Haven't seen much talk about them on here, would like to hear some thoughts on how they are stacking up against other 6A teams throughout the state.
Battlefield
- Thread starter Footballjunkie2015
- Start date
Coming into the season, I thought that they were behind Centreville, Westfield and maybe even Patriot, but they've been a bit better than I've expected.
As always, they are coached up well and they can be very difficult to beat when executing well. QB Matt Gallagher seems to have a full understanding of how to attack defenses and his confidence bleeds over into the rest of the unit. WR Zac Kerxton doesn't look like a guy who can make plays all over the field but he's been making them since week one so opposing defenses better know where he is.
The running game is solid and can move the chains but they don't really have a gamebreaker in the backfield. Corey Parker and Sam Drzal split time and carries and each can get the tough yard.
The defense is good but is not a shutdown unit. I saw them play Hylton and once the Bulldogs stopped making mental mistakes and started working their QB into the run game, the Bobcats had problems slowing them down.
Their regular season finale will be telling for the defense because Patriot will stress them all over the field.
Once the postseason begins, I figure them to win their opener rather easily, be a slight favorite in the second round (depending on matchups), then they will have a really tough game against whoever they see in the third round (likely one of the big three from the Concorde -- Centreville, Westfield or Robinson).
As always, they are coached up well and they can be very difficult to beat when executing well. QB Matt Gallagher seems to have a full understanding of how to attack defenses and his confidence bleeds over into the rest of the unit. WR Zac Kerxton doesn't look like a guy who can make plays all over the field but he's been making them since week one so opposing defenses better know where he is.
The running game is solid and can move the chains but they don't really have a gamebreaker in the backfield. Corey Parker and Sam Drzal split time and carries and each can get the tough yard.
The defense is good but is not a shutdown unit. I saw them play Hylton and once the Bulldogs stopped making mental mistakes and started working their QB into the run game, the Bobcats had problems slowing them down.
Their regular season finale will be telling for the defense because Patriot will stress them all over the field.
Once the postseason begins, I figure them to win their opener rather easily, be a slight favorite in the second round (depending on matchups), then they will have a really tough game against whoever they see in the third round (likely one of the big three from the Concorde -- Centreville, Westfield or Robinson).
Agreed that they are as well coached as any team in the state, the Matt to Zac combo has been fun to watch.
They have been banged up in the backfield, I know they are looking at some underclassmen to step up and help carry the load namely Chris Ferrill (SO). Brenden Boney (SR) has also stepped in and played well at times hopefully they can get healthy come playoff time.
Their defense has been a pleasant surprise this year, front 7 is very tough against the run and the front 4 has been good at getting to the QB. On the backend they are solid and have created a lot of turnovers. Something to note about the Hylton game: Hylton mistakes were a factor but from what I saw that game started turning with all of the injuries Battlefield had. Lost their top two RB's early (Sam and Corey who also are key players on D), lost their starting center that also starts on D-line along with their LG just too much to overcome.
The Patriot game should be a good one with outstanding atmosphere, most of these kids have played little league with each other. Patriot does seem a little weak on D.
Thanks for the perspective.
They have been banged up in the backfield, I know they are looking at some underclassmen to step up and help carry the load namely Chris Ferrill (SO). Brenden Boney (SR) has also stepped in and played well at times hopefully they can get healthy come playoff time.
Their defense has been a pleasant surprise this year, front 7 is very tough against the run and the front 4 has been good at getting to the QB. On the backend they are solid and have created a lot of turnovers. Something to note about the Hylton game: Hylton mistakes were a factor but from what I saw that game started turning with all of the injuries Battlefield had. Lost their top two RB's early (Sam and Corey who also are key players on D), lost their starting center that also starts on D-line along with their LG just too much to overcome.
The Patriot game should be a good one with outstanding atmosphere, most of these kids have played little league with each other. Patriot does seem a little weak on D.
Thanks for the perspective.
They returned a lot of their guys from their 2013 team and that experience has benefited them this year... I think their record shows that. They were a 5-3 team at this point last year but are now looking at a realistic shot of a 9-1 regular season for this year.
As far as how they stack up against the other teams, the big showdown left on their schedule is the game against Patriot and I will be taking Battlefield in that game because Patriot has given up a lot of points this year. When the playoffs do start, I think they will be capable of knocking off any of the other North teams (Westfield, Centreville, Robinson, etc.) but will probably be considered the underdog. Regardless of who they end up playing I'd expect Battlefield to make it a close game.
Getting a little OT but that is one of the headlines I'm looking most forward to seeing in the playoffs when Patriot and Battlefield start to square off against those teams. Even though Patriot has struggled defensively, now that they have Caparella back they should be even more dangerous heading into the playoffs and I do wonder if the defenses at Westfield, Centreville, Robinson, the rest of those teams will be able to get a handle on the offense that Patriot has. Robinson got em last year in the first round, but nobody has really been able to slow them down on offense so far this year.
This post was edited on 10/20 2:32 PM by GurskyT
As far as how they stack up against the other teams, the big showdown left on their schedule is the game against Patriot and I will be taking Battlefield in that game because Patriot has given up a lot of points this year. When the playoffs do start, I think they will be capable of knocking off any of the other North teams (Westfield, Centreville, Robinson, etc.) but will probably be considered the underdog. Regardless of who they end up playing I'd expect Battlefield to make it a close game.
Getting a little OT but that is one of the headlines I'm looking most forward to seeing in the playoffs when Patriot and Battlefield start to square off against those teams. Even though Patriot has struggled defensively, now that they have Caparella back they should be even more dangerous heading into the playoffs and I do wonder if the defenses at Westfield, Centreville, Robinson, the rest of those teams will be able to get a handle on the offense that Patriot has. Robinson got em last year in the first round, but nobody has really been able to slow them down on offense so far this year.
This post was edited on 10/20 2:32 PM by GurskyT