Footballking16

4 minutes ago, PHJIrish said:

Also Center Grove controlled time of possession.  IIRC, they had the ball for 9 minutes more than Cathedral.  Also CG's defense is elite!

Yep. Fantastic D (especially the line) that really dictated the game and never allowed Carhedral to get into any rhythm. Didn’t have much success running on first and second down and were forced into obvious passing downs were CG could pin their ears and bring pressure.

54 minutes ago, CaptainHook said:

so I just saw that CG held Jordan to 2 catches for -1 yard and 1 rush for -1 yard.

also Wooten held to without a catch?

wow

Jordan didn’t play in the 1Q and never really got in sync with the game. Did draw 2 DPI’s that won’t show up in the box score but Cathedral didn’t do much to get him the ball.

Wooten I believe caught one ball early in the game but not sure he was targeted after. Tragic.

4 hours ago, southend said:

Definitely a bad call by cathedrals coach , to go for it on the fourth down, cost him a touchdown.  He also chose to go for it in the first half of the game, and didn’t make it, that blunder cost them a field goal. Poor decision making for the Irish coaches in both situations. You people are in denial.  But these are good coaches. Just made a few bad game decisions that cost the points. 
They will live to see another day, and probably win another state trophy. 

Huh?

Cathedral wasn’t trying to get a touchdown, they were trying to get a yard and win them the game. Criticize Coach Peebles all you want, his decision to go for it was the right call, his play call left some to be desired.

Was semi-invested in the Navy-ECU game, hehe. Facing a 4th and 2 around midfield up 4 with 2 minutes left (ECU had 1 TO left), Navy left their punt team off the field. Navy converted their 4th down, running north and south I should add, and ECU never saw the ball again. I’m guessing this is a more popular call than DT leads us to believe.  

1 minute ago, Grover said:

I couldn't tell but there were multiple refs who all immediately said he was down.  No hesitance and no disagreement.  Take that for what it's worth.

I’m in the same boat. Couldn’t tell from where I was at in the stands. 

5 minutes ago, Olympian06 said:

I also thought it was a great officiated game.. I only saw possibly two missed calls/spots. 1 on the above play you mentioned, 2. On a spot that gave Cathedral a 1st down. On replay it showed the Cathedral runner about a half yard short of the first down. One official had the ball down a half yard short, then the other officka came running in 20 seconds later and moved it forward for the 1st down. Outside of those (which are sometimes tough to call, I thought the officiating crew was top notch) 

Have not seen any replays but on the ensuing drive after Cathedral took the lead, it appeared Steele fumbled with a clear recovery for Cathedral that was ruled down by contact. It looked bang-bang to me but other fans around (with a better view) were adamant it was out. Any inclination to that from watching it on TV?

Another aspect I want to commend last night was the officiating. Thought it was top notch. Clean game where the crew let the players decide the outcome on the field. It was decidedly better than last years game which was a flag fest. Only questionable call in my opinion was the no call on the intentional grounding at the end of the first half, but other than that, great work all around.

9 minutes ago, FastpacedO said:

What proof do you have that grass field creates more injuries? Actually there is more data that turf fields lead to more knee (ACL MCL) injuries. Nothing wrong with grass field> Turf dogs has done a great job maintaining Arlington's field after doing a lot of work to it.

There’s nothing wrong with Cathedral’s (Arlington) playing surface, you have that right. That being said, the rest of Arlington’s facilities leave a lot to be desired. Center Grove, once again, hosted a fantastic football game that all Irish fans should be thankful.

3 minutes ago, Jon said:

I don't think a fan should complain about opponent facilities when they don't even have on. Personally I like to see cg play somebody else next year. Going to Arlington and playing on grass field right before sectional does nothing for them but increase chance of injuries

Center Grove has phenomenal facilities and is always accommodating and I always enjoy visiting. The game day atmosphere is even better. Now....if it just wasn’t so far away there wouldn’t be anything to complain about 🙂 

2 minutes ago, CaptainHook said:

has punting been an issue all year?

Haven’t had to punt but a handful of times all year up until last night and in instances where they did the game was no longer in doubt.

4 minutes ago, CaptainHook said:

Touchback is most likely, you are just trying to get the ball out of there, right?  So you're looking at losing 25 yards of field position or go for the win?  Gutsy call, and you are 100% right, Coach Ralph would have gone for it.

If Peebles thought there was even a chance of a touchback he probably punts it. But that wasn’t happening. Cathedral was on CG’s 46 on the 4th down play. Would have had to hit it at least 40 yards in the air from where he punted for a touchback to even be a possibility. Punted from the same spot on the field earlier and had a 12 yard net punt. The decision to go for it wasn’t hard at all. Just didn’t execute.

35 minutes ago, FastpacedO said:

That play however has been a go to especially on goal line. I can see why it was called. It was a gamble and didn’t work this time.

Definitely a feast or famine play. Has worked well for the Irish many times but also left them snakebitten a few times as well. It did for sure last night and if you can remember it did as well in last years regional game. Up 10-7 nearing the end of the third quarter, ran that play TWICE inside the 3 yard line and it fooled nobody and New Pal stuffed it twice. Completely flipped the script and we saw the outcome. Cathedral ran that play last night earlier in the 4th quarter with no success and when Jordan came in motion everyone in the building knew what play was coming.

35 minutes ago, dmizers3 said:

It was a terrible decision to go for it and even worse play call.  1. Why risk giving good field position where CG only has to go 25 yards to get in FG range?  2.  CG can't throw the ball consistently at all so the likelihood of them going 60 yards to potentially get a tying FG attempt is very slim.  3. If you do insist being aggressive and trying to end it right there why not give it to Langdon who CG couldn't tackle the entire 4th quarter?  At the end of the day Peebles gave CG all the momentum with 2 bad decisions and it cost the Irish the game.  That said they're going to roll to a 5A title with little to no resistance and this game will be forgotten.

