Pleasant Grove (12-0) vs. Celina (9-3) in Sulphur Springs

[waterboy]

Who wins and why? :D

[Aesculus gilmus]

Pleasant Grove because they're the greatest team EVUH!

Seriously, though, I think this probably is the Hawks' year. It may even be Melissa's year. I've sadly had the feeling all season that this is NOT our year, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

At the end of the run, EVEN IF you could beat probable semifinal opponent Graham, you've got either Cuero or WOS waiting on you in Arlington. It seems impossible to me we could even make it to Arlington. I felt better about the chances of the last team that made it to state and lost in 2012.

I repeat. I HOPE I am wrong. But back to the topic. I'd be totally shocked if Celina wins this game. Celina really shouldn't have won last year. QB for PG threw a pick six that lost the game for them.

[d0tc0m]

Celina should’ve won by more last year.

[lostaussie]

Celina really shouldn't have won last year. Oh Hell No You Didn't.......Hell hath no fury like a Bobcat scorned:D

[d0tc0m]

Oh Hell No You Didn't.......Hell hath no fury like a Bobcat scorned:D


Tell 'em, Aussie.

[d0tc0m]

This will be a very tough matchup for Celina. Pleasant Grove is like a 13-point favorite, I think I saw, and that sounds about right. They've earned the right to be the favorite. When I watch them, they don't really jump off the screen at me and make me say, 'Whoah.' But the one word I keep coming back to with these Hawks is 'sound.' They are just so sound in all phases of the game, that it's hard to find a glaring weakness that you can attack.

I don't think they're nearly as fast or as athletic as Jasper was, especially in the secondary. I know they're not nearly as big as Jasper was, especially in the trenches. And yet, I think they're a better team, overall, than Jasper was. They're more of a complete team. PG runs their offense really, really well. You watch their pulling guards on film and you can't help but be impressed. You watch their tight ends and receivers block downfield, and you can't help but be impressed. You watch their young QB make good decisions on play-action sets, and you can't help but be impressed. You watch their stable of backs run the ball patiently and attack the holes when they develop, then put up big yards after contact, and you can't help but be impressed. They're not flashy. Like I said, you don't watch them and go 'Whoah.' But you do watch them and know, almost right away, that it's going to take a near-flawless effort to knock them off.

Historically, Celina matches up very well with teams like this — unless your source is Smoaky, where Celina's record against ETX teams, good or bad, is 0-200. The Bobcats defense has been pretty solid all year, and they've continued to get better, and have taken some incredible leaps in the past three-four weeks. Last week, they were very stingy against Jasper's run. And even the two long pass plays they gave up came in situations where our DB had great coverage, but the Bulldogs' big ol' tall boy just went up and out athleted our guy. At that point, you tip your hat and encourage your kid to keep doing what he's doing. The same kid that got beat ended up getting a huge pick to start the second half. But, against the run, especially out of a bunch set like the wing-T or double-wing, single-wing, whatever you want to run, Celina has been hard to beat. Our ends set the edge really well, especially against Jasper, and they have a knack for making plays in the backfield, even on backside pursuit. Our little nose guard played out of his mind against the Bulldogs, and just never let their plays get going, and he's going to have to do that again this week.


It's going to be a very brutal, physical, hard-hitting game. If you like pad-popping, this is the game you'll want to see. Like I said, PG is the favorite, and they should be. They've put together the resume this year to be the Region II favorite. But I like the way my Bobcats have been playing. I like the way the boys have been responding. One of my favorite quotes came from our OC last week after the win over Jasper. He said something like, 'I'm really glad we get another week,' because these kids have figured some things out. They've figured out who they are.

[Wayne]

Good luck to the Bobcats. If anyone can upset PH it would be Celina.

[Wayne]

PG sorry

[Saggy Aggie]

PG by 21

[waterboy]

Personally, I think that if Pleasant Grove takes care of the ball they win. They don't usually make many mistakes, so the chances are very good that they do just that. The biggest advantage Celina has is their mystique. Sometimes that mystique can make newcomers on the scene a little nervous. Pleasant Grove played Celina last year, though, and knows what to expect this year, so I think they'll be better prepared for all of that. PG is a LOT better team this year than they were last year. Is Celina?

[bobcat1]

Depends a lot on gelling time. Celina never really gelled up until last week it seems. Teams can get on a roll in the playoffs and find their chemistry in one win. Did they last week? We will find out this week. I know PG is the do all end all this year but Celina is..... well Celina. Tradition never graduates.:2thumbsup

[lostaussie]

. I know PG is the do all end all this year but Celina is..... well Celina. Tradition never graduates.:2thumbsup PG is solid....
..but they can be beat. Just watch:D

[waterboy]

PG is solid....
..but they can be beat. Just watch:D

Yep. Can't wait. There will be some broken hearted crybabies in Texarkana when that happens. They are good but far from invincible like some of their fans think. All the teams left standing are good, not invincible.

[d0tc0m]

Yep. Can't wait. There will be some broken hearted crybabies in Texarkana when that happens. They are good but far from invincible like some of their fans think. All the teams left standing are good, not invincible.


Yeah, you tend to get that with the upstarts. PG has been very vocal — mainly on Smoaky and FSSW app — and Melissa folks have been pretty chatty, too. It just so happens that both of those teams are very good. Both beatable. In my mind, though, I don't see any team left in the Div. II bracket that is untouchable.


The thing that makes you jumpy about a team like PG, from a schematic standpoint, is just how complex their offense is. I know, it's archaic, and unsophisticated and all that jazz. But when you watch it on film, and you chart the formations and plays, to me, it's about as complex as you can get — with maybe the slot-T being slightly more complicated.

I know the natural tendency is to think the spread offense is far more complex. In reality, though, the spread is pretty simple and straightforward. The complexities in that style lie in the fact that all of the athleticism is spread out over the whole freaking field, and you basically need a dime package (which most HS defenses don't have) out there the whole time.

With PG's offense, though, there are just so many things that have to be accounted for on every single snap. So many reads that have to happen in the blink of an eye. And so many little, unglorified responsibilities that you have to get kids to buy into and take pride in in order to stop the offense. Celina has always done that extremely well against these types of teams. Can they do it one more week? I believe they can. It will be the toughest assignment - aside from Argyle - so far this season, but here's to hoping the Bobcats are up to the task!

[d0tc0m]

Depends a lot on gelling time. Celina never really gelled up until last week it seems. Teams can get on a roll in the playoffs and find their chemistry in one win. Did they last week? We will find out this week. I know PG is the do all end all this year but Celina is..... well Celina. Tradition never graduates.:2thumbsup


This. And the quote by Coach Troy Davis at the end of the game last week was very indicative of this. He basically said these kids are really starting to click, they've figured out who they are and what they are capable of, and the game has started to make sense to them, as a unit, more than it did at the start of the year.

[bobcat1]

This. And the quote by Coach Troy Davis at the end of the game last week was very indicative of this. He basically said these kids are really starting to click, they've figured out who they are and what they are capable of, and the game has started to make sense to them, as a unit, more than it did at the start of the year.

:2thumbsup