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Championship Weekend with "Coach" Smith & Tim Birney · Cover IV Podcast

0:09
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Cover Four.
0:11
SPEAKER_00: If you're a Section 4 football fan, this is your podcast.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm Coach Smith.
0:17
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0:23
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0:50
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0:56
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Championship Weekend.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: As Coach Parcells once said, this is why you lift all them weights.
1:04
SPEAKER_00: Congratulations to the football communities of the Maine Enwell Spartans, Shenango Forks Blue Devils, and the Tioga Tigers.
1:14
SPEAKER_00: These teams have multiple aspects in common.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: The first is being true programs, beginning with the youth level all the way up to the varsity level.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: Another aspect each has is great line play.
1:29
SPEAKER_00: I'll use a highly technical term.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: It's the dudes up front that allow all the other dudes to get her done.
1:39
SPEAKER_00: These teams are not playing for a championship, they're all playing for another championship.
1:46
SPEAKER_00: I'll go a little Captain Obvious on you and say Section 4 football is strong.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: In last week's state semifinals, the average margin of victory for these three Section Four teams was 32.3 points.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: This is not only simply domination, it's an old-fashioned thrashing.
2:10
SPEAKER_00: Couple their ability to score with an excellent defense and kicking game, which each of these teams possesses, it's no surprise they're each competing for another state championship.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm Coach Smith, and I'll be flying solo, analyzing the Maine Enroll Spartans and their opponent, the Pleasantville Panthers of Section 1, and also the Shenango Forks Blue Devils and their opponent, the Schuylerville Black Horses of Section 2.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: Tim Burney, the founder of the Valley Sports Report, will be analyzing the Tiger Tigers, and I will be analyzing their opponents, the Mariah Vikings of Section 7.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: Get your helmets on, buckle your chin strap, put your mouthpiece in, and double knot your cleats.
2:58
SPEAKER_00: Here we go.
3:01
SPEAKER_00: We'll begin with the championship weekend schedule.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: All games will be played in the newly renovated carrier dome in Syracuse, New York.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: Friday, December 3rd, beginning with the D classification game, at high noon, Tiger takes on the Mariah Vikings from Section 7.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: In the C classification game at 6 p.m., Shenango Forks has a 2019 state championship rematch with Skylerville from section two.
3:31
SPEAKER_00: And by the way, Shenango Forks won that 2019 game 38-14.
3:38
SPEAKER_00: On Saturday, December 4th, the B classification will be at noon, and that will be Maine Enwell playing Pleasantville.
3:47
SPEAKER_00: So let's begin with the B classification game between Maine Anwell and Pleasantville.
3:53
SPEAKER_00: Main Anwell is looking to make the game anything but pleasant for the Black Horses.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: Pleasantville comes in with a 12-0 record led by head coach Tony Becerra.
4:05
SPEAKER_00: Pleasantville has had a close game last week, winning by only eight points.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: On the season, their quarterback, LaCapria, he had 66 completions on 125 attempts for 883 yards, which is 13-yard average per completion, and eight touchdowns.
4:26
SPEAKER_00: Pleasantville features two running backs, Cotter and Picard.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: Cotter had 275 carries for 1,105 yards, which is a four-yard average, and 92-yard average per game, and he scored 12 touchdowns.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: His running mate, Picard, had 111 carries for 931 yards and an 8.4 yard average and 78 yard per game average and scored 11 touchdowns.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: Picard is also a favorite target of LaCapria.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: He's had 37 receptions for 559 yards and a 15-yard average and scored six touchdowns.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: They are 31 for 31 on PATs and 9 for 12 on field goals with a long of 38 yards.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: Pleasantville has a total of 10 sacks, 23 hurries, and 67 tackles for a loss.
5:23
SPEAKER_00: Pleasantville presents a significant challenge for Maine Enwell.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell comes in with an 11-1 record led by head coach Matt Gallagher.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: Emmy is coming off a lopsided 41-8 victory against a very athletic team.
5:41
SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell has scored 36.2 points per game and allowed only 9.8 points per game.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: That gives them a positive 316-point differential.
5:56
SPEAKER_00: Last week, Maine Enwell controlled and in most cases dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
6:03
SPEAKER_00: Now begin on defense where championships are won.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: Maine Enwell had two sacks by Adam DeSantis and four different student athletes had an interception.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: One compelling statistic that jumped off the stat sheet was the Spartans' defense holding their opponent last week to a total of 70 yards on 30 attempts.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: That's 2.3 yards per attempt.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: That equates to a lot of three and outs.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: But reading between the lines a little bit, there were probably not a lot of solo tackles, rather, proper pursuit angles coupled with gang tackling.
