Bird/Hermitage game

[anon_vu6vqwsr4nf3b]

Wow, hardly a peep about this game. I went to it not knowing much about Hermitage this year, but going by their record and scores I thought it would be a competitive game. It wasn't. Bird manhandled them in the trenches on both sides of the ball even though Hermitage was bigger, and stuffed Hermitage's running game. Herm had many chances for first downs or even touchdowns with pass completions, but wide-open receivers dropped everything. They ended up with FIVE total yards at halftime, and most yardage they got in the second half were due to Bird penalties. Herm reminded me of a poor man's James Monroe. They spread you out and run a ton of timing routes with their receivers, like slants. And like JM, lack a potent running game. I see they've put up points this year, so maybe those receivers just had a bad night.

I thought Bird's offensive and defensive lines were smallish but nasty, but I saw holes in their secondary that Hermitage was unable to exploit. Also, I feel it is disrespectful to the game that Bird holds so much. I could never be a Bird fan and sit through their games. We all know how much they hold in their running game but I was surprised at how much their secondary held. On one drive Hermitage was led down the field by pretty much all Bird defensive holding/pass interference calls. To me it was obvious Bird is just coached that way. I thought the game would never end. So I think if you wanna beat Bird, just attempt passes. It won't matter if you complete them or not, because eight times out of ten it will result in a Bird penalty. I think Bird is still very good but not quite as good as last year. I was impressed by their QB and his ability to scramble, and their line is good enough that anyone can get yards. However I think their defense is suspect and a big and physical defense can stop their running game, which is why I don't think they'll three peat.

 

[GilliamRatings]

You realize you saw Bird against the #1 team in the state, right?

Bird has rushed for beacoups yards against 12 playoff teams over the past three years and I don't expect that to change. They didn't have to against Hermintage, but they pass the ball well enough to keep you honest if you start to put too many on the line of scrimmage. 91-166-1686-23TD-5INT. They've rushed for 3734 yards. These are comparable to the past two years.

Bird has given up 10.5 points a game, which is high for them, but that includes games against Lake Taylor and Monacan (who are still playing) Hermitage and Highland Springs (who were both #1 in state in at least some rankings when Bird knocked them off), Atlee who was known for their offensive output, James River, Cosby and Thomas Dale (all of whom advanced in the 6A playoffs) and Manchester (who was probably the best team not to get to the elite 8 this year).

So I guess my question is this: "Do you think Bird hasn't seen a top caliber defense yet?"

A lot of high schools go into the state playoffs thinking they can exploit somebody's secondary. Rarely is the state title won that way. If you tell me Bird's going to win the battle in the trenches, and the other team's going to hit a few big plays against the Bird secondary, I'll go with Bird. That's how it went with Briar Woods last year, and Ocean Lakes the year before that.

I don't think it's a lock for Bird, but here's what I'd watch:

Salem is the only team to slow down the Bird offense last year and they pretty much had them beat last year. Bird helped Salem a lot with penalties. Salem's offense just couldn't do anything, either. Have the Bird coaches found something for Salem this year. I don't think anyone can beat Bird on a night when the Skyhawks aren't hit with over 100 yards of penalties. Watch early to see if the refs will let them play. Salem must come up with a way to move the ball this year.

My question on the other side of the bracket is this, how good was the North? After watching the Dominion District middle of the pack teams James River, Cosby and Monacan in the playoffs and realizing Bird has played six teams better than them I think Bird, if they get that far, will line up against a team in the State Championship that's not any better than what they've already seen. I really think Massaponax and Tuscarora haven't seen a team like Bird all season.

You've got to play four solid quarters to beat Bird and Manchester and Lake Taylor showed how to do it, but it wasn't easy for either team.

Bird's a tough out.

 

[DEVILSLB99]

Said it all year Bird will be a tough out for anyone and they are my pick in 5a. By far the most physical team we played this season and as you can see the only team that has played within 28 points of us this year to date. Whoever plays Bird better strap it up our key was our QB and his ability to run against Bird, but he is 230 lbs and a load to bring down. We made enough plays in the passing game and moved the ball pretty well against their defense. They are not very big up front but they play fast and hard which is a problem for a lot of offenses.

 

[VaPrepsRod]

It it ends up Bird against Tuscarora, fans could see the most physical game in recent memory for a state championship.

Also, the entire contest might take an hour and fifteen minutes.

This post was edited on 12/2 12:44 PM by VaPrepsRod

 

[anon_vu6vqwsr4nf3b]

Gilliam did you go to the game? Herm did nothing to look like a #1 team, and it wasn't all because of Bird's defense. I should've went to the Bird/Highland Springs game instead. I thought the Herm/Bird game would at least be close to as competitive as that one was.

I don't know how good Salem is, but going by how close last year's game was, I think Salem can spring the upset. I just can't get over how good Bird could be and how much of a dynasty they could be if they just cut back on the penalties!

I agree with your other points, but I watched the Tuscarora/Martinsburg game, and after seeing how Tuscarora pounded on them for 3 quarters, they're my pick to win it all. I think they're every bit as good as Bird and they don't beat themselves with penalties.

