Region D Final #1 Salem vs. #2 Glass
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Hard to beat Salem at Salem . Salem always has there team ready in playoffs very well coach and they don’t hurt them selves with turnovers and penalties. Glass very hard to team predict really depends on Kendrick is he going to throw it when his WR are open or is he going to try to run it ? On the opinion play is he going to pitch it with his RB open or he going to keep it . My point is when he try’s to do everything by him self there offense slows down . Everybody knows you stop him your good chances of beating them is very good . His passing is all over the place but very dangerous as a runner . Should be a great game !!!
Nicely said @Lakelife. In order to beat Salem you can't be one dimensional. EC Glass needs to prove they can run the dive; therefore, giving Kendrick the freedom to improvise. Generally, Kendrick like qb's give Salem fits, but as you said he is not the most accurate passer.
I find the Salem power run game vs. The EC Glass front 7 the most intriguing matchup though. Salems simplicity and fundamentally sound running game is tough to stop. Glass has the studs to do it, but will they.
Tough to call this one. Have tons of respect for both squads. I really like the way Glass plays, but at this time of year execution matters most. The Spartans win by 1 on a missed xp????? Heck I just don't know. Lol
I find the Salem power run game vs. The EC Glass front 7 the most intriguing matchup though. Salems simplicity and fundamentally sound running game is tough to stop. Glass has the studs to do it, but will they.
Tough to call this one. Have tons of respect for both squads. I really like the way Glass plays, but at this time of year execution matters most. The Spartans win by 1 on a missed xp????? Heck I just don't know. Lol
I said it last week when Pulaski played Glass : first to 14 would win the game and people thought I was crazy. Glass got the 14 first and they won 27-10. With scores late to push the margin from 14-10 or 21-10.
this week my synopsis is simple:
Salem : how well can they defend the run especially designed qb read options/veer. Glass is a capable passing team but they don’t really run a lot of concepts that would test the secondary it’s a deep dig and wheels occasional fly and slant. Offensively Salem has to do what Salem wants to do control the LOS and pound the rock to set up a successful PA. If Glass makes Salem pass then it could be interesting as Glass secondary isn’t that great but they have athletes to defend.
Glass: must establish threats outside of Kendrick, whether it be the run or pass BC Salem will key Kendrick and get somebody to put a hat on him with or without the ball. Control the tempo of the game, use the clock and make Salem defend the entire field 50 yards wide as well as attack vertically with some double moves off of a jet action. Defensively you have to stop the I, the front 7 has to dominate the run and shut down the run lanes. Salem isn’t great at passing but they are serviceable, make them go to the gun and you can win. When the lights come on it’s hard to win at Salem stadium but it’s been done, mimick the martinsburg tape. Glass has potentially the best player in 4d maybe class 4 use him but don’t make the game be on his shoulders.
this week my synopsis is simple:
Salem : how well can they defend the run especially designed qb read options/veer. Glass is a capable passing team but they don’t really run a lot of concepts that would test the secondary it’s a deep dig and wheels occasional fly and slant. Offensively Salem has to do what Salem wants to do control the LOS and pound the rock to set up a successful PA. If Glass makes Salem pass then it could be interesting as Glass secondary isn’t that great but they have athletes to defend.
Glass: must establish threats outside of Kendrick, whether it be the run or pass BC Salem will key Kendrick and get somebody to put a hat on him with or without the ball. Control the tempo of the game, use the clock and make Salem defend the entire field 50 yards wide as well as attack vertically with some double moves off of a jet action. Defensively you have to stop the I, the front 7 has to dominate the run and shut down the run lanes. Salem isn’t great at passing but they are serviceable, make them go to the gun and you can win. When the lights come on it’s hard to win at Salem stadium but it’s been done, mimick the martinsburg tape. Glass has potentially the best player in 4d maybe class 4 use him but don’t make the game be on his shoulders.
Good points from everyone who’s posted. At this juncture, I wouldn’t expect many surprises from either squad. I wholeheartedly agree that Glass must keep the diversity in their offense to win. I thought GW did an excellent job mixing it up with shorter/longer routes, read-options, reverses, and of course, a steady dose of Graves. It kept Salem’s much improved defense honest and guessing on each down. It had been awhile since Salem had seen that much team speed from an offense and it showed. Glass can come at Salem with much the same plan and certainly have the personnel to do it. Add in one of the best playmakers in all of Virginia high school football this season in Kendrick, and the Hilltoppers will be incredibly difficult to stop. On defense, as the previous posters noted, Glass knows what’s coming. Persinger, Wood, Leftwich, followed by you guessed it, Persinger, Wood, and Leftwich. The Mules upfront definitely get the credit for the well-oiled rushing machine that is Salem football. However, the diversity of running styles by those three backs make adjustments difficult. Wood is shifty, reads blocks well, and likes to change speeds as he runs thus giving him that deceptive “take off” from a block or cut. Persinger is quick and runs hard, but waits for open field where he can display his straight-line speed. Finally, Leftwich has developed into quite the tank from the FB position. I’m amazed at the way he lowers his shoulder and shifts his weight to deliver blows when he runs. He relishes the moment to make contact, even against much larger linemen and backers. He has become an excellent back as a sophomore. Glass needs a punch upfront from the d-line and very disciplined play from the LB’s to slow down Salem’s rushing attack.
