Salem's 1st game

[mikesalem]

Just like any game, Salem did some things well, and on the other hand they have a lot of work to do. They started off poorly with Ramsey fumbling the ball into the Amherst's LB hands (Henley) and it being returned 25 yards for the TD, Amherst 6-0.

On the ensuing possession Salem QB Beckley was scrambling on 3rd down and threw an interception to the Amherst LB. (Clarence, Johnny on the spot, Henley) Salem finally got things going midway through the 2Q, with Ramsey atoning for his earlier miscue by taking Beckley's screen pass 54 yards to the house, Salem 7-6.

On Amherst's next possession, Luke Owen picked off a pass giving them great field position. Ramsey wasted little time in getting them back to the endzone. After a 41 yard run down to the 1, he toted it in on the next play, Salem 14-6.

The next time the Spartans had the ball, RB Donte Clayborne got in on the action with a 28 yard burst into the endzone, Salem 21-6.

Amherst fumbled the ball deep in their own territory and Salem made them pay. After a pass from Beckley to Tucker got them close, Ramsey scored his 3rd TD with a 1 yd run, Salem 28-6.

After the HT break, Salem resumed the scoring with Clayborne breaking a 65 yarder, Salem 35-6.

Beckley fumbled on their next possession giving Amherst good field position. Amherst QB Turner threw a 14 yard pass to 6'3" receiver Wilfork, who was wide open in the endzone, Salem 35-12.

Salem kicked a FG after a 91 yard KO return by Burnette. Clayborne scored his 3rd TD to bring the final score to 45-12.

Craft, Salem's kicker had a good night going 6/6 on PAT's and a 27 yard FG. His kickoffs were deep not allowing Amherst any good returns.

Luke Owen did a really good job handling PR all night.

The OL had some difficulty finding the right personnel to cover for Jake Barnette's absence due to stretched ligaments and tendons in his foot. Dallas Herndon moved over from Center to take Barnette's place. Thomas Mundy took the Center spot and there were some difficulties with the exchange. I'm sure this will be ironed out this week as Mundy, a sophomore, will get more work this week to help secure the exchange. (Not saying fumbles were his fault, just lack of familiarity between Mundy and Beckley leading to 3 fumbles)

Overall a good 1st game performance, a lot of sophomores being thrust into key positions that performed very well.

 

[freeatlast2013]

Pass Defense needs work. The only guy they threw to was open all night . Obviously , turnovers . Special teams were very good. Better teams would have exploited our openings better . Tackling , Tackling and more emphasis on tackling .

 

[shauntclair]

Good write up Mike. Really sounds as though Salem's OLine did pretty well considering the big chunks of yardage most of those TD's took. From what I've been reading so far, it seems most teams, both winners and losers, started sloppy in week 1. Take the win. Salem will be solid and Northside looks vulnerable. Undefeated and high seeding is very possible. GL in 2015.

 

[salemfan32]

Just like any game, Salem did some things well, and on the other hand they have a lot of work to do. They started off poorly with Ramsey fumbling the ball into the Amherst's LB hands (Henley) and it being returned 25 yards for the TD, Amherst 6-0.

On the ensuing possession Salem QB Beckley was scrambling on 3rd down and threw an interception to the Amherst LB. (Clarence, Johnny on the spot, Henley) Salem finally got things going midway through the 2Q, with Ramsey atoning for his earlier miscue by taking Beckley's screen pass 54 yards to the house, Salem 7-6.

On Amherst's next possession, Luke Owen picked off a pass giving them great field position. Ramsey wasted little time in getting them back to the endzone. After a 41 yard run down to the 1, he toted it in on the next play, Salem 14-6.

The next time the Spartans had the ball, RB Donte Clayborne got in on the action with a 28 yard burst into the endzone, Salem 21-6.

Amherst fumbled the ball deep in their own territory and Salem made them pay. After a pass from Beckley to Tucker got them close, Ramsey scored his 3rd TD with a 1 yd run, Salem 28-6.

After the HT break, Salem resumed the scoring with Clayborne breaking a 65 yarder, Salem 35-6.

Beckley fumbled on their next possession giving Amherst good field position. Amherst QB Turner threw a 14 yard pass to 6'3" receiver Wilfork, who was wide open in the endzone, Salem 35-12.

Salem kicked a FG after a 91 yard KO return by Burnette. Clayborne scored his 3rd TD to bring the final score to 45-12.

