West Suburban Silver Week 7

[kitty_bintingot]

Time flies. As we approach week 7 I want to thank everyone that has contributed to these threads and hope we can continue to have rich discussion for as long as there are WSS teams still playing which, alas, may not be for too much longer.

GOW: GW @ HC: An HC win almost certainly secures an outright WSS championship for the Red Devils while a win for GW also likely secures an outright WSS championship for the Hitters. For this reason it is GOW.

I think this is a pretty even match up. I've gotten stuck many times trying to assess where the match up advantages are at, if there are any. One that I feel confident about is the GW passing attack vs the HC DBs. The DBs that HC has this year are pretty darn athletic, the two newcomers having adjusted well to varsity after getting 4 quarters of Thorne and Co. in week 1. What is more is that they have been blessed with good health. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the defensive backfield of GW. *Edit*: One of the stud GW DBs is suited up, who I thought to be out. So make what you will of that.

The above point is not trivial. I think both teams will be forced to go to the air to move the ball and put points on the board. Given what I've seen from both passing attacks and defenses, plus the bad luck of injuries that GW has sustained to their defensive backfield, I give the advantage in this one to the Red Devils. Barring any bad fumbles or special teams fiascos (which of course may happen), the team that better defends the 3rd down passing situations and the play action passes downfield will win this game. I see the HC defense doing just that, while the HC offense throws the ball downfield well against an injured GW defensive backfield : HC 21 GW 10

York @ OPRF: Now this truly is a must win for York. I'm afraid that I will not be able to lift the spirits of @Magnum Opus this week, as I don't favor the way York matches up with OP nearly as much as I did vs Willbrook. But the OPRF offense is suspect (indeed this may be an understatement) and hardly got out of Downers Grove with a win last friday. So it wouldn't be reasonable to write off York altogether. But I feel foolish for having taken them over Willobrook, and I think OPRF might not have been mentally prepared for the grittiness of DGN after having played uncompetitive games vs Morton and PW the previous two weeks. The Huskies defense will be up for this one, and I predict they end the playoff hopes of the otherwise promising Dukes of York: OPRF 14 York 7

DGN @ LT: DGN will look to start its sneaking into the 7A playoff field this friday on the road at LT. Cassens has grown in the pocket, runs the ball well and as I've said a few times: DGN has kids that play hard, are meaty, and want to win. It's a program with a great tradition and lots of those kids have been playing ball in the BGFYL since a very young age. Making the playoffs is a reachable goal for them and I'm sure they intend to do so. LT showed signs of hope last week as the sophomores looked good (not sure what the final in their game vs GW was, but it was a competitive game), at the varsity level the defense forced a handful of 3n outs and the backup QB completed what must have been at least 12 passes. So I'm thinking DGN will have to work harder for this one than you might otherwise think: DGN 28 LT 7

PE @ PW: Great rivalry game here and PE has made strides this year. They get a third victory and significant rivalry win: PE 29 PW 20

Great weekend of match ups in the WSS here and looking forward to hear what the board has to say. @SilverHelmets @chuck998 @capnbillhitters @Guido Sarducci @Voodoo Tatum 21 @Dual-triple_threat @Irish LB

 

[chuck998]

It's too early in the week for me to predict scores. So just a few comments on a Monday afternoon. The PE vs PW game is too close to call for me. Maybe it's time to combine these 2 programs. The DGN vs LT game could be a high scoring game. And the OPRF vs York game, which could have been a really good game had York stayed healthy, is looking like a OPRF win to me.

As for that other game, I wonder about a lot of things. Like the fact the HC played their first string the entire game against York and DGN to secure wins, while GW had their first strings on the bench half way through the third quarter in their games against those teams. I wonder about underestimating the GW secondary, given that it's so difficult to run against the starting defense, and the only alternative is to throw, yet few have scored much against them. I wonder how HC will handle what might be the best running attack the HC defense has seen this season. And I wonder if GW can come out and play with intensity and focus for an entire game. So I'm trying to put together a point spread with all that running around in my head. One final thing is that GW loves to play on an artificial surface when they travel, because it makes the feel faster and quicker compared to playing at home on grass. But penalties can negate that positive, so I wonder about that, too.

 

[capnbillhitters]

Difference in the game is Cox from GW. That kid on carpet looks like Brodner. After two weeks in a row on the loose toupee of a field down in The Glen, he will be running like his feet are on fire.

HC historically throws the ball up and down the field until the field shortens in the red zone. Best years they have are when they can run a massive power game straight at West or a running QB that can keep the corners honest enough to respect the go route.

Not sure if HC has a bruiser back or what their oline looks like but I have West 35-14.

