D6SN: District Six AA Playoff Primer

[Crimson's Ghost]

http://www.d6sportsnetwork.com/2013/11/ ... ff-primer/



Jim Hammett
D6SN Sports Editor
Follow me @JimHammett





The Favorite – Richland – No secret about who the team to beat is. The Richland Rams are the defending champions, and they have been expected to repeat ever since last season ended. The Rams are loaded with experience, talent, and coaching. Matt Shaffer is having an excellent season at quarterback, and he really can beat you with his arm and legs. The running of Tanner Solarczyk is the consistent force in the offense, and he is not someone you can take down easily. Kyle Flick leads a talented group of play makers on the outside, and he is in his fourth season as the starter. The defense is well built and led by experienced guys like Jake Urban and Sam FInotti. Simply put, this team has what it takes, and they know the bull’s eye on their backs.



The Challenger – Central – If you are looking for a team that can take down Richland, look no further than the Central Dragons. They bring all the tools you are looking for in a championship team. They have experience, size, and explosiveness. Quarterback Austin Cunningham nearly put together a 1,000 seasons in both passing and rushing, as he came up a few rushing yards short. Make no mistake about it, Cunningham is the most exciting player in the bracket. He can do it all, and makes this engine run. Bradi Moore is another explosive player, as he put together 21 offensive touchdowns on the year. The Dragons also have an impressive defense that combined for 27 sacks and 22 takeaways.



The Sleeper - Forest Hills – The Rangers will have an uphill battle in the playoffs, but it would not be wise to overlook Don Bailey and his squad. Forest Hills has a spectacular quarterback in Joe Donoughe that is instrumental to their success. He has the ability to takeover a game and that is what makes them so dangerous. Shareef Blough quietly had a really nice season for Forest Hills, and his play making ability could really play a factor against Mt. Union this weekend.



Most Intriguing Game – Forest Hills at Mt. Union – This one should be a good one. You have the team with all the tradition and the strong schedule against an unfamiliar top seed playing a mostly class A schedule. We will get to find out a lot about Mt. Union in this one, as some may think the Trojans are underdogs despite their 9-1 record.



Least Intriguing Game – Ligonier at Richland – It is hard to imagine Richland will have much trouble with Ligonier. The LV Rams are losers of four straight, and Richland is expected to win by a large margin. I do not see this one even being close to being a good game.



Turn Back the Clocks – Could you ever imagine ten years ago you could pick up the playoff bracket and expect to see Richland, Mt. Union, and Central as the top 3 seeds? It was not even fathomable, but these three programs along with Bald Eagle have really turned a corner. It is always refreshing to see some new faces at the top, and perhaps these schools can continue to be factors in future seasons.



UConn only hope to contain him – Ligonier is the 8 seed, and losers of four straight, so what makes them still a dangerous team? Alec Bloom does. The 6-7 senior wide receiver/tight end has been a force all season long for the Rams. He has a 45 catches and 12 touchdowns to his name, and he will be taking his talents to Connecticut (Get it?) next season to play for the Huskies.



Family Affair – I think we all know, but of course Don Bailey is the legendary coach for Forest Hills as he will be finishing up his 40th season roaming the sidelines in Sidman. We also know his son Brandon is building a mini dynasty in Richland after building it from the ground up. The Rams are the 1 seed, and Forest Hills is the 7th, so a Bailey Bowl is not out of the question just yet.



Fly like an Eagle – Tyrone is not getting the usual hype they are accustomed to, but don’t sleep on these guys. The Golden Eagles ride the wings of their speedy running back, James Oliver. The senior averages a cool 141 yards a game, and has posted 23 touchdowns on the season.



Ball Hawkin’ – Mt. Union is a nice team, and not a ton of people are talking about these guys. They have a well balanced offense that can beat you on the ground and through the air, but of the defining traits of this team is their defense. As a team, Mt. Union has collected 15 interceptions, led by BJ Loner’s five. Mt. Union has also benefited from 24 fumble recoveries, so its no secret what they are capable of doing to teams.



Soaring to wins – Bald Eagle is 6-0 when they score at least 40 points, no shocker there, but the fact they have done it six times is impressive. Bald Eagle kept it close in some of their losses this season, something they failed to do last season. This team is improved, and will look to give Tyrone a big test. The first meeting was a 14-0 decision by Tyrone, but if the Bald Eagles can let the offense soar, perhaps an upset is in order





Forecast

(1) Richland over (8) Ligonier

(4) Tyrone over (5) Bald Eagle

(3) Central over (6) Central Cambria

(7) Forest Hills over (2) Mt. Union



(1) Richland over (4) Tyrone

(3) Central over (7) Forest Hills



(1) Richland over (3) Central

[Manfred]

All good picks, but about Bloom- I thought Liggy was shutting him down for the year, so as not to jeopardize his upcoming UConn career? And what of their QB, Fennell? He was injured several games back also.

[konjo78]

Bloom is for all purposes done for the year

[Crimson's Ghost]

I must've missed that. Did he get hurt against Northern Cambria or BEA? He looked fine when I saw him in week eight.

[konjo78]

We was hurt in week 9 I believe. After week 9 they decided to sit him out the rest of the year. I can post an Indiana gazette article to confirm

[spike98]

Bloom hasn't played the last two weeks...his last appearance was against Homer Center...it said in the Gazette he is out for the year...

[Crimson's Ghost]

Thanks guys, I don't read the Gazette too much, so I must have missed it. To be fair, He would not chane the outcome in this one.

[QuoteTheRaven]

I believe Richland chances are will win D6, but there are 2 teams that in my opinion are very capable of knocking off the Rams. Tyrone stands a chance, but I believe Central with all the weapons they have are the best suited team to upset the Rams in the finals.

[VItoD1]

Central seems to get some luck when they are the third seed...but does their luck continue this year like it did in 2008... Would be willing to make an argument that the 2008 launched this program to recent runs...at the sometime though you took away a goal line stand against PC or 99 yard td run against FH that season might of ended a little differently...plus central Cambrian helped a lot as well

[districtsixhoops]

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

What started their run was a committed group of kids that worked in the off-season. Forest Hills couldn’t stop Central’s running game that game. Tyrone needed to take care of their own business . Central went deep into the playoffs that year and their program has sustained that momentum and built on it.