Craft, Salem's kicker had a good night going 6/6 on PAT's and a 27 yard FG. His kickoffs were deep not allowing Amherst any good returns.

Luke Owen did a really good job handling PR all night.

The OL had some difficulty finding the right personnel to cover for Jake Barnette's absence due to stretched ligaments and tendons in his foot. Dallas Herndon moved over from Center to take Barnette's place. Thomas Mundy took the Center spot and there were some difficulties with the exchange. I'm sure this will be ironed out this week as Mundy, a sophomore, will get more work this week to help secure the exchange. (Not saying fumbles were his fault, just lack of familiarity between Mundy and Beckley leading to 3 fumbles)

Overall a good 1st game performance, a lot of sophomores being thrust into key positions that performed very well.

Mike, any idea when Jake will be back?

 

[mikesalem]

Mike, any idea when Jake will be back?

I believe he'll be out 6-8 weeks. At first i heard broken foot, but he also stretched or sprained ligaments/tendons also. Should be ready for the tough stretch at the end of the season which includes Patrick Henry and Pulaski.

 

[DinwiddieProud]

Good reporting, Mike

 

[1MoreHokie]

Missing Ponton hurts and it shows. Secondary will be better with him back there but it's still obviously a point of worry.

A lot of that game was rookie jitters. Salem only returns like 4-5 starters so this was the first time in the main role for a lot of kids and it showed. Once the seniors took over everyone else seemed to calm down and were OK.

The TOs are a bit of a concern but not a huge one. Everyone in the handoff equation is new to each other. They've got the off week now and perfect time to work on it. It's a fixable problem.

Defense won't be as good as last year. Offense probably takes a step back because of the line but not a huge one and until they hit the playoffs I'm still not sure anyone except maybe PH can keep up with Salem's horses and that's likely how you'll see Salem win is just via shootout. Beckley throws a good ball and he'll only improve as we go. Must find a way to get the ball into Tucker's hands more and I'd also like to see Claybourne catching passes too, that speed from both of them is really good.

I wouldn't think this will be better than last year's team but they're incredibly young so I also think they're only going to get better. This is also a lot of nit picking for week 1 after a 33 point win so whatever.

 

[RKE Fan]

I could be wrong, but after watching the Salem/JF benefit and watching highlights/reading about the Amherst game, I think this Salem team makes another deep run. They are A LOT younger, but seem faster overall. Beckley is much quicker with his feet than Couling last year, although Couling made great reads and was an excellent passer. If Beckley progresses as he should, he could be very dangerous come playoff time. He has much more escapablility than the previous two Salem QB's, which will bode well for those who bring the house. Last year, Parker was pretty much it at Wideout, although Womack occaisonally got in on the action. This year Salem has Tucker who seems faster than Parker with comparable hands, gutsy Quinn, and then Pinello who has great hands and good moves (from JV HUDL highlights) if they use him at TE or an additional wideout (Wade will eventually be a factor also, when he gets well). The backfield is basically a wash with Claiborne's explosiveness and Ramsey back at the helm. It will all come down to the progress of the "O" and "D" lines and the secondary. Personally, I see at least a state semi trip if not a finals spot for the Spartans again. However, LT again appears to be in another zone. Any team that wants to have a decent shot at a "W" against them has a LONG way to go.

 

[mikesalem]

I could be wrong, but after watching the Salem/JF benefit and watching highlights/reading about the Amherst game, I think this Salem team makes another deep run. They are A LOT younger, but seem faster overall. Beckley is much quicker with his feet than Couling last year, although Couling made great reads and was an excellent passer. If Beckley progresses as he should, he could be very dangerous come playoff time. He has much more escapablility than the previous two Salem QB's, which will bode well for those who bring the house. Last year, Parker was pretty much it at Wideout, although Womack occaisonally got in on the action. This year Salem has Tucker who seems faster than Parker with comparable hands, gutsy Quinn, and then Pinello who has great hands and good moves (from JV HUDL highlights) if they use him at TE or an additional wideout (Wade will eventually be a factor also, when he gets well). The backfield is basically a wash with Claiborne's explosiveness and Ramsey back at the helm. It will all come down to the progress of the "O" and "D" lines and the secondary. Personally, I see at least a state semi trip if not a finals spot for the Spartans again. However, LT again appears to be in another zone. Any team that wants to have a decent shot at a "W" against them has a LONG way to go.