I’ll take York as wrestling season whispers in OPRF ears. I’ll take PW to rep the Silver.

 

[kitty_bintingot]

Not sure if HC has a bruiser back or what their oline looks

Line is big and moves well but no power 5 player like an Allen or Kramer. RB is the younger brother of Bobak who runs almost identically to him and is almost identical in size (Bobak was the RB when HC played GW in Brodner's senior year. I know you watched that game and that's why I mention it).

 

[kitty_bintingot]

first string the entire game against York

Fwiw second stringers did come in in Q4 vs York. Can't remember if that was case vs DGN as well.

 

[chuck998]

Difference in the game is Cox from GW. That kid on carpet looks like Brodner. After two weeks in a row on the loose toupee of a field down in The Glen.

HC historically throws the ball up and down the field until the field shortens in the red zone. Best years they have are when they can run a massive power game straight at West or a running QB that can keep the corners honest enough to respect the go route.

Not sure if HC has a bruiser back or what their oline looks like but I hate West 35-14.

I’ll take York as wrestling season whispers in OPRF ears. I’ll take PW to rep the Silver.

Do you hate or take GW? Always taken you for a lover not a hater!

 

[Voodoo Tatum 21]

I’m going OPRF over York. Wrestling be damned!

I’m going HC over GBW and my thinking (and I know things have changed due to skonka being out) is.

1 HC beat their top Non Con Foe (NC)
2 NC did ok against Beast (was actually up 13-3 until someone set the alarm clock for LWE to ring and wake them up).
3 GBW lost to their Top Non Con Foe. (MS).

The other match ups?
DGN
I will have to throw a dart or something for The battle of Provisos - PE by 3!!

 

[capnbillhitters]

Difference in the game is Cox from GW. That kid on carpet looks like Brodner. After two weeks in a row on the loose toupee of a field down in The Glen.

HC historically throws the ball up and down the field until the field shortens in the red zone. Best years they have are when they can run a massive power game straight at West or a running QB that can keep the corners honest enough to respect the go route.

Not sure if HC has a bruiser back or what their oline looks like but I hate West 35-14.

I’ll take York as wrestling season whispers in OPRF ears. I’ll take PW to rep the Silver.

Do you hate or take GW? Always taken you for a lover not a hater!

Writing on my iPad is not as friendly as on my puter. Put me in the faithful column and I will edit the post to properly say “I have West 35-14”

I also left off the closing clause in describing Cox on carpet. A little rusty here guys. Bear with

 

[capnbillhitters]

Line is big and moves well but no power 5 player like an Allen or Kramer. RB is the younger brother of Bobak who runs almost identically to him and is almost identical in size (Bobak was the RB when HC played GW in Brodner's senior year. I know you watched that game and that's why I mention it).

Check out the West /LT film. Big line at LT though lacking a premium back. I think Orrin Schwarz had LT with negative 4 yards rushing. I can honestly say they did not abandon the rushing game and throw every down. It’s just that the West line and LBs take perfect angles to the ball. This West team is scrappy and know how to mix it up inside.

This won’t be ‘15, but not sure we’ll see a game that good in the WSS ever again. That game was like Rocky 1 with haymaker after haymaker. Bobek had something like 300 yards rushing mostly between the guards over Allen and those other monsters. Brodner had the sideline straddling, one handed snatch on 4th & 12 on the final clinching drive and West escaped with the W. Don’t see that kind of dog fight Friday, but who knows?

 

[kitty_bintingot]

Check out the West /LT film. Big line at LT though lacking a premium back. I think Orrin Schwarz had LT with negative 4 yards rushing. I can honestly say they did not abandon the rushing game and throw every down. It’s just that the West line and LBs take perfect angles to the ball. This West team is scrappy and know how to mix it up inside.

This won’t be ‘15, but not sure we’ll see a game that good in the WSS ever again. That game was like Rocky 1 with haymaker after haymaker. Bobek had something like 300 yards rushing mostly between the guards over Allen and those other monsters. Brodner had the sideline straddling, one handed snatch on 4th & 12 on the final clinching drive and West escaped with the W. Don’t see that kind of dog fight Friday, but who knows?

No doubt the GW LBs are scrappy and take good angles. I have seen the GW-LT film and should say that the HC o-line is much, much bigger across the board than LT. Not really comparable (edit: I just read that LT was missing two of its senior O-lineman vs GW, fwiw). It'll be the biggest o-line pound for pound/inch for inch that the Hitters will have seen this year (both MS and York have a couple kids that bring the overall height/weight average below that of HC).