Offensively for Salem, I’d expect them to stick with what they’ve done all year and try and out-execute Glass on the line. They know with their backfield, it’s not about ripping off huge gains, but forcing Glass into a lot of 2nd and 4 or 3rd and 2’s. Also, Salem will have to have the play-action working and Chaney throwing well to win. I thought it was huge that he hit Collins with a bomb at the beginning of the GW game. That clearly backed them up and made them respect that threat. I also look for Salem to utilize Wood as an option to throw to out of the backfield as they did in the score against GW. That is a nuanced move that makes Salem much more difficult to defend IMO.
Defensively, I think Salem must have their best effort all year to even have a shot. Glass is loaded with threats that can take it to the house and a offensive front to give them those opportunities. Salem has to play disciplined and not key too much on Kendrick. I think Glass knows Salem respects him and will try to get other playmakers the ball early in the game. As far as Kendrick goes, its all about containment. He’s going to make plays, but Salem must not over-pursue. Kendrick is second to none at recognizing pursuit and cutting back against the flow to open himself up for huge gains. However, that’s easier said than done. Kendrick is a magician in the open field. I think the bottom line is that Salem must get some stops and chew up the clock offensively. They won’t win a shoot out against Glass. If it’s a low scoring affair, I give the edge to the Spartans. In any case, this certainly has the ingredients to be a classic!
Offensively for Salem, I’d expect them to stick with what they’ve done all year and try and out-execute Glass on the line. They know with their backfield, it’s not about ripping off huge gains, but forcing Glass into a lot of 2nd and 4 or 3rd and 2’s. Also, Salem will have to have the play-action working and Chaney throwing well to win. I thought it was huge that he hit Collins with a bomb at the beginning of the GW game. That clearly backed them up and made them respect that threat. I also look for Salem to utilize Wood as an option to throw to out of the backfield as they did in the score against GW. That is a nuanced move that makes Salem much more difficult to defend IMO.
Defensively, I think Salem must have their best effort all year to even have a shot. Glass is loaded with threats that can take it to the house and a offensive front to give them those opportunities. Salem has to play disciplined and not key too much on Kendrick. I think Glass knows Salem respects him and will try to get other playmakers the ball early in the game. As far as Kendrick goes, its all about containment. He’s going to make plays, but Salem must not over-pursue. Kendrick is second to none at recognizing pursuit and cutting back against the flow to open himself up for huge gains. However, that’s easier said than done. Kendrick is a magician in the open field. I think the bottom line is that Salem must get some stops and chew up the clock offensively. They won’t win a shoot out against Glass. If it’s a low scoring affair, I give the edge to the Spartans. In any case, this certainly has the ingredients to be a classic!
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Glass has a lot of different ways to give Salem trouble, but for me these are the two biggest ones:
The defensive front, especially Fretz, Ayers and Merriman are the exact type of players that you need to slow this offense down and put them in passing situations. It will be interesting to see how they use Fretz as they have lined him up all over the place and I am pretty sure they will do the same on Friday. Interesting to note that Franklin County runs the most similar offense to Salem by far and they used him on the strong side bouncing between a wide-1 or 2 and a tight-5 or 4... usually the 2 or 4 and they did very well against the FC running game. Glass didn't use a 0 nose or shaded nose in that game but I could see them doing that some on Friday and I could also see them use Fretz there at times. They also have Hager who is a very good MLB and is a good blitzer and hard hitter.
Offensively they have ways to expose Salem's biggest weakness, which is getting off blocks and tackling in the secondary. Martinsburg really hurt Salem in this regard but they weren't the only team to do it. Lately, they had started doing a better job at this but they were not good at all last week against GW and it honestly looks some players just didn't want contact and were actively avoiding it. The most common way to avoid contact for DBs without looking obvious is to intentionally stay blocked and wait for the ballcarrier to run by you so you can chase them from behind and this happened a lot last week... some of these "blocks" were coming from a 5'6 150 pound WR. If they do not physically attack perimeter blockers and try to beat them and make aggressive tackles this game will not be close. Also, the Glass WRs take a lot of pride in giving good effort on perimeter blocks and do it better than most teams I have seen this year.