6:41
SPEAKER_00: The offensive line and defensive line played a large part in their 33-point margin of victory last week.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Their play allowed senior signal caller Mike Mancini, who has committed to play baseball at James Madison University, to run for two touchdowns, throw for two, return a kickoff for a touchdown, and intercept a pass.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: Mike finished with 144 yards on seven carries.
7:05
SPEAKER_00: The Spartan offense gained a total of 412 yards.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: Aiden McHugh caught a 60-yard touchdown pass, and Donnie Hamer caught a 16-yard touchdown pass.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: Ethan Sandler gained 79 yards on only nine carries and scored a touchdown.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: When Main Anwell gets to the championship game, they are 5-0.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: This should be a very interesting game.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Now let's turn our attention to the C classification game between Shenango Forks and Schuylerville.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: Skylerville comes in with a 13-0 record led by head coach John Bowen.
7:42
SPEAKER_00: Schuylerville advanced to this game with a dominating win by 38 points.
7:47
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure Coach Bowen and the whole team would like to avenge their 14-38 loss to Shenango Forks in a 2019 state championship game.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: There are some seniors and possibly some juniors on each team who will have played in that game.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: On the season, their quarterback, Sherman, had 84 completions on 135 attempts for 1,434 yards.
8:14
SPEAKER_00: That's a 17-yard average per completion, and he had 15 touchdowns.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: Schuylerville features three running backs.
8:23
SPEAKER_00: Sherman, Gum, and Dow.
8:26
SPEAKER_00: And this Sherman must be a brother to the quarterback who's got a different first initial, could be a cousin as well.
8:32
SPEAKER_00: Sherman had 157 carries for 882 yards, which is a five-yard average and 73-yard average per game.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: Scored 21 touchdowns.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: He's going to be on somebody's radar.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: Cum had 70 carries for 521 yards, 7 yard average per carry, and 43 average 43 yard average per game and 7 touchdowns.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: Dow had 53 carries for 356 yards, a 6-yard average, and 29-yard average per game, and scored five touchdowns.
9:07
SPEAKER_00: Dow is also a primary receiver as well.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: He has 32 receptions for 588 yards, and that's an 18-yard average, and he scored nine touchdowns.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: They are 31 for 31 on PATs and 9 for 12 on field goals with a long of 38.
9:26
SPEAKER_00: Skylerville has a total of 15 sacks, and Skylerville presents a significant challenge for Shenango Forks.
9:35
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks comes in with an 11-1 record led by coach Dave Hogan.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks is coming off a 39-18 victory that improves their state record to 13 times playing in the championship game.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks has scored 37 points per game and allowed only 11 points per game.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: That gives them a positive 287-point differential.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks is Shenango Forks.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: They have a big physical line, a stable of good running backs, and it's no surprise they can run the ball so well.
10:12
SPEAKER_00: They play tough physical defense and tackle very well.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: They don't make many mistakes, so they don't beat themselves.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: And oh yeah, they have a couple coaches on the staff that have more than one state championship, so they they really know what they're doing there at that program.
10:28
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks began the season with an uncharacteristic loss to a team that you may have heard of, Maine Ewell.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: Shenango Forks quickly and decisively turned the ship around big time.
10:41
SPEAKER_00: Over the next five games, they outscored their opponents 207 to 2 and have not been challenged since.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Last week, Xander Arnold scored Stenango Forks' first four touchdowns.
10:57
SPEAKER_00: Dubs Haig scored a touchdown, and Shenango Forks has won six state championships and is two away from that record as well.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: And Shenango Forks is led by junior quarterback Grady Stark.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: This rematch of the 2019 state championship has the potential to be a very exciting game to watch.
11:19
SPEAKER_00: Now we're talking Class D game.
11:21
SPEAKER_00: That's the Tioga Tigers are taking on the Mariah Vikings out of Section 7.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: That's in Port Henry, New York.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: And their head coach is Don Tezar.
11:31
SPEAKER_00: And um I'll go a little bit into the Mariah um Vikings a little bit.
11:36
SPEAKER_00: And then uh Tim Burney's going to take you through uh a little bit on Tyoga Tigers and why he feels that they're an excellent candidate to walk away with the state championship this Friday.
