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Championship Weekend with Roger Neel & "Coach" Smith · Cover IV Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Cover Four.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you're a Section Four football fan, this is your podcast.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Coach Smith, and I'll be your host.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: The Cover Four podcast is brought to you by TDS Performance Improvement.
• 0:15
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• 0:22
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• 0:26
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• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Join me for an online introduction to this program on Tuesday, November 15th at 12 noon.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: Visit TDSPI.com.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's TDSPI.com and collect register.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: The Section 4 Championship weekend is here.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: There will be seven exciting games with 10 teams trying to extend their season and punch their ticket to the New York State playoffs.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Roger Neal and I will be analyzing all seven championship games.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get right to it.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Ha ha! Before we begin, I want to give a big shout out to all the student athletes who play the line or other unglamorous positions.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Without you, the game looks a lot different, especially to those playing the traditional ball handling positions.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: We haven't forgot how important you are to the team.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I know Roger agrees with me because he is still a lineman.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: When we used to broadcast games together, he would occasionally demonstrate blocking techniques on me, and that was rough in that small booth.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: But nonetheless, shout out to you uh non-glamorous position players.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: We'll start off with the uh double A game, which is going to be Friday night, the 7-2 Elmire Express, ranked 26th in New York State.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna travel west to take on longtime rival, the Corning Hawks.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: at Corning Memorial Stadium.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Corning is 5-3, but undefeated in a division.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: This is why they're seeded number one in hosting the championship game.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is a rematch of week five, also played at Corning.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: The game came down to the last play, with Corning winning 22-18.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Being the number one seed, Corning is coming off a bye, and Elmira had to defeat Binghamton to advance to this game.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: These two teams literally mirror each other on offense, with both running the double tight double wing formation.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: These two programs know each other very well since 2011.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: This will be their 20th meeting.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Corning leads the series 10 to 9 and has won the last six games by a total combined score of 141 to 46.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Corning's average margin of victory has been 16 points, but expect a much closer game this time.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: The two teams are much more evenly matched this season, and with the advent of their, which was evident with their first game, week five, where the deciding factor was Corning being successful on two two-point conversions.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Both teams have strong defenses and offensive lines.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: A major key to an Elmira victory is keeping the Corning Hawks senior running back Logan Booker in check.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: If Booker has a productive night, the edge could code according.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Corning will have their hands full trying to stop the Elmira triplets.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Quarterback Evan Garvin, running back Johnny Garcia, and running back Brady Keith.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: All three have the ability to take it to the house on any particular play.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: This game, in my estimation, is a toss-up because they're literally so evenly matched.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: The winner of this game plays a Section 3 opponent Saturday at Cicero North Syracuse.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd also like to give a shout out to the Elmire Express.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: The Elmire Football Officials Association selected the Elmire Express team as this year's sportsmanship award winner.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: And congratulations.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is as much a testament to the parents and guardians as it is to the team, coaches, and administration.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Well done.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've all heard the phrase bring your A game.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Roger's going to analyze the A game.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Hit it, Roger.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: It should be the second version this year of UE and Vestel going at it.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And this should be quite a battle if it's anywhere close to what the first game was.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: This will be a barn burner or maybe not, depending on the way the defenses play.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: In particular, Vestel.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: When I say barn burner, you usually expect a ton of points.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: May not be the case.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: Also, of course, as we head into the weekend, the weather forecasters are tracking a storm coming up the coast.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Now, when that starts to move through, it could bring some heavy rain.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: What does that mean for playoff football?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you take a team like Vestel, for example, they're playing the speedsters from UE.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, wet grounds, even on turf, natural uh turf, not this case, but artificial turf, it can cause some problems.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll see what the weather conditions will be at kickoff time.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever the case, Vestel's defense has been superb.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Vestel in three Class A Division II games only gave up 12 total points.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: And you know who got them?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: The UI Tigers, all UE in the that point category.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Now, meanwhile, Vestel comes in 6-3.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: They advanced, beating Horseheads 30-6.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: UI had an easier time of it, forfeit a victory over Ithaca, but it was UI with a big win during the regular season over Ithaca.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: But this time around, Ithaca elected to forfeit.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: So uh the Tigers come in 3-0 in division one play.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: They've outscored the opponents 112-26.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Should be a good one.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: If anything, if it's wet grounds, could help Vestal the tough defense and also Liam Neely, who has now gained over a thousand yards on the ground rushing for the Golden Bears so far this season.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: So the A game, it is no doubt going to be an A game, Tim.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and you mentioned Liam Neely.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: He's also a very good kicker, Roger.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: He's kicked a 42-yard field goal last week against horseheads, and you don't hear about uh that long a field goal, especially at the high school level.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that's one factor if it's a close game to watch out for.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And another one, I believe Yui has uh a potential factor that could play into the game, too.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's their wide receiver, Jaheem Jackson.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he's been one of Max Cementelli's go-to guys, and he's very athletic, and he seems like he's always open and very difficult to cover.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it could come down to those two particular student athletes uh in that particular game.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: On to the B game.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's Saturday afternoon, where we've got the 7-3 Norwich Purple Tornado, who is ranked 29th in New York State, are visiting the undefeated 9-0 and number one ranked Maine Nwell Spartans.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: And they're riding an 18-game win streak.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is a rematch of their week two game at Spartan Field, where things didn't turn out so good for Norwich.