Without the D1 back in the elder Skokna it's not the same rushing attack, but when Bobak gets his momentum going forward and his pad level down he runs with a pretty nice mean streak. Younger brother of Skokna will get some carries and IMO has better agility, acceleration and vision than Bobak, but is not a bulldozer. There are two other backs that might get carries but I digress...

I think it'll be the kind of game that WSS fans pride themselves on--lots of smash mouth ball. Certainly a game that'll be a treat for fans. But agree that it won't be at the level of the game in '15 at Duchon.

 

[capnbillhitters]

No doubt the GW LBs are scrappy and take good angles. I have seen the GW-LT film and should say that the HC o-line is much, much bigger across the board than LT. Not really comparable (edit: I just read that LT was missing two of its senior O-lineman vs GW, fwiw). It'll be the biggest o-line pound for pound/inch for inch that the Hitters will have seen this year (both MS and York have a couple kids that bring the overall height/weight average below that of HC).

Without the D1 back in the elder Skokna it's not the same rushing attack, but when Bobak gets his momentum going forward and his pad level down he runs with a pretty nice mean streak. Younger brother of Skokna will get some carries and IMO has better agility, acceleration and vision than Bobak, but is not a bulldozer. There are two other backs that might get carries but I digress...

I think it'll be the kind of game that WSS fans pride themselves on--lots of smash mouth ball. Certainly a game that'll be a treat for fans. But agree that it won't be at the level of the game in '15 at Duchon.

Oooo, you’ve got me all tingly. Love me some straight ahead football. I look forward to seeing the HC oline. Have some visceral memories of those Allen boys on Duchon. A little different on the clean carpet, but should be fun.

 

[Magnum Opus]

Time flies. As we approach week 7 I want to thank everyone that has contributed to these threads and hope we can continue to have rich discussion for as long as there are WSS teams still playing which, alas, may not be for too much longer.

GOW: GW @ HC: An HC win almost certainly secures an outright WSS championship for the Red Devils while a win for GW also likely secures an outright WSS championship for the Hitters. For this reason it is GOW.

I think this is a pretty even match up. I've gotten stuck many times trying to assess where the match up advantages are at, if there are any. One that I feel confident about is the GW passing attack vs the HC DBs. The DBs that HC has this year are pretty darn athletic, the two newcomers having adjusted well to varsity after getting 4 quarters of Thorne and Co. in week 1. What is more is that they have been blessed with good health. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the defensive backfield of GW.

The above point is not trivial. I think both teams will be forced to go to the air to move the ball and put points on the board. Given what I've seen from both passing attacks and defenses, plus the bad luck of injuries that GW has sustained to their defensive backfield, I give the advantage in this one to the Red Devils. Barring any bad fumbles or special teams fiascos (which of course may happen), the team that better defends the 3rd down passing situations and the play action passes downfield will win this game. I see the HC defense doing just that, while the HC offense throws the ball downfield well against an injured GW defensive backfield : HC 21 GW 10

York @ OPRF: Now this truly is a must win for York. I'm afraid that I will not be able to lift the spirits of @Magnum Opus this week, as I don't favor the way York matches up with OP nearly as much as I did vs Willbrook. But I also read that York did in fact run the ball well last week, but had a handful of drives stall in Willobrook territory. What's more is that the OPRF offense is suspect (indeed this may be an understatement) and hardly got out of Downers Grove with a win last friday. So it wouldn't be reasonable to write off York altogether. They certainly have the resources to win this game. But I feel foolish for having taken them over Willobrook, and I think OPRF might not have been mentally prepared for the grittiness of DGN after having played uncompetitive games vs Morton and PW the previous two weeks. The Huskies defense will be up for this one, and I predict they end the playoff hopes of the otherwise promising Dukes of York: OPRF 14 York 7

DGN @ LT: DGN will look to start its sneaking into the 7A playoff field this friday on the road at LT. Cassens has grown in the pocket, runs the ball well and as I've said a few times: DGN has kids that play hard, are meaty, and want to win. It's a program with a great tradition and lots of those kids have been playing ball in the BGFYL since a very young age. Making the playoffs is a reachable goal for them and I'm sure they intend to do so. LT showed signs of hope last week as the sophomores looked good (not sure what the final in their game vs GW was, but it was a competitive game), at the varsity level the defense forced a handful of 3n outs and the backup QB completed what must have been at least 12 passes. So I'm thinking DGN will have to work harder for this one than you might otherwise think: DGN 28 LT 7

PE @ PW: Great rivalry game here and PE has made strides this year. They get a third victory and significant rivalry win: PE 29 PW 20

Great weekend of match ups in the WSS here and looking forward to hear what the board has to say. @SilverHelmets @chuck998 @capnbillhitters @Guido Sarducci @Voodoo Tatum 21 @Dual-triple_threat @Irish LB

York/OPRF - Wouldn't say I've been big on York these past couple of weeks, but this is a new week. I think things are going to go the way of York this week. Overall Coaching was much better last week but Willowbrook still had too much health over York. York is on an uptick right now fighting for its life. York 28 - OPRF 7, without heart.

