MDAlum82

MD takes opening drive of 2nd half 72 yds for a TD. 2 pt conversion is good. Tied at 21

MD gets the ball to start 2nd half.

Jasper leads 21 to 13 at half time

Jasper picks up a key 4th down conversation near midfield then runs a nice counter play for a long TD run. 21- 13 Jasper

Jasper with 70 kick return to MD 30. 5 plays later, Jasper goes up 14 to 13.

MD and Jasper trade long TD drives. Extra pt attempt OBLITERATED. MD 13 to 7

Jasper 3 and out to start gm. MD goes deep for a 50 yd TD on 1st play from scrimmage First lead by MD since opening gm vs Central

I have often wondered why Castle has not yet gone to turf since funding did not seem to be an issue. I figured there was some lingering "old school" thinking that football should be played on real grass...a sentiment I agree with btw. Turf seems to have too many ancillary benefits to schools - once you get past the turf burns that is... 8 - 0

This game was dominated by the defenses. MD, while solid on D, continues to struggle mightily on offense. Their only meaningful drive the whole game was at the start of 2nd half and it was run heavy and up-tempo. After Tigers adjusted and MD went back to shotgun/pistol, their two left feet were again evident. Several snap count snafus again this week. Again, MD is very young with 6 - 8 sophs getting heavy reps at many key positions on both side of the ball. They will only get better as season progresses but offense seems destined to struggle until/unless MD can get consistent yards via run to set up better down & distance situations for the passing game which has struggled to this point.

What happened to Fisher? Didn't play last 2-3 series of the half?

Isn't the issue here that IC is refusing to release the player? How would that be reflected in the IHSAA minutes & stats? Seems possible/likely these types of denials would not be reflected here since not an IHSAA decision. yes/no?

MD's offense is definitely their weak link at this pt. However, they seemed to figure out some things last week vs VL in their running game that set up much better down & distance opps for Mallory. Absolutely agree MD will have issues putting pts on board vs Tigers.

MD is slowing figuring some things out and getting kids in the right positions. Super Sophs are progressing and giving more/better reps as they adjust to speed of varsity competition. I still think the Tigers win easily but would take the 38 pts from CalPreps all day. Not saying it won't happen but there have been few such blowouts even when the talent disparity has been significant on one side or the other. MHS 28 MD 14.

Unfortunately, the IHSAA seems ok to slow-play this until the issue it moot. I feel bad for the kid but I am not at all surprised by the IHSAA. They have been on the side opposite of students for decades. They know they cannot win a fair fight more times than not. Hence the reasoning for removing attorney's for student from the hearing. Neidig has been little but a "Yes Man" in his time at the IHSAA which why many/most feel he rose to his current position in the first place.

MD actually had a 3rd and goal from the 2 on their 2nd possession of 3rd qtr, trailing 28 - 12. However, a bad snap put the Cats back on the 22 for 4th down. BIG play there. They would eventually score again with about 4 mins to go in game to close within 28 - 20, never saw the ball again. Honestly, the game never "felt" this close but MD had several chances to make it so. They shot themselves in the foot with bad snaps, dropped passes, bad throws to WIDE OPEN WRs, etc. Youth brings energy but also inconsistency. The Cats ran the ball well last night and they may need to be a run first offense this year to help set up better passing downs/distance situations for Mallory. Again, MD has more sophs than juniors playing significant minutes on both sides of the ball so they are still figuring some things out. It was a different game after the 1st qtr but MD made several unforced errors on O that kept them in a hole. Defense looks like it will eventually be ok but offense may well be the limiting factor for MD this year. The Cats may need to keep games in high teens, low 20's to find more "Ws" this year in the City & SIAC. BIG challenge.

Temp & humidity effect on players is bigger deal than up-tempo O, IMHO. MD does not substitute a lot so I don't think the up-tempo Offense will anymore/less of an issue. Temps will be much better for football per Jeff Lyons, so hopefully MD can hang a little closer, a little longer than many anticipate...

MD was gassed by the end of Q1. Most skill players go both ways and some linemen do as well. By end of 1st quarter, there was a consistent flow of MD players getting heat related treatments on the sidelines whenever possible.

I heard the old "Rocky" statue might be available so maybe MD can simply do a make-over on the face!? The rest surely fits the Goebel persona, right down to the boxing gloves!

MD is young this year. Talent is mostly limited to the returning seniors and some sophomores being asked to step up early in their careers. There are 5 sophomores, either starting or getting significant minutes on D. A couple more are getting reps on Offense too with a rumor floating around that a Frosh WR may get the call soon. Once you get past Turner & Stratman, MD seems thin at the skill positions. On D, MD could not stop Castle from getting to the edge and when they did, MD couldn't catch them. Friends tell me Harris may be the fastest Castle player in, well, many, many years and possibly EVER?! He sure looked it against MD. Castle scored 3 TDs in just 8 offensive plays to start the game. Could be a long regular season for MD.

Yes, because I don't know the kids, the families, the school or the situation so I don't assume I know the answer...

So this begs the question as to why these kids went to Andrean in the first place?

Curious what was the impetus for this mass migration away from the program? Do these kids feel they have a better chance to play more often at these other schools or just a better chance for team success after Bowen departure? Seems oddly ironic timing to an outsider.

Heard a comment before the game from a friend of a friend of someone on the MD coaching staff that going in to the game, MD felt they could move the ball on Andrean Defense and put some points on the board but was uncertain about stopping Bowen. They had some ideas but so did all the other teams Bowen ran over during the season. It seemed to me watching from the stands that very little Andrean did on offense surprised Mater Dei. Lots of key defensive stops on 3rd & 4th down kept sending Andrean offense to the sidelines. On offense, MD was able to run enough with Pierre to eat the clock and keep DBs honest on pass routes. Good game plan and near flawless execution by Mater Dei allowed them to come out on top.

Fingers crossed Cam can continue to kick for the football team through his senior season. It would be interesting to see what he can accomplish. The last time MD had a kicker with this kind of leg was probably Travis Wannemuelher, who kicked a 49 yd FG to lead MD to the 17 - 14 win vs an undefeated North Posey team in Sectionals several years ago. Travis received a scholarship to play soccer (NC State?) and one of the stipulations was he could not kick for the football team his senior season.

On a related note, I heard the 47 yd FG by Camden Marx tied a State Championship record. Congratulations, Cam!