11:48
SPEAKER_00: Um the Vikings actually uh come into this particular game undefeated as well.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, something has got to give in this in this particular game.
11:57
SPEAKER_00: But they uh are predominantly a running team.
12:00
SPEAKER_00: They uh I'm only gonna go through really the last game where they played Greenwich and won that particular game, but um they they toted the ball 39 times for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
12:13
SPEAKER_00: Now their quarterback he ran 10 times for 130 yards.
12:17
SPEAKER_00: That's his name is Swain.
12:19
SPEAKER_00: One of those one play was for 81 yards late in the ball game to go for the go-ahead score.
12:25
SPEAKER_00: And their other uh big ball carrier, last name is Wright, he carried the ball 19 times for 66 yards.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: So you can see that they tend to be a pretty dominant or predominant running team.
12:37
SPEAKER_00: Although they can throw the ball and they're very good when they do throw the ball, they only threw it four times in that game and completed two of those for 30 yards and two touchdowns.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: So for 50 of the time, when they throw, I know that's a low number, they score a touchdown.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: One was 25 yarder and one was a five-yarder.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: So I think Taga really uh the defense is going to be tested.
13:01
SPEAKER_00: And this is uh Mariah's third trip to the dome in as many seasons, not counting the uh 2020 COVID season.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the Vikings they actually lost to Climber Sherman Panama uh on two previous trips to the dome.
13:15
SPEAKER_00: That was 2018 and 2019.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: So this is their third straight trip to the dome.
13:22
SPEAKER_00: So they've got a good program there, Tim, and they're doing good things.
13:26
SPEAKER_00: And uh tell us a little bit about uh Tyoga and at this stage of the game, how not that they surprised us in our last game, but I think the margin of victory was a little bit of a surprise, not that they did it, and uh what you what you see coming up um for this game.
13:43
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, coach, um Tyoga came into the semifinals with a record of one and seven in uh Nick Aiello's tenure there, you know, after being nine and oh in state quarterfinal games.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: Uh just a different level of competition when you get the section five, six winner in that state semi-game.
14:01
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I've had a good feeling about Tyoga winning the state title all year.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: I told you that first time we talked this year.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, so I but I so I figured they were gonna win last week, but I actually I think I picked them to win by 18 points.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: Not 43.
14:14
SPEAKER_01: Not 43.
14:15
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, so the level of domination surprised even me.
14:21
SPEAKER_01: And I and I think this is a special, special Tyoga football team.
14:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, but they were, you know, that that Oakfield Alabama Alba team came in averaging 45 and a half points a game.
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Tyoga gave up six.
14:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, that and that's one long play in the third quarter.
14:36
SPEAKER_01: It was already 34 to nothing when that happened.
14:39
SPEAKER_01: Uh they averaged more than 400 yards in total offense, and Tyoga held them to 136 rushing yards and five passing yards.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, just uh uh sheer domination.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: And of that 141 yards, um, I believe it was 128 came on four plays.
14:58
SPEAKER_01: So their other 42 offensive plays netted 13 yards.
15:02
SPEAKER_01: Tyoga had seven tackles for losses in the first half and four more in the second half, and there were uh five or ten, yeah, 10 incompletions, or no, five, five plays from zero yards and five incompletions.
15:16
SPEAKER_01: So 10 yard, 10 plays.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: So if you that's 21 plays with zero or negative yards um out of 46 for an offense.
15:23
SPEAKER_01: That and you know, talk about taking the wind out of somebody.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's not gonna win you any ball games.
15:28
SPEAKER_01: No, that will complain defense that way.
15:30
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, whatever level you're at, when your your offensive output is stymied like that, your chances of winning is real slim.
15:37
SPEAKER_00: And then you're when you put Tyoga on the other side of the ball, that makes it even uh slimmer.
15:42
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, conversely on offense, Tyoga didn't throw a pass.
15:46
SPEAKER_01: You know, they they've been averaging eight or nine passes attempts a week, you know, and Caden Bellis is completing more than half of those for about 90 yards a game.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: They didn't even try a pass last week.
15:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, I after the game, Coach Ayello told me that early in the game he he didn't want to get away from what was working and and lose any momentum he had going.
16:06
SPEAKER_01: And you know, they scored a quick touchdown coming out of the half to go up 28-0 by that time.