I think this team goes as far as Beckley can take them. His development will be the key to a playoff run because teams can key in on the running game if that's all they have.They need to work on passes on 1st & 2nd down like last year to open up the running game. Having to throw on 3rd down puts a lot of pressure on Beckley and mistakes are more likely. The OL, once everyone is healthy, looks to be pretty good, they just need time to mesh together.

 

[momomule]

Ponton should be back by the next game...so he says.

 

[wikki]

Just like any game, Salem did some things well, and on the other hand they have a lot of work to do. They started off poorly with Ramsey fumbling the ball into the Amherst's LB hands (Henley) and it being returned 25 yards for the TD, Amherst 6-0.

On the ensuing possession Salem QB Beckley was scrambling on 3rd down and threw an interception to the Amherst LB. (Clarence, Johnny on the spot, Henley) Salem finally got things going midway through the 2Q, with Ramsey atoning for his earlier miscue by taking Beckley's screen pass 54 yards to the house, Salem 7-6.

On Amherst's next possession, Luke Owen picked off a pass giving them great field position. Ramsey wasted little time in getting them back to the endzone. After a 41 yard run down to the 1, he toted it in on the next play, Salem 14-6.

The next time the Spartans had the ball, RB Donte Clayborne got in on the action with a 28 yard burst into the endzone, Salem 21-6.

Amherst fumbled the ball deep in their own territory and Salem made them pay. After a pass from Beckley to Tucker got them close, Ramsey scored his 3rd TD with a 1 yd run, Salem 28-6.

After the HT break, Salem resumed the scoring with Clayborne breaking a 65 yarder, Salem 35-6.

Beckley fumbled on their next possession giving Amherst good field position. Amherst QB Turner threw a 14 yard pass to 6'3" receiver Wilfork, who was wide open in the endzone, Salem 35-12.

Salem kicked a FG after a 91 yard KO return by Burnette. Clayborne scored his 3rd TD to bring the final score to 45-12.

Craft, Salem's kicker had a good night going 6/6 on PAT's and a 27 yard FG. His kickoffs were deep not allowing Amherst any good returns.

Luke Owen did a really good job handling PR all night.

The OL had some difficulty finding the right personnel to cover for Jake Barnette's absence due to stretched ligaments and tendons in his foot. Dallas Herndon moved over from Center to take Barnette's place. Thomas Mundy took the Center spot and there were some difficulties with the exchange. I'm sure this will be ironed out this week as Mundy, a sophomore, will get more work this week to help secure the exchange. (Not saying fumbles were his fault, just lack of familiarity between Mundy and Beckley leading to 3 fumbles)

Overall a good 1st game performance, a lot of sophomores being thrust into key positions that performed very well.

Mike it was an excellent crowd for both sides last night, typical Amherst/Salem game. I wish Amherst would have played better. They started out great for almost the first half. I really like our QB, thought he did a great job. I have high hopes for this team

 

[freeatlast2013]

They do have some very good players Wikki , and will have a good season if they execute a little better .

 

[mikesalem]

Mike it was an excellent crowd for both sides last night, typical Amherst/Salem game. I wish Amherst would have played better. They started out great for almost the first half. I really like our QB, thought he did a great job. I have high hopes for this team

I hope Amherst will contend in the Seminole & make the playoffs. The Seminole will be tough with JF, Brookville, & Heritage. Glass didn't look good last night, but I think Woody will get them pointed in the right direction. Liberty is usually above average & Rustburg shut out Tunstall last night. There are no easy W's in that district for sure!

 

[close2salem]

Salem is not as "young" as you think. Salem has a lot of senior starters who have been patiently waiting their turn. Most of the starting positions are filled by seniors. Salem will develop and progress throughout the season.

 

[wikki]

I hope Amherst will contend in the Seminole & make the playoffs. The Seminole will be tough with JF, Brookville, & Heritage. Glass didn't look good last night, but I think Woody will get them pointed in the right direction. Liberty is usually above average & Rustburg shut out Tunstall last night. There are no easy W's in that district for sure!

JF will win it, but I think Amherst is capable of winning against the others. I like that offense that Amherst started with, you couldn't tell who had the ball but something changed after awhile. They are a good group of young men

 

[OMHDC]

JF will win it, but I think Amherst is capable of winning against the others. I like that offense that Amherst started with, you couldn't tell who had the ball but something changed after awhile. They are a good group of young men

From what I've heard, if we make it to the playoffs, we may see you guys again.
GO SALEM
GO MULES

 

[Lineheart1]

JF will win it, but I think Amherst is capable of winning against the others. I like that offense that Amherst started with, you couldn't tell who had the ball but something changed after awhile. They are a good group of young men

Wikki you're right,good group of kids...I was at their practice and I counted around 12 seniors on the team and 19 of the 22 the starting players are from Amherst and not Madison Heights which is a good sign..The QB you referred to is a transfer from Nelson County who has never played QB before...I got fustrated at the Salem game because I saw a few players side step the Salem RB instead of taking him head on..Salem should be proud they have a very good team and I wish them the best...