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell won that game pretty handily, 45-14.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Emmy defeated a much improved Johnson City Wildcats team to advance to this particular game.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: They have not really been challenged since their first game, a 14-0 victory over Union Endicott.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell did have a one-point game, though, and that was against the Section 9 opponent, but what it was was a forfeit.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: So Maine Enwell won one to zero.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Main Anwell is led by quarterback Anthony Policare, running backs Tyler Wolfolk and Aiden McHugh.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell is very strong in all phases.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: Their quarterback, Anthony Policere, the fourth, can pull the ball down and run on any play.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: He and Norwich's quarterback, Steve Dowdell, have very similar skills in this regard.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And quarterbacks who possess these types of skills and pose a run threat put tremendous pressure on the defense.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: They force the defense to play zone coverage or dedicate an equally athletic student athlete to spy the quarterback.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: And that takes away one of your student athletes in coverage.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So both defenses will have to deal with this.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Norwich survived and came out on top in a one-point game against a tough Windsor team, 35 to 34 to advance.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: If Norwich plays better defensively, they could make this game very interesting.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Norwich is led by quarterback Steve Dowdell, running back Holden Ryan, and running back Braden Hagenbach.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Holden Ryan averages 164 yards rushing a game in 14 games, and he's, I'm sorry, over 10 games, and he's had 14 uh averages 14 uh yards receiving per game as well.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: So the performance of the quarterbacks will play a key role in determining who wins this game.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: The winner plays a section three opponent Saturday at Cicero North Syracuse.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: Staying in alphabetical order, Roger will now analyze the C and D games.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you've never heard this, Roger.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: The mic is yours.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: All right, thank you.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Waverly in the Class C competition will match up against Shenago Forks at Blue Devil Stadium.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: This is a rematch of the regular season game where Forks won it narrowly by an extra point 14-13.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Waverly advancing to the championship round with a convincing win over Susquehanna Valley 48-14.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: That put their record at 4-1 in Class C play, 9-1 overall, the Class C play in their division.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: Meanwhile, the Forks another big win, too.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: They rolled by Newark Valley to advance to the title game, 40-7 the final.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: That puts their overall record at 9-1 in Division 4, a record of 5-0.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_01: One of the big keys for the Forks, normally a groundrunning team, but they've got some throwing this year.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: Quarterback Grady Stark, five touchdown passes in the win against Newark Valley.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: So the passing game is really hitting its stride.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: Should be a good one.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: Again, a very close regular season contest.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, they go to Blue Devil Stadium.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Any team that plays there has an awfully tough time, but it should be an outstanding matchup.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: Could come down to specialty teams play again.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: The kicking game in championship contests usually plays a big role.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: On the D competition, Tyoga advancing, coming up with a win in semifinal action over Spencer, Vanett, and Cantor, the final 49-18.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Puts a record in D play in uh the division, division five at 7-0, 10-0 overall.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: They will take on Delhi, also advancing with a big win 42-20 over Walton.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: The only loss that had come to uh Delhi this year came by a touchdown to Walton.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: So a very close game again.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Their record coming in Delhi 6-1 and 8-1 overall, 6-1 in their division.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Tyoga has racked up 307 points for giving up just 54 in the season.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Dele 324 for their offense on the board, 74 points against.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: This should also be a marquee game.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Both teams having outstanding seasons, and we'll see what Tyoga can do, looking to record a victory and move on to the States.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now on to the eight-player classification.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: This game has the eight and one rank number five in New York State, Moravia Blue Devils taking on the nine and zero and ranked number two, Groton Indians, Saturday at Dryden.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is going to be a high noon game.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: These two teams met week three at Moravia in a very close game, won by Groton, 32-28.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can expect another close game.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: Without seeing either team play, I know both teams must have very disciplined defenses with outstanding tacklers.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: I say this because of the total points each team allowed this season.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: Groton allowed only 77 points, or that's 8.6 points per game.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Moravia allowed 149 points or an average of 16.6 points per game.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Just to put this into perspective, they were playing with three fewer players on fields typically designed for 11 players.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: This means each student athlete had much more field area that they needed to cover, and there were fewer players to back you up if you missed a tackle.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you had to be very precise in your assignments and your techniques.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: I would give the edge to Groton because of their defense, but by fewer than the four points which separated them in week three.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: The winner plays a Section 9 opponent Saturday at Spackin Hill High School.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And on to the independent classification.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: This is the inaugural Independent League final.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: The 8-1 Watkins-Glen Odessa Montour Skylar Storm visits the 7-3 Dryden Purple Lions Friday at Dryden.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: These two teams met twice this season.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Week five, Watkins-Glen Odessa Montour won at home, 21-14.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Week eight, Dryden won at home, 18-0, which was Watkins Glenn's Odessa Montour's only loss.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: The Purple Lions are looking to end their turnaround season on a winning note and going undefeated 6-0 on their home turf at Vellante Field.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: The Skylar Storm would like nothing better than to avenge their only loss, especially because they were holds scoreless.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Watkins Glittle Odessa Montour has a very strong ground attack led by Thomas Snow, Brad Gillis, and Ryan Willett.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Their quarterback Dan Lewis can throw the ball if necessary.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: And Dryden is led by senior quarterback Brody Casterline, senior running back Colton Dow, and outstanding freshman running back Jay Miles.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: And they've also got an outstanding receiver, Xavier Scott, who is 6'6 and poses definite problems for smaller defensive backs and safeties on defense.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: This will be their final game.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So that wraps it up for championship weekend.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Roger.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: All right, and thank you.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, tell your friends.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Coach Smith says visit cover4.com and be the next fan up.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: In football and life, it's not where we line up, it's where we wind up.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Cover Four podcast.