16:12
SPEAKER_01: He didn't really want to throw the ball.
16:13
SPEAKER_01: You know, the weather wasn't great, um, but he didn't really want to throw the ball up five touchdowns either.
16:19
SPEAKER_01: So, but they ended up Tyoga ended up with 412 rushing yards on 42 carries.
16:25
SPEAKER_01: Wow, and the last two were taking a knee.
16:28
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it was actually a little more than that on a couple less carries.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: Sure.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: And there was the time of possession was in the opponent's favor, my understanding right.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the OAE had uh a drive to open the game that was six and a half minutes long, and Tyoga.
16:44
SPEAKER_01: And the the funny thing about that is they had the ball six and a half minutes, they only got two first downs.
16:49
SPEAKER_01: They started with the ball at midfield after a nice kick return, uh, got two first downs.
16:54
SPEAKER_01: The the second one coming on or coming on fourth and eight, I believe, on a nice sweep on fourth and eight.
17:01
SPEAKER_01: Made it, they made it by inches.
17:03
SPEAKER_01: Uh, then four more plays in the round.
17:05
SPEAKER_01: So they ran 11 plays, I believe, six and a half minutes, and only got two first downs.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Tyoga took over on downs, had the ball for six and a half minutes, drove the length of the field and scored.
17:16
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, then basically they scored on a six-play drive and a two-play drive.
17:24
SPEAKER_01: They scored on the first drive coming out of the half, so it's 28-0.
17:27
SPEAKER_01: OAE got the ball back, had it for eight and a half minutes, started at their own 15.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: Uh, the last play of the series or the possession was a sack.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: They lost eight or nine yards.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: Tyoga took over on downs at OAE's 41.
17:42
SPEAKER_01: So they only gained about 40 yards and it took them eight and a half minutes to do it.
17:45
SPEAKER_01: And Tyoga scored shortly after that to make it 34-0 or 35-0.
17:50
SPEAKER_01: And, you know, at that point, you know, it was probably over before that.
17:54
SPEAKER_01: But if there was anything left in OAE's tank after having the ball that long and not getting anything out of it, I think they were pretty much done.
18:02
SPEAKER_01: You know, and then Tyoga hit a couple long runs on fullback traps in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin.
18:09
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:10
SPEAKER_01: So coming into this game, Emmett Wood had 189 yards and four touchdowns in that game.
18:15
SPEAKER_01: So that gives him uh 7,190 yards in his career, which is fifth all time in New York State.
18:21
SPEAKER_01: And he also has 97 career touchdowns.
18:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh Gavin Godfrey uh had, like I said, had the two carries, the 65-yarder and 52-yard run for touchdown in the fourth quarter.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he had a big game, 160 some yards.
18:34
SPEAKER_01: He's got 879 yards and nine touchdowns this year.
18:38
SPEAKER_01: And sophomore quarterback Caden Bellis has 631 yards and nine touchdowns.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: And he ran the ball six or seven times for 55 yards the other night.
18:46
SPEAKER_01: But they mainly Wood was the workhorse.
18:49
SPEAKER_01: He had 26 carries with, I believe, was a season high for him this year.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: That's his jersey number two.
18:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, correct.
18:56
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
18:57
SPEAKER_01: Uh, so Bellas, he like I said, did not attempt a pass against uh OAE, but on the season, he's completed 32 of 60 passes, which is a 53.3% completion rate.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: Uh he's thrown for 909 yards and 14 touchdowns without being intercepted.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: I think that's pretty key because now we move into a climate-controlled atmosphere at the dome.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: And you know, what does Mariah do?
19:22
SPEAKER_01: I've heard they're very good defensively, very sure tacklers, but who do you defend?
19:26
SPEAKER_01: Do you bring they put nine guys in the box against um Greenwich because they had a big um 240-pound halfback?
19:36
SPEAKER_01: So they put nine guys in the box.
19:37
SPEAKER_01: Well, you you can't put nine guys in the box against Tyoga because even if you do stop Emmett Wood, that leaves you one-on-one with their receivers on the outside, and they're gonna hurt you, you know.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: And if you put nine guys in the box and you don't make the tackle, Emmett Wood or Gavin Godfrey's gone.
19:55
SPEAKER_01: So it'll be interesting to see what it'll be interesting to see what they do.
19:58
SPEAKER_01: If they try to bring, if they try to play eight or nine guys in the box, it'll be interesting to see uh you know how Coach Ayello counters that.
