The defense has played exceptionally well all season. The backfield has come on well in the playoffs, but it wasn't until linebacker Shane Schubbe pointed it out in an interview with the Pantagraph last week, that it donned on me. The strength of this team is its heart and desire. It is tackle Matt Logsdon switching from offense to defense last week to fill in for injured Tim McAvoy. It is Adrian Arrington and David Simmons splitting time in the backfield. It is Mitch Jordan, who in the quarterfinal game against Chatham, broke a finger in warm-ups, then separated his shoulder on the first play of the game, but was back in practice running gassers the following Monday and played last week. Did I mention that he broke his wrist in the Purple and Gold scrimmage at the beginning of the season? It is the furious 12 point run the team made in the final five minutes of the West game to put themselves within a two point conversion of overtime in the season's only loss. And it is the "we will be back in Champaign" attitude they have taken since the playoffs began. The 2004 Raiders learned a great deal from their two seasons as the supporting cast, and they enter the 2004 6A Championship with a ton of big game experience and an unwillingness to accept just getting there as the high point of their season.
Back to the Celtics. Providence finished the 2004 season with an 8-1 record and co-champions of the CCL Blue Division. Their lone loss was to co-champ Brother Rice 20-19 back in week five. They entered the playoffs as a #4 in their quadrant and defeated Thorton Fractional South 52-7, Peoria Richwoods 27-0, Richards 31-0, and Chicago Mount Carmel 16-15 in route to the championship game. The Mount Carmel game was somewhat surprising in that it was a rematch of a week nine contest that Providence had won 42-16. This will mark the fourth meeting between the Raiders and Celtics in the IHSA playoffs. The first three games have all been won by Providence, 9-6 in the 1991 4A State Championship game, 42-21 in the 1999 5A playoffs, and 33-7 in the 2001 5A semifinals. The Celtics are in search of their 9th state title since 1987.
Offensively, Coach Senffner summed it up best in an article in the Pantagraph today when he said, "We haven't changes a whole lot. You've got to stick with the stuff that you do pretty good." If you go back to any of the previous three meetings between the Celtics and Raiders, even back to 1991, you will see the same formations and same plays that they run this season. I will not bore you in this preview with physical size of players or statistics. The IHSA provides all of that HERE at there website. Instead, I will cut straight to the chase. The Celtics are big up front and power the ball down your throught. They will then offset this with a playaction passing game once the defensive secondary begins to ignore the receivers in an effort to help stop the run. Base formations include pro and twins. They will spread the defense with a twins/split and single back formations as well. Their #1 play is power lead. They will down block everyone to the playside, leaving the end unblocked. The fullback will kick out the end creating a hole for the backside guard and tackle to lead the tailback through. The play is generally run to the tight end side, but can go away. The fullback keys the direction, so once defenses start jumping this, they will send the fullback to the backside in hopes of getting the linebackers to step incorrectly. They also run a pitch and zone to the outside. All five linemen and the tight end will turn to the playside, and block the first defender in that direction. This stretches the defense and will sometimes create seems before the back gets to the corner, allowing him to cutback whenever he sees it. The playbook also includes a dive, trap and isolation, but only as alternatives. If they can run the power 50 times a game, and be successful, they will. Consequently, the passing game is based off the run. Off of the power action in the backfield, they will send the playside receiver deep, drag the backside receiver, and dump the fullback out into the flat. There are several variations of this, but it is the deep, middle and flat zones that all playaction plays attack. In addition, they have a three step drop read series that generally results in the receivers running either a hitch, slant, out or fly route. There is no feature receiver. As the stats will show you, they have six different players with at least six catches. It is a simple offenses, but how can you argue against its effectiveness?
Defensively, the Celtics run either a 5-2 or 4-3 depending on your terminology. The defensive tackles and ends will align themselves to the strength of the offensive formation. The one outside linebacker they have, then lines up to the weak side and is on or off the line depending on the offensive backfield. The two inside linebackers stack on the guards to give the whole thing a 5-2 appearance. The secondary will play cover one, two or three, but they seem to favor one and three this season. Characteristically, the defense is very typical of Providence. The line tries to occupy as many offensive linemen as possible, leaving the linebackers unblocked. The linebackers and secondary read quickly and flow to the ball fast. The whole unit tackles very well. In general, it is a disciplined defense that will not make mistakes, and does not give up the big play.