DGN 35, Lyons 0

GBW 28, HC 7

PW 9, PE 5

 

[Magnum Opus]

Irish...you around? And I'm not being a jerk to you either.

 

[chuck998]

I expect the following outcomes:
OPRF 35 York 21
DGN 28 LT 7
PW 14 PE 13
GW 38 HC 21

 

[OPRF Illini 96]

GW 21 HC 14 - I like the Hitters in a close, physical game. Tyquan Cox is a game-breaker and will come up with a long TD rush or kickoff return that makes the difference. The loss of Luke Skokna hurts Hinsdale here

OPRF 31 YORK 14 - I gotta believe John Hoerster will try to get the passing game going on offense for the Huskies. OPRF badly needs to have some semblance of balance if it wants to have any shot at beating GW as well as making a run in the playoffs. Perhaps the Huskies will use Toby Kunkel at QB more - he's a better passer than Jaden McGill at this point.

DGN 28 LT 21 - Last week, I was very impressed with the Cassens kid at QB for the Trojans. Very agile and made good decisions. As was said earlier, DGN is a gritty bunch, and with games left with Downers South and Proviso West, they should get the necessary 5 wins for postseason play.

PROVISO EAST 20, PROVISO WEST 12 - It wasn't long ago PW was a respectable program under Famous Hulbert, but ever since he left, things have gone downhill in a hurry. Winless so far, and though the Panthers will be up for their district rivals, they'll drop a close one.

 

[kitty_bintingot]

Cox is a game-breaker and will come up with a long TD rush or kickoff return

Yeah, my homerism had conveniently ruled out special teams fiascos when predicting the score. Really hoping the staff over at HC swallows any pride they have of their special teams and says Screw it, we're not kicking it to Cox. But if I had to guess I bet the staff is planning on kicking it. Needless to say I'll be holding my breathe on every kick off.

 

[iamthejayhawk]

GW 35 HC 14

 

[kitty_bintingot]

Weekend takeaways: GW 21 HC 7: I got my prediction totally backward: GW was able to throw the ball when it needed to, and they were the team that ultimately put points up on the board, whereas HC had an INT and couldn't really throw the ball. Hats off to GW. Gotta give a lot of credit to Hetlet and his players. They came in and made minimal mistakes and simply outperformed HC.

HC defense got worked in the 1st half and also had somewhere around 5 offsides. Can't give that to a fine-tuned Hitter machine. They did well in 2nd half after some adjustments were made. I don't agree with @chuck998 about his counterfactual claim that, if the rain delay were not to have happened, then GW would have put 'way' more than 21 up.

HC seemed to abandon its game plan in 2nd half as the offense came out throwing the ball, despite having looked good running the ball. They had a 4th and short on one of their three 2nd half possessions but punted, and that was a big moment where HC more or less gave GW the chance to eat up a lot more 2nd half clock (similar situation happened in first half as well, except HC attempted a FG and missed, giving GW ball with 4:45 to work with, which ended with GW going up 14-0 at half). HC pass attack is suspect. That is concerning as HC heads to 8A playoff field. But the run game was there and that's something for HC fans to be hopeful about.

Gotta love the way Hetlet calls games. He plays to win every single game. He didn't think twice about going for it on 4th a bunch of times that might have raised some eyebrows if they hadn't converted. But they did. And those conversions were huge as GW just chewed up a ton of clock in this one. Cox looked great and the rest of the GW offense busted its tail on every play. I'm hurting from this loss but you can't not appreciate having GW in your conference. Hopefully HC staff and players grow from this (and perhaps even get a more favorable draw in the playoffs!). Congrats to the Hitters @SilverHelmets @capnbillhitters @chuck998

DGN 28 LT 14: DGN approaches week 9 must win vs York. LT shows signs of life.

OPRF 42 York 21: Did Kunkel come in and throw against York @OPRF Illini 96 ? Must be encouraging to see OPRF score more than 21 pts for first time against WSS opponent. At any rate, York is eliminated from playoff contention as OPRF looks to play GW to have a chance to grab a share of the conference title.

PW 34 PE 18: Great win for PW and hope to see the HC there continue to develop the Lenti style belly triple option.