20:05
SPEAKER_01: Now, interesting, interesting note here.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: I gave you all those numbers, uh 32 of 60, 909 yards, 14 touchdowns, no interceptions.
20:13
SPEAKER_01: That's a quarterback rating of 138.2.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: That's very good.
20:19
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's very good.
20:20
SPEAKER_01: Just for perspective, uh Waverly sophomore Joey Tomaso, widely regarded as one of the better quarterbacks in section four right now, has a quarterback rating this season of 90.1.
20:32
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
20:33
SPEAKER_01: Now, granted, Tommaso threw the ball four and a half times as more than Bellis.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, if Caden threw the ball as much as Joey, he definitely wouldn't have 130 uh quarterback rating.
20:45
SPEAKER_01: But you get where I'm going with this.
20:47
SPEAKER_01: Bellis, very, very efficient, very effective quarterback.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: Um, with a ground game, another thing, you know, Tommaso doesn't have the ground game behind him that that Bellas does.
20:57
SPEAKER_01: So teams are gearing up to stop the pass.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: But I just wanted to throw that number out there to give you an idea of how efficient Bellis has been this season.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: The other thing, Tim, I want you to share with our listeners is you you believe that this may be the first game this season where the offensive line for Tyoga actually is going to outweigh the defensive front uh for Mariah, uh Mariah.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, and that hasn't really happened all season long, and yet they're still dominant.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: What do you think that's gonna do?
21:27
SPEAKER_01: All season they've been they've been the undersized offensive line, and you know, they've done it with quickness.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: And you know, this it'll be interesting to see there too.
21:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, I I talked to Ayello about that, and he doesn't think it means anything size as far as this game is concerned, because they've been undersized all year and have been able to do what they wanted.
21:45
SPEAKER_01: And Mariah has too.
21:46
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you got to figure that they're undersized all the time too.
21:49
SPEAKER_01: If Tyoga's bigger than Aaron, most everybody else probably was too.
21:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:52
SPEAKER_01: So it's gonna be it's gonna be two quick uh teams up front, and and we'll see, you know, where we end up with it.
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Going to be very interesting uh to see.
22:03
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be yeah.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: When I I got a chance to watch a couple of Tyoga's games on uh YouTube, I think it was, and what impressed me uh I'm a defensive coordinator by trade, is from the defense perspective perspective looking at Tyoga, not only are they um tend to be more quicker, their their blocks are crisp, the technique is very good, and they tend to stay with the block.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: That's the whole idea from a defensive standpoint.
22:31
SPEAKER_00: You don't want to stay blocked, they tend to stay with the block as long as they need to to get Emmett Wood through the hole or around the corner, and you don't see a lot of penalties on them.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: So they're very efficient, very crisp, and that's that's fun to watch.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: Although I was a ball handling kind of guy, as I matured and got into coaching, I understood the importance of the line on both sides of the ball.
22:54
SPEAKER_00: You don't win games without a defensive line and offensive line.
22:57
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, and and the the thing I I've been saying all year long, the I thought the only way to beat this Tyoga team is to run the ball straight at them, chew up clock, and keep the ball away from them.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: And consistently this year, I've seen teams get a first down or two between the tackles, and they'll have a second and four and they run a sweep, and it's third and nine.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: And all of a sudden they're off schedule and they've got to throw the ball, and now the pressure's coming, and and you know, and it's just I think Mariah, if they can do it, has to be patient and keep the ball between the tackles.
23:36
SPEAKER_01: But you know, there I think you need to be a big physical team to do that to Tyoga.
23:43
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I Mariah's gonna stick with what worked for him all year.
23:48
SPEAKER_01: That I mean, you have to do that, and we've talked about that before.
23:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, I saw a couple teams this year that were predominantly run teams that when they played Tyoga came out throwing, and and you know that you're beat when that when you do that.
24:00
SPEAKER_01: When you go away from your strength to start with, you know you're in trouble.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think I think Mariah they didn't score until the third quarter of their uh previous game.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: And they scored 22 points in that quarter, but they they can't be going a whole half and not scoring points if they want to stay in the game with with Tyoga.
24:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, the other thing is um my guess is uh neither one of these teams has turned the ball over much this year, and you know that could be a uh you know, that could turn out to be a key in this game is uh turnover battle that normally is in big games.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: Um so we'll see.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm excited.
24:44
SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna be a fun game.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna be a little more competitive than you know last week was.