 

[GilliamRatings]

Maybe Tuscarora is better than them. Maybe it'll be Massaponax, maybe it'll be Salem, but if Bird losing in the final four means anything, it means that somebody in the final four was really, really good. Not that there's anything wrong with Bird.

These are the four team's top 9 opponents' rank in the nation according to CalPreps

Bird has played: Tuscarora has played: Salem has played: Massaponax has played:
91 (Lake Taylor) 723 (Martinsburg) 117 Ocean Lakes 648 Colonial Forge
310 (Hermitage), 804 (Broad Run) 1153 Frank Cox 1109 Stone Bridge
317 (Manchester), 804 (Broad Run) 1640 Norview 1652 Courtland
380 (Highland Springs), 1122 (Briar Woods) 1844 Bayside 2026 North Stafford
569 (Monacan), 1712 (Woodgrove) 2336 Green Run 2332 Riverbend
905 (Thomas Dale), 2748 (Loudoun Valley) 3490 Kellam 3692 Potomac
1191 (Atlee), 3763 Wakefield 4602 Landstown 3735 Brooke Point
1243 (James River) 3817 Potomac Falls 5179 Tallwood 4113 Mountain View
1820 (Cosby) 3978 Kettle Run 5859 First Colonial 6035 Albemarle

Bird is ranked 110, Tuscarora is ranked 189, Massaponax is 416, Salem is ranked 778

So while I don't agree with every dot and tittle of these ratings, they'd have to be really off base to think Bird isn't battle tested and hasn't seen it all.

Bird has some experience with this stuff:

Trips to sweet 16:
16 Bird
6 Massaponax
5 Salem
1 Tuscarora

Previous Wins in Final Four:
5 L.C. Bird
1 Massaponax
0 Salem
0 Tuscarora

Not an easy out.

 

[blue67ccm]

No doubt Bird won the war at the line of scrimmage, which, IMO, is where everything begins. Wilson was a complete non-factor in the game, which took away most of what Hermitage does. You get Johntae going, then everything else falls into place.

Robinson was inaccurate at times, when he wasn't there were a few dropped balls. All credit goes to the Skyhawks for an impressive victory which left me thinking (after seeing them twice in 14 days) that they could run the table yet again.

A word of note, though, for Hermitage that has not been mentioned, and I'm fully aware the coaching staff and players would never use it as an excuse. But there was an extreme medical emergency involving a program member the day of the game. (HAPPY to say he is recovering, cannot go into details). Having had the same thing happen to me, I can say from personal experience that life for those close to you, when this happens, is shaken to its core. There's no way Hermitage did not play Friday without a significant amount of distraction. They'll never admit to it, but it's simply human nature.

And finally, to an earlier poster, Bird would be truly scary if they'd ever learn to play without penalties. But I don't foresee that happening.....

 

[GilliamRatings]

Actually, if you look at Bird's penalty statistics there is a high correlation between penalty yards and wins. The only years I know of where they had fewer penalty yards than their opponents is their 4-6 and 5-5 seasons way back around 1990.

 

[DRWildcatDad2018]

No doubt a medical emergency pre-game can throw off a team's preparation. I've been through something similar and the intensity can be a little off if not entirely missing. I expected the Herm/Bird game to be a really good game and actually thought Hermitage might have the edge this year. I definitely did not expect Bird to dominate. I thought the graduation of Josey Davis at center might be a bigger loss than Ervin (QB), Hughes (RB), or Worsham (WR) and the Panthers might have an advantage with their D line.

As for the Salem game last year, yes it was a close game and Salem could have left Chester with a win. Salem did a good job of not allowing Bird to get anything going, but conditions had a little something to do with it. Bird's field was a muddy mess especially at the North end. For most of the game when Bird had the ball they were backed up in the muddy end of the field. The turf was really chewed up and Earl Hughes slipped a number of times and was unable to make the cuts he needed to elude Salem's defenders. Ervin had trouble when he tried to roll out too. I give Salem credit for keeping the pressure on and not giving Bird room to run or throw on a cold breezy day. It was mostly a punter's duel for much of the game. As usual holding penalties cost the Skyhawks first downs and field position. I kept waiting for a big play to get Bird to the South side of the 50 yd line to see if their offense would maneuver better on the smoother surface. When they did finally manage to flip the field position, the quarter ended and they had to drive into the North end. I know both teams were playing on the same field and the Salem defense had to deal with the field conditions just as the Bird offense did. But in my opinion it hampered the Bird offense to a greater extent and played a major factor in the game. My feeling is the same game played on a good surface would not have been as close and would have been a more exciting game.

This year Bird has two explosive running backs and I hear Salem is not as strong this year as they were last year. If that is the case, I would expect Bird to run wild on the turf field in Va Beach. If its raining that may put extra emphasis on the ground game for both teams. Looking at the ratings of their opponents, makes the Skyhawks' resume' look a lot stronger, but that won't put any points on the board for them. As always we will see what happens when the whistle blows.

My son has graduated and we have moved, but we will still be pulling for the Skyhawks.