You’re telling me Coach Ralph punts it right there? No chance.

Agree wholeheartedly on the play call. The result of the play makes the decision look even worse, that’s called hindsight which to this day remains undefeated. Cathedral’s punting woes earlier in the game were well-documented as Cathedral punted from the same area of the field into the same wind. I think the people advocating for a punt automatically assume Cathedral’s punter was going to pin CG deep?? He failed to do so 3-4 other times in the game punting from the same area of the field.

2 minutes ago, DT said:

All the momentum shifted to CG on that play. 

Really!?! I never would have thought a 4th down stop would have shifted momentum. A yard and Cathedral is two kneels away from going undefeated while playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. 

5 minutes ago, DT said:

Its kind of a joke that they are playing in the 5A tournament.

Is that Cathedral’s problem? You weren’t saying this the last 3-4 years.

3 minutes ago, DT said:

Arent you one of the guys who were targeting a perfect season?

Do any teams actually try and target a loss?

1 minute ago, DT said:

I highly doubt that.  90% of coaches would have punted.  The field was immediately slanted downhill for CG after the turnover on downs.  They slid right in almost uncontested.  The kid who caught the TD pass was wide open.  CHS fell apart after the CG stop on 4th down

It wasn’t slanted immediately downfield. At some point you’re going to have to give CG credit. Jackson completed some big 3rd downs along the way and was composed as he faced immense pressure. 

Just now, DT said:

I thought thay had more confidence in that defense.  Both offenses were sluggish all night and showed little firepower.  CG had given no indication it was ready to drive 80 yards in 50 seconds to win the game.  

Which even further reinforces the decision to go for it. Win the game here and if not fall back on your defense that had been playing lights out all night. You’re not going to get any Cathedral fan to turn on Peebles decision to go for it. It was the right call.

1 minute ago, DT said:

Burus is 6-8, 315 and DeGraaf is 6-6 315.  I didnt see anybody that size on the CHS O LIne

They had a mammoth RT but man for man weren’t anywhere near as big as Cathedral. I was there.

1 minute ago, DT said:

It didnt work and you lost.

Hindsight as they say is always undefeated. Disappointed with the loss but would have been more ticked if Cathedral didn’t even attempt to win the game on 4th and inches.

6 minutes ago, DT said:

If I have 225lb Carson Steele running behind CGs mammoth offensive line, yes, I go for it on 4th and 1 to seal the game.  The Cathedral back is a 200lber and the CG D line will generally handle any offensive line in the state, including Cathedral.  Peebles panicked and decided to get fancy.  That play had fumble written all over it based solely on the risky exchange.

Cathedral’s offensive line man for man is bigger than CG’s offensive line and Cathedral’s RB on that last drive was taking over the game. Go under center, have your QB fall forward (with your 200 lb RB pushing the pile from behind) and the game is over. The play call was atrocious but it doesn’t negate the fact that it was the right decision to try and win the game right there.

1 minute ago, DT said:

Going 80 yards in less than a minute is a much more daunting task for any high school offense than going 50 yards.  The CHS defense was demoralized after the turnover on downs.  They figured the game was over.  CG waltzed down the field and literally stole the game from them.  I still cant believe it happened.  I believe that perfect record was a huge goal for many Cathedral people this year, and to throw it away in such fashion is unconscionable.

 

That’s assuming he gets off a clean punt that travels 40 yards in the air. Cathedral had a 10 yard net punt earlier in the game from the same part of the field kicking into the same wind.

It’s 4th and 1, you’re on the road, get a yard and the game is over. You go for it every time there. Just wasn’t the right play call.

7 minutes ago, DT said:

I couldnt disagree more.  You are going up against the #1 defrense in the state, and if you turn the ball over, you are giving the ball back to the #1 offensive team in the MIC on a short field.  Unless you have no confidence in your punter, the coach gave away the game and killed your perfect season.

Very perplexing.

You get the first down, the game is effectively over. You’re giving the ball back by punting. Cathedral was kicking into a pretty good wind with a punter who had already shanked a few earlier. I think it’s a 20-25 yard difference punting there. I don’t mind the decision to go for it and win the game, right there on the road. Play to win.

That being said, the play call was awful. 

1 minute ago, DT said:

I think your coach is in denial.  He blew it.  Worst call ever.  Long ride home for those kids tonight

 

Right decision to go for it, terrible play call. You don’t run jet sweep on 4th and less than a yard.

What a game! And what a choke.

Sneak the ball.

Congrats Center Grove.

16 minutes ago, Knightmare said:

I'll take Center Grove 28-7. 

Cathedral has never won by more than 7 points in this matchup (from 2014 - Now).  I think the biggest difference is the CG defense because the game is at CG.  I think CG wins on the line of scrimmage and makes Cathedral one dimensional forcing them to throw the ball.  Quick possessions and CG takes over and grinds out the clock to a win. 

Center Grove winning this game wouldn't come as a surprise but holding Cathedral to 7 points would mean this CG defense is as good as advertised and then some. Only team this year that's been able to stop Cathedral's offense is Cathedral themselves. Cathedral's protected the football extremely well this year but has had multiple games with 10+ penalties and 100+ yards. That can't happen tonight. 

Conversely, CG has only won this matchup by more than 7 points one time and that was likely one of Cathedral's "worst teams" in almost 20 years. Expect a hard-hitting, close game where the game is decided late by a single score. 

Any predictions? Most quiet on that fright.

Looks to be a chilly but clear night for football.

I like Cathedral 28-24