24:49
SPEAKER_01: I I like I said, I like Tyoga.
24:51
SPEAKER_01: Um I just think this is a special team.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and they and it's gonna be special up there when you get a chance to play in the dome, it's just uh so special.
25:01
SPEAKER_00: And I uh I'm happy for these student athletes, coaching staff, and the whole football community, not only with Tyoga, but you know, with Maine and well and um Shenango Forks getting to go up to the dome.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Uh, they've all been there before and they've all won state championships.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: So there's there's some history there in terms of maybe coaching be able to be able to talk to them about the nerves and those kind of things.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: Different venue, but the field's the same size, you know, same size ball, 11 against 11.
25:31
SPEAKER_00: A lot of things same.
25:32
SPEAKER_01: Give your Hoosier speech, right?
25:34
SPEAKER_00: There you go.
25:35
SPEAKER_00: It really is that's really what it what it boils down to.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: And I I tend to simplify things, Tim.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: And what I looked at from Tiger's perspective, they're built to win championships because of these three reasons, and you touched on all of them.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: They have a great running game, okay.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: And that's not only is that uh good to obviously move the ball, move the chains, but you got the clock moving so you can keep maybe a sophisticated offense or a good offense with the opponent off the field, so you can also play keep away when you're running the ball.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: Secondly, they pass when they need to, and they do that very efficiently, so as you stated.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: And the third, this is probably the the hallmark is the great defense.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: You got to have the great defense.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: So when you get into those situations, you can fall back.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: You know, it's like basketball, everybody can play defense, right?
26:24
SPEAKER_00: You got to be a good defensive player.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: So I think that the like I told you before, we in our pregame show, all the boxes are checked with Talga, except that one last box, and they've got a high potential to check that box on Friday.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: And I'm looking forward to going up there.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: And actually, I'll probably meet you face to face for the first time up there if you're going.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: I'll be there.
26:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I'll be this the scary-looking guy with the cover with the cover four hat on.
26:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's funny, Coach.
26:52
SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm looking here, and I we we talked about a little bit before, but Coach Ayalo's record now sits as 120 107 wins and 23 losses.
27:01
SPEAKER_00: In how many seasons?
27:03
SPEAKER_01: How many seasons he started in 2012?
27:05
SPEAKER_01: So this is his 12th season.
27:07
SPEAKER_01: And of those 12 seasons, let's throw out 2020 because he only played six games in which they went five and one.
27:15
SPEAKER_01: So, in the other 11 seasons, he now has six seasons where they won at least 10 games, and he has three other seasons where they won nine.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he he went seven and two his first year, lost to Delhi in the uh in the section semifinals that year.
27:37
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: And has not lost a game in section four since, except except for 2016, the one down here they had.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: They lost in their first playoff game.
27:50
SPEAKER_01: So his record now in section four playoffs is I have it here.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: What is it?
27:55
SPEAKER_01: 20, 25 and 2.
28:00
SPEAKER_00: I would take that.
28:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, he's 20, and then and and Emmett Woods, this group of seniors right now, their collective record is 36 and five in four seasons.
28:15
SPEAKER_01: And this they the first state title appearance, they went to the state semis in 2018 and 19.
28:22
SPEAKER_01: So a pretty accomplished class right here.
28:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, and and I I just, you know, I said in 2015 when Ty got to the finals, I am not betting against Jesse Manuel.
28:36
SPEAKER_00: Uh-huh.
28:36
unknown: Right.
28:37
SPEAKER_01: And I can tell you this year, I'm not betting against them at Wood.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and uh and I wouldn't either, even you know, now I'm a I'm a Section Four guy.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: I like Section Four, and obviously have the podcast for Section Four.
28:50
SPEAKER_00: Uh, even if I was an opponent, I would be hard pressed to to bet against them, knowing just what little maybe you and I shared with with listeners out there that maybe aren't familiar with section four and want to get a better understanding of some of these student athletes in these teams, but it's uh it's a scary team in terms of all aspects.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: We haven't even talked about special teams, you know.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: No, you know, and you know, they it's you're right, and it's funny because uh Tyowa's got good field position all year long because nobody wants to kick the ball down at wood.
29:23
SPEAKER_01: And a few times they kicked it long.
29:26
SPEAKER_01: Uh Uzman Duncanson, three or four times this year, took one, almost took it to the house.
29:32
SPEAKER_01: You know, he ended up, they ended up with field possession inside the 35-40-yard line of the other team.