 

[wikki]

Wikki you're right,good group of kids...I was at their practice and I counted around 12 seniors on the team and 19 of the 22 the starting players are from Amherst and not Madison Heights which is a good sign..The QB you referred to is a transfer from Nelson County who has never played QB before...I got fustrated at the Salem game because I saw a few players side step the Salem RB instead of taking him head on..Salem should be proud they have a very good team and I wish them the best...

I knew the QB was from Nelson. Why would players side step like that?

 

[wikki]

Wikki you're right,good group of kids...I was at their practice and I counted around 12 seniors on the team and 19 of the 22 the starting players are from Amherst and not Madison Heights which is a good sign..The QB you referred to is a transfer from Nelson County who has never played QB before...I got fustrated at the Salem game because I saw a few players side step the Salem RB instead of taking him head on..Salem should be proud they have a very good team and I wish them the best...

I really do think Amherst will win more games than last year, if not, things will not be good with the fans

 

[Lineheart1]

I knew the QB was from Nelson. Why would players side step like that?

Scared...Salem RB runs hard and 2 or 3 players was just scared...I will not name anyone but if they was scared in Little League they will be scared in High School no matter how much muscle they have or how much film they watch...Some Amherst fans are a joke and they need to realize that it would've took a great coach to win with those kids,Coach Phillips is a good coach but not a great coach(he will get better I hope)...I've watch 90 percent of the kids come up from Amherst since they was 5 years old and Amherst hasn't had a solid team in the last 4-5 years...Stay hopeful Wikki cause starting with the Juniors the Amherst kids will be able to play with anyone with the size they got coming up..We will win 6-7 games this year,just my opinion..

 

[mikesalem]

Scared...Salem RB runs hard and 2 or 3 players was just scared...I will not name anyone but if they was scared in Little League they will be scared in High School no matter how much muscle they have or how much film they watch...Some Amherst fans are a joke and they need to realize that it would've took a great coach to win with those kids,Coach Phillips is a good coach but not a great coach(he will get better I hope)...I've watch 90 percent of the kids come up from Amherst since they was 5 years old and Amherst hasn't had a solid team in the last 4-5 years...Stay hopeful Wikki cause starting with the Juniors the Amherst kids will be able to play with anyone with the size they got coming up..We will win 6-7 games this year,just my opinion..

The JV team looked really good. Their OL was huge avg 290 I think. (#70 & #75 were 325 & 340) The QB Megginson #3 was extremely difficult to stop, very good runner and passer. If he hadn't cramped up I think Amherst would have won the game. They had a couple of good receivers, #1 & #5 were getting open a lot. I think #28 Revely was the primary RB and he looked good running behind that big line. As a team they had a few too many missed opportunities- dropped passes, false starts, holding, etc... but I was impressed. I can't remember the last time Salem's JV team had a close game. They have a 36 game winning streak, knock on wood. I was expecting more from Amherst's Varsity considering all the good sophomores they have on JV.

 

[wikki]

Scared...Salem RB runs hard and 2 or 3 players was just scared...I will not name anyone but if they was scared in Little League they will be scared in High School no matter how much muscle they have or how much film they watch...Some Amherst fans are a joke and they need to realize that it would've took a great coach to win with those kids,Coach Phillips is a good coach but not a great coach(he will get better I hope)...I've watch 90 percent of the kids come up from Amherst since they was 5 years old and Amherst hasn't had a solid team in the last 4-5 years...Stay hopeful Wikki cause starting with the Juniors the Amherst kids will be able to play with anyone with the size they got coming up..We will win 6-7 games this year,just my opinion..

There are bad fans with every team but most Amherst fans are not a joke. I am not discussing any further just because. It has been going on over 6 years now so I think it is time.

 

[Lineheart1]

There are bad fans with every team but most Amherst fans are not a joke. I am not discussing any further just because. It has been going on over 6 years now so I think it is time.

I did say some Amherst fans Wikki in my earlier post...