Quote Originally Posted by d0tc0m View Post
Good to see you on here, bobcat! Hope little Hudson is still thriving!


As for this game, it has the makings to be a good one. As always, Gilmer has a light-em-up offense that puts up gobs and gobs of points, EXCEPT, when they've run into good defenses -- once against Carthage and once against a young but talented Pittsburg team. Carthage had the best overall defense the Buckeyes will face, but Celina is not too far off. Bobcats have a better defensive line and a LB corps that is maybe just a tick below the Dawgs. Carthage has a better secondary, but Celina's secondary is no slouch. Bobcats have some boys who can run and cover ground and have tackled well in space all season. We completely suffocated an Aubrey team (which had loads of speed too) that had been putting up gaudy numbers too. I know it's a completely different scheme and different matchups, but the defense looked well prepared and fired up in that game. We'll need it to carry over to this one on Friday.

As far as I can see, Celina will need to dominate the line of scrimmage and get pressure on Tennison, without getting too far up field to let him escape. That young man's ability to escape and evade pressure is phenomenal. But he'll get his biggest test since Carthage on Friday. If he has time, he will pick us apart, just because Gilmer's receivers are that good. Our LBs have been really good at sniffing out screens this season, and they'll have to be up to task yet again. They'll get a bevy of slip screens and bubbles and jailbreaks, and deep crossing patterns, and deep outs and stops, etc. Also have to account for jets and reverses, etc. Buckeyes will empty the playbook in this one.

Offensively, Celina should have an advantage in the trenches. Bobcats need to come out and establish a dominant ground game. Use those big heavies to impose their will up front, open some lanes for Gayton and Peterson to have another big game. If we can run on the Buckeyes, we'll have success on the scoreboard. Gilmer had problems stopping PG until they got into the red zone. But that's where the Hawks' inability to be diverse became a factor. If Celina can put up 250-300 yards on the ground, it's going to force the Buckeyes to load the box, which should open up some quick-hitters in the passing game to Nickel, Urich and Hagenbrock.

If we can hold Gilmer to under 35 points, we've got a real shot, and, offensively, I think that's the target. If we can put up 35 points, we should be in good shape. I expect it to be an absolute battle, just like in 2015, and I'm hoping Celina pulls out the 1-point win.
Against PG we did not have our big nose tackle Daniel Bouda. Thats where they made us pay was right up the middle. Bouda is back so that should help us out. Its gonna be a fun game between 2 programs that I firmly believe had a lot of admiration for each other. Hell we've traded coaches a couple aof times. Great semifinal for a shot at the big trophy.