The defensive front, especially Fretz, Ayers and Merriman are the exact type of players that you need to slow this offense down and put them in passing situations. It will be interesting to see how they use Fretz as they have lined him up all over the place and I am pretty sure they will do the same on Friday. Interesting to note that Franklin County runs the most similar offense to Salem by far and they used him on the strong side bouncing between a wide-1 or 2 and a tight-5 or 4... usually the 2 or 4 and they did very well against the FC running game. Glass didn't use a 0 nose or shaded nose in that game but I could see them doing that some on Friday and I could also see them use Fretz there at times. They also have Hager who is a very good MLB and is a good blitzer and hard hitter.
Offensively they have ways to expose Salem's biggest weakness, which is getting off blocks and tackling in the secondary. Martinsburg really hurt Salem in this regard but they weren't the only team to do it. Lately, they had started doing a better job at this but they were not good at all last week against GW and it honestly looks some players just didn't want contact and were actively avoiding it. The most common way to avoid contact for DBs without looking obvious is to intentionally stay blocked and wait for the ballcarrier to run by you so you can chase them from behind and this happened a lot last week... some of these "blocks" were coming from a 5'6 150 pound WR. If they do not physically attack perimeter blockers and try to beat them and make aggressive tackles this game will not be close. Also, the Glass WRs take a lot of pride in giving good effort on perimeter blocks and do it better than most teams I have seen this year.
I don't know either team well. I just know everyone was real big on Glass all rear as if they were going to walk away with it. Doesn't seem that way the last several weeks.....but they're here. I'll go with Salem.
Glass seems put together perfectly to attack Salem effectively offensively and defensively. I said early that Salems max this year was probably final 8. Hope they prove me wrong.
My head says E. C. Glass, 31-21.
My heart says Salem, 28-27.
The head or the heart?
#WeDon’tHaveACatchyNickname
My heart says Salem, 28-27.
The head or the heart?
#WeDon’tHaveACatchyNickname
This has been shaping up to be a really good game!
Glass has proven to be extremely explosive offensively with Kendrick, Foster, and Craighead and the Glass defense proved that it was definitely one of the top Defenses in the region against Pulaski.
Salem is always an extremely discipline and talented group and should always be respected. Collins, Chaney, Persinger, and Leftwich make the Salem Offense Dangerous!
Nevertheless, I think the #MidtownBoyz will take this one. 34-17
Glass has proven to be extremely explosive offensively with Kendrick, Foster, and Craighead and the Glass defense proved that it was definitely one of the top Defenses in the region against Pulaski.
Salem is always an extremely discipline and talented group and should always be respected. Collins, Chaney, Persinger, and Leftwich make the Salem Offense Dangerous!
Nevertheless, I think the #MidtownBoyz will take this one. 34-17
I liked everything you said until you said Glass proved it was a top defense vs Pulaski. If Pulaski had any kind of Offense they might be 12-0. Now holding Heritage to 7 it's in regulation is impressive .
But the Glass defense had to constantly defend a team with a lacking offense, but a great kicking game In their own territory. I think that says something about their defense. Pulaski kicker did miss 2 field goals though.
Salem is probably a year away. But if Glass makes some mistakes Salem could pull it out. We will know pretty quickly if Salem can stay in the game. Can Salem run the ball? Can Salem stop QB run? If they can look out. If they can't -- game over
I could be wrong but I'm guessing he's referring to the fact that Pulaski's offense didn't score and was 34 for 71 rushing and only had 134 yards of total offense on 49 plays.
I'll go with Salem. Salem knows what they have and they will line up in the power I with the true fullback and pound it at glass. They don't try to run the spread with the talent they have. I have to respect them for that. They run it north/south, not sideways. You would think teams would see the success they have had and try and emulate it. But what do I know I've only been watching HS football for 41 yrs.
Similar to the game against Salem, in which Pulaski got only two field goals, each after Salem turned it over (once on a fumble, once on downs on a failed run caused by a bad snap) inside its own 30. That night, Pulaski had 61 rushing yards on 23 attempts, and 41 passing yards for a total of 102 yards offense on 39 plays. Of course, Salem didn't tear it up on offense that night, either.
Sounds like Salem has a tough defense as well. Regardless of the caliber of offense a team has, it's still impressive if a defense posts a shutout and holds an offense under 150 yards.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say no one read my post prior to this game that stated Pulaski does not have enough offense to win. So no. I'm not impressed with the above stats. Now holding Heritage to 7 points for 4 quarters is impressive.
I think it is a valid question to learn about the opponents program. No one is forcing you to reply.
I read your post but it's still impressive to me and at least one other person. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. No one is trying to change your opinion either.
no worries. I was just making a point that the Heritage game is what impressed me more. Either way Glass has a good D
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