I've never posted my detailed thoughts on the game, so here it goes. https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/vhsl/1b61017dd2 you must be a free member to access the game, and it's free to watch now. It's my preferred angle to watch, and I enjoy Gameday Magazine's commentary. Kickoff is at the 32 minute mark.
Other angle, first half:
Second half:
Thoughts
Salem's Joseph Quinn's touchdown catch is still amazing.
The right side of Salem's offensive line was their strength. Louisa did a couple of things, but should've done more to try to force Salem to run left more, like line #79 Tony Thurston up on tackle #73 and TE #17.
Brandon Smith's field goal block was almost a game saver.
Job Whalen, Malik Bell, Brandon Smith and DeAngelo Ramsey played their hearts out.
With 5 minutes left in the game, who knows what would've happened if Louisa had gone to Bell on 3rd down instead of Whalen, which led to the 4th and long that Salem barely stopped.
Louisa blew many big plays with penalties, while Salem played nearly perfectly, penalty wise. Louisa throwing that pick 6 on their first drive of the game, two plays after holding negated a huge play that had put them in Salem territory, put them in a hole they couldn't completely climb out of. Louisa's dropped interception in the 2nd quarter would've given them possession inside Salem's 20 or a pick 6. Then on Salem's next possession, Tucker fumbled but Louisa couldn't recover inside Salem's 40.
#63 Da'Jon Cardwell for Salem was a grown man. He will be a force as a senior!
Salem's secondary was probably the best Louisa faced in the playoffs. They really transformed from midseason to the final weeks. Louisa was able to utilize the short passing game against Monacan, and deep passes against Dinwiddie, but Salem pretty much locked everything down. Louisa should've attempted to get Brandon Smith involved in the passing game, like they did against Monacan.
Louisa showed a ton of heart and grit in the 3rd quarter, and finally capitalized on a turnover.
Defense wins championships, and while Louisa didn't play their best on offense, they simply didn't get as many clutch stops they needed on defense like they did against Courtland, Monacan, Dinwiddie, and Lafayette. That's a credit to Salem out-coaching the Lions. It was still a great game with great plays made by both teams, with many missed opportunities, and I hope they meet again. The first quarter pretty much defined the game, and Salem's experience in big time games prevailed.
Other angle, first half:
Second half:
Thoughts
Salem's Joseph Quinn's touchdown catch is still amazing.
The right side of Salem's offensive line was their strength. Louisa did a couple of things, but should've done more to try to force Salem to run left more, like line #79 Tony Thurston up on tackle #73 and TE #17.
Brandon Smith's field goal block was almost a game saver.
Job Whalen, Malik Bell, Brandon Smith and DeAngelo Ramsey played their hearts out.
With 5 minutes left in the game, who knows what would've happened if Louisa had gone to Bell on 3rd down instead of Whalen, which led to the 4th and long that Salem barely stopped.
Louisa blew many big plays with penalties, while Salem played nearly perfectly, penalty wise. Louisa throwing that pick 6 on their first drive of the game, two plays after holding negated a huge play that had put them in Salem territory, put them in a hole they couldn't completely climb out of. Louisa's dropped interception in the 2nd quarter would've given them possession inside Salem's 20 or a pick 6. Then on Salem's next possession, Tucker fumbled but Louisa couldn't recover inside Salem's 40.
#63 Da'Jon Cardwell for Salem was a grown man. He will be a force as a senior!
Salem's secondary was probably the best Louisa faced in the playoffs. They really transformed from midseason to the final weeks. Louisa was able to utilize the short passing game against Monacan, and deep passes against Dinwiddie, but Salem pretty much locked everything down. Louisa should've attempted to get Brandon Smith involved in the passing game, like they did against Monacan.
Louisa showed a ton of heart and grit in the 3rd quarter, and finally capitalized on a turnover.
Defense wins championships, and while Louisa didn't play their best on offense, they simply didn't get as many clutch stops they needed on defense like they did against Courtland, Monacan, Dinwiddie, and Lafayette. That's a credit to Salem out-coaching the Lions. It was still a great game with great plays made by both teams, with many missed opportunities, and I hope they meet again. The first quarter pretty much defined the game, and Salem's experience in big time games prevailed.
