High School Blitz: Week of Nov. 16
Welcome to the final week of The Blitz for 2009. Eleven very fast weeks have sailed by and we find ourselves in week 2 of the playoffs, a place in time that annually provides an upset or two. The majority of teams left are familiar playoff contenders, some meeting each other for consecutive seasons, and the road teams face the greatest challenges….
Our Game of the Week is one example….Clackamas, fresh off an upset victory over defending champ Southridge on the road, buses to Centennial, licking their chops after a bye week and anxious to make the return to the playoffs a successful one. These two teams rely on speed and special teams to have a chance, expect both to score TD’s but this game will swing on turnovers on a grass field and how they cash in…
Aloha crashed the show for the first time after 23 years and earned the right to be at home against……. The steamroller that is Sheldon, the 400 lb gorilla in the brackets that ran up 71 points last week….. the Warriors need a deluge like the one that floated Noah to have a chance against the Irish on Friday, Sheldon looks to be on a mission for the title …
Most matchups are familiar to each other… Grant and Central Catholic are making it a habit to meet in this round and offer an intriguing contest… the Generals bring great athleticism and my player of the year in Ken Acker against the Rams, who have improved with every game, have an impact player of their own in Brendan Scarlett and a physical defense that may have to shut down Grant to advance…. Great game to take in at Lincoln HS….
Two matchups in the Salem area will test the Valley league’s rep as a passers paradise… resurgent Roseburg travels to West Salem, where the Indians, who are back to their power game style of play, try to slow down the passing prowess of the Titans offense… sort of a Big 10 versus Pac 10 game, if you will… Canby versus Sprague is a little different, both playoff regulars are wrestling powerhouses and bring some of that relentless energy to their games, both coaches are long time veterans in the coaching biz and have outstanding staffs… the Cougars may be playing in coach Mike Doty’s last game and that could be the difference maker in a contest of even teams that will be treat down to the last whistle…
West Linn goes west to Westview and Jesuit heads south to Medford to meet the Panthers of South Medford, each game will be a test of the Metro’s sterling rep as the toughest league in the state. The Wildcats have a distinct home field advantage against the Lions, not to mention a large size edge, and the Crusaders, another finals favorite, have been road warriors since zero week and should run all over South behind Jordan Talley and Keenan Lowe….
The three closest 5A contests will get into the show…. Churchill at Jefferson, Sherwood at Crescent Valley and Ashland at West Albany, thanks to some of our down state friends, will be well represented on the Blitz with highlights galore….
Last but not least, across the Columbia, Skyview continues the march to Qwest field against Auburn at the Kiggins Bowl, the Skyhawks have been on a roll in November and in their third week of the postseason we look forward to following them on their quest…
Many thanks to all the hardy souls who patrol the sidelines for highlights that make the Blitz so much fun, Katy’s cupcakes for all and a healthy and happy postseason to everyone…. See you in the endzone….
Rossy