29:36
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, they really, I've told you before, they have an embarrassment of riches in the skill position.
29:41
SPEAKER_01: I mean, their their third running back is uh Isaac Peterson, and he would be starting on a lot of sec teams in section four.
29:53
SPEAKER_01: He's one of the best linebackers in section four.
29:55
SPEAKER_01: I firmly believe that.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: And he would be uh he'd be a star running back on most other teams.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: Uh, you know, the Duncanson, uh, he's a sophomore, Uzman, and he averages you know, almost 11 yards a carry and 30 yards of catch.
30:10
SPEAKER_01: And they can't get him a touch, you know, a couple times a game, maybe, just because uh how do you not give the ball to Wood when he's get carrying it for 15 yards a carry, or Godfrey who's averaging 10 plus yards a carry, or Bellis, the quarterback who's averaging 11 yards a carry and 25 yards of completion.
30:27
SPEAKER_01: So you know there's only one football, and you know, uh Coach Iola's done a nice job of spreading it around, but he's got guys on his bench that that are not getting many touches who would be playing for a lot of teams, and if for a class D program, that's kind of unheard of.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, what would make me nervous to to to be the defensive coordinator against them is do I load up to stop Wood?
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Okay, and in doing so, eventually you may stop him, but you also he maybe uses a decoy too, because anytime you have a standout student athlete, and it this goes on at multiple levels, you have somebody that's exceptional, you've got to commit more more uh student athletes on defense to that person.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: Now, somebody's gonna be one-on-one or somebody's gonna be free because of a missed assignment.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: So don't be surprised if you know he uh he gets used a little bit more as a decoy, uh, and then maybe a counter away or a screen away, those kind of things, and and that could open things up.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: And then when that happens, typically what the defensive quarter says is uh oh.
31:32
SPEAKER_01: And that's what makes what makes Tyoga so good is that Bellis, who's only a sophomore, is so good in the backfield with the ball.
31:41
SPEAKER_01: You know, he'll he'll take he'll take a hand up, and it looks like he's he's pulling out to start the to option or just a pitch.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: And as he's doing that, he's giving the ball on his behind him to to Godfrey or off his hip to Godfrey for a quarterback dive or a pullback dive.
31:57
SPEAKER_01: And you know, I shoot, I I watch the game through a lens a lot, through the lens of my um camera a lot, and I couldn't tell you how many times this year where I've been confused on where the ball was.
32:09
SPEAKER_01: Sure.
32:10
SPEAKER_01: I've had to pick up the Tyoga runner 10 yards downfield because I couldn't tell who he ended the ball off to.
32:15
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so if I'm doing that with a telephoto lens, imagine what the linebackers are watching and seeing, right?
32:21
SPEAKER_01: You know, trying to look through people to see where the ball is.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, that and he, you know, Caden's uh a special talent, and I mean, so is Emmett, and he's got a lot of talent around him.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, it's kind of uh uh what what do you want to call it?
32:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, it he's as good as he is because of the talent around him, exactly.
32:41
SPEAKER_01: He makes the people around him better too, because of the way he handles the football.
32:45
SPEAKER_00: Sure, and it works both ways.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: Without the line, Emmett wouldn't be doing what he is, and the line having you know a non-athletic or a non-superior running back like that, they could block all day long.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: But if that individual can't run and pick holes and and uh you know fight off tackles, those kind of things, then it it doesn't work that way either.
33:04
SPEAKER_00: So every football is such a great complementary game, and everybody's got to be on the same page, Tim.
33:09
SPEAKER_00: I think we talked this one around and kicked this football around enough.
33:13
SPEAKER_00: And I think our fans are all set up now for an excellent game up at the dome.
33:18
SPEAKER_00: You need to get your tickets online, you can't uh no cash at the door.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: So you got to get your tickets online.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: It's not gonna be um uh broadcast on Spectrum, but it will be broadcast on the NFHS uh channel if you want to subscribe to that.
33:34
SPEAKER_00: So there's no reason to miss these games this weekend with our uh Section 4 teams and uh the potential they have for a state championship.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: So with that, Tim, thank you and uh look forward to meeting you up at the dome.
33:47
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Coach.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: And remember, tell your friends, Coach Smith says, visit cover4.com and be the next fan up.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: In football and life, it's not where we line up, it's where we wind up.
34:06
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to the Cover Four podcast.