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Playoff outlook
Well, here we are. After all that, Amherst still gets into the playoffs -- which is more than deserved after the Comets' start and overcoming an ankle injury to Brandon Kish.
As I look over the playoff projections on JoeEitel.com, I wonder a few things. Here they are:
* If Amherst and Admiral King had swapped schedules, would King be in and Amherst be out? After seeing the two teams play a half of football in August, the Admirals looked like the better team. I will grant you Amherst's defense is much better than then, but Admiral King's big offense would still be too much for the Comets to handle.
* How about this matchup: Huron wins its first-round game, as a fifth seed, and plays Clearview in the second round. I'm hoping for this matchup. For the Journal's sake, matchups between eastern coverage area schools and western area schools are great. Plus, Dan Gilles, a former Journal reporter who recently became the Sandusky Register's sports editor, made a recent claim that sports, teams, whatever, are superior in Erie and Huron counties. A Clearview-Huron matchup would do wonders in making Gilles back his words.
* Avon Lake at Highland should be awesome. Highland has one of its best teams ever, while Avon Lake is on some kind of high the way it's been playing since the Brecksville loss (by the way, I got a kick out of the Avon Lake bias comments I read on MorningJournal.com from a few Amherst fans).
* Home games! Avon, Clearview and St. Paul will be at home. At the Oberlin-Wellington game Friday night, I was asked if this is a down year for teams making the playoffs. It's quite the opposite. I think this might be one of the best playoff years in recent memory. The difference is having area teams playing at home. Think about recent playoff teams. Other than Avon Lake, most had to play on the road in the opening round. Clearview and Midview had to travel to places like Defiance and Macedonia in recent years. Elyria Catholic had to go to Coldwater back in 2005, while Elyria had to play at Toledo. Three area teams, including TWO in Lorain County, playing at home in the first round is big.
It should be fun, and I'd like to make a few quick predictions. St. Paul will win state. Not to put any pressure on the Flyers, but I'm that impressed with the way they play. Watching them is like playing NCAA Football 09 with the difficulty set to J.V. Also, don't be surprised if Clearview makes a deep run. The Clippers could go 9-1 or 10-0 again next year, but this is the team built for a tournament run. They can stretch teams with the pass and have hard-nosed leaders on defense.
As I look over the playoff projections on JoeEitel.com, I wonder a few things. Here they are:
* If Amherst and Admiral King had swapped schedules, would King be in and Amherst be out? After seeing the two teams play a half of football in August, the Admirals looked like the better team. I will grant you Amherst's defense is much better than then, but Admiral King's big offense would still be too much for the Comets to handle.
* How about this matchup: Huron wins its first-round game, as a fifth seed, and plays Clearview in the second round. I'm hoping for this matchup. For the Journal's sake, matchups between eastern coverage area schools and western area schools are great. Plus, Dan Gilles, a former Journal reporter who recently became the Sandusky Register's sports editor, made a recent claim that sports, teams, whatever, are superior in Erie and Huron counties. A Clearview-Huron matchup would do wonders in making Gilles back his words.
* Avon Lake at Highland should be awesome. Highland has one of its best teams ever, while Avon Lake is on some kind of high the way it's been playing since the Brecksville loss (by the way, I got a kick out of the Avon Lake bias comments I read on MorningJournal.com from a few Amherst fans).
* Home games! Avon, Clearview and St. Paul will be at home. At the Oberlin-Wellington game Friday night, I was asked if this is a down year for teams making the playoffs. It's quite the opposite. I think this might be one of the best playoff years in recent memory. The difference is having area teams playing at home. Think about recent playoff teams. Other than Avon Lake, most had to play on the road in the opening round. Clearview and Midview had to travel to places like Defiance and Macedonia in recent years. Elyria Catholic had to go to Coldwater back in 2005, while Elyria had to play at Toledo. Three area teams, including TWO in Lorain County, playing at home in the first round is big.
It should be fun, and I'd like to make a few quick predictions. St. Paul will win state. Not to put any pressure on the Flyers, but I'm that impressed with the way they play. Watching them is like playing NCAA Football 09 with the difficulty set to J.V. Also, don't be surprised if Clearview makes a deep run. The Clippers could go 9-1 or 10-0 again next year, but this is the team built for a tournament run. They can stretch teams with the pass and have hard-nosed leaders on defense.
posted by Matt Goul at
11:48 PM
7 Comments:
Are you kidding? Clearview will be out by halftime. Ottawa Glandorf will overpower the Clippers. A team that struggles with Lutheran West and Columbia isn't going anywhere. Clearview is going to see a football team on Friday that is nothing like what they saw in the regular season.
I will give you that Ottawa Glandorf is a real football team. Their four losses are to teams no worse than Friday's 7-3 Shawnee squad.
But, Glandorf beat its share of cupcakes. You can't control how good your opponents are, and Lutheran West was solid this season. As for Columbia, anyone who expected Clearview to come out and roll over the Raiders with ease were kidding themselves. Friday night had letdown written all over it with everything locked up for Clearview and playing a sub. 500 squad.
Glandorf is tougher than the No. 4 and 5 seeds, which is why I'm predicting the Clippers in the regional final. All they have to do is win at home, which is a big difference than making a long trip. Don't underestimate that.
Good Luck Amherst Comets in the Playoffs you have had a great season!
Matt, Do not try to compare Admiral King to Amherst. If you swapped schedules Amherst would have went 9-1 (Giving props to Shaw) and securing a home game with the amount of computer points they would have attained from the Div 1 schools King plays. Admiral King is not disciplined enough to play in the SWC. Avon Lake, Brecksville, Berea, (which they lost to 13-12) and Olmsted Falls all would have beaten King. Scrimmages tell you nothing in late August, other than finalizing the depth charts for teams. I know you are the Lorain Morning Journal, but for future references stop giving kudos to a Lorain team that didn't make the playoffs.
Let me offer this counter on the SWC schedule, particularly Berea: The Braves shut out Brecksville, and Brecksville still beat Amherst. King's only flat-out loss was to Shaw, and Shaw would have run the table in the SWC.
42-0, Ottawa Glandorf at the half.
Refer back to the first comment in this thread.
You have a lot to learn about high school football. You're young, though. You'll learn. Gilles obviously learned that football in this county is not up to the level of many areas of the state. You'll learn, too.
Ha, I don't think Gilles learned. You're right to a point about football in Lorain County not being on par with the rest of the state. As a full body of work for the county, you're right. But, you can't tell me Avon Lake's program isn't on par, despite its loss to Highland tonight.
Avon will definitely put things to the test when it comes to the county this year.
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