Thanks for another great week on this thread everybody.

 

[chuck998]

The weather screwed up my point spreads.

 

[OPRF Illini 96]

Weekend takeaways: GW 21 HC 7: I got my prediction totally backward: GW was able to throw the ball when it needed to, and they were the team that ultimately put points up on the board, whereas HC had an INT and couldn't really throw the ball. Hats off to GW. Gotta give a lot of credit to Hetlet and his players. They came in and made minimal mistakes and simply outperformed HC.

HC defense got worked in the 1st half and also had somewhere around 5 offsides. Can't give that to a fine-tuned Hitter machine. They did well in 2nd half after some adjustments were made. I don't agree with @chuck998 about his counterfactual claim that, if the rain delay were not to have happened, then GW would have put 'way' more than 21 up.

HC seemed to abandon its game plan in 2nd half as the offense came out throwing the ball, despite having looked good running the ball. They had a 4th and short on one of their three 2nd half possessions but punted, and that was a big moment where HC more or less gave GW the chance to eat up a lot more 2nd half clock (similar situation happened in first half as well, except HC attempted a FG and missed, giving GW ball with 4:45 to work with, which ended with GW going up 14-0 at half). HC pass attack is suspect. That is concerning as HC heads to 8A playoff field. But the run game was there and that's something for HC fans to be hopeful about.

Gotta love the way Hetlet calls games. He plays to win every single game. He didn't think twice about going for it on 4th a bunch of times that might have raised some eyebrows if they hadn't converted. But they did. And those conversions were huge as GW just chewed up a ton of clock in this one. Cox looked great and the rest of the GW offense busted its tail on every play. I'm hurting from this loss but you can't not appreciate having GW in your conference. Hopefully HC staff and players grow from this (and perhaps even get a more favorable draw in the playoffs!). Congrats to the Hitters @SilverHelmets @capnbillhitters @chuck998

DGN 28 LT 14: DGN approaches week 9 must win vs York. LT shows signs of life.

OPRF 42 York 21: Did Kunkel come in and throw against York @OPRF Illini 96 ? Must be encouraging to see OPRF score more than 21 pts for first time against WSS opponent. At any rate, York is eliminated from playoff contention as OPRF looks to play GW to have a chance to grab a share of the conference title.

I'll update this post when PE-PW score comes through. Thanks everybody.

No, Kunkel didn't come in until the final drive when the game was already decided. The Huskies got big rushing games from McGill and Nazareth Bryant. At the start of the season, Bryant was to split time at running back with Keith Robinson, but with Robinson out due to an apparent injury, he has come on strong the past few games. And today Robinson returned - his ability to play several different positions gives the Huskies another playmaker opposing defenses have to adjust to. Next week should be a fun game by Lake Ellyn

 

[OPRF Illini 96]

I can see why folks are confident about York's football future. I like coach Fitzgerald's schemes; they keep defenses guessing. Give him another season and the Dukes will become a playoff team

 

[kitty_bintingot]

I can see why folks are confident about York's football future. I like coach Fitzgerald's schemes; they keep defenses guessing. Give him another season and the Dukes will become a playoff team

Yeah those 4 returning olineman will all work their tails off in the offseason, put on another 15 lbs and become a seriously scary oline. The York sophs, I believe, have also shown a lot of promise. But I'd need @Dual-triple_threat or @Magnum Opus to confirm that. Combine those factors with the winning culture Fitzgerald is installing and I think you're right, York should get to 5 wins next year.

 

[Duck of Death]

My take on the York OPRF game...Very impressed with OPRF defense. Best defensive line I've seen all year, including NT with Olges. LB's flew around and made plays as well. York came into game with a few more key players injured from the Willowbrook game. #7 RB out, another DT out, outside linbacker out in first series of this game, and SS out in first half.

York just couldn't stop the running game... late in first less than 4 min in half score was 14-7 York driving, threw pick at the 15, big return to York's 40, couple plays and a pass interference call later and 21-7 OPRF at the half. Tough swing, and York hasn't established the "come back" mentality yet.

OPRF ran the ball efficiently up the gut, until York finally put a couple of their big boys (including #66 OG) in the middle and slowed them down late in the 3rd quarter but then OPRF just started running around the corner, and were just as effective.

OPRF was even better than I thought they would be, well coached, and flying around.

 

[Duck of Death]

Perhaps the Huskies will use Toby Kunkel at QB more - he's a better passer than Jaden McGill at this point.

McGill played whole game, and was a really solid runner, but just watching warm ups, Kunkel seemed like the significantly better passer.

 

[Duck of Death]

The York sophs, I believe, have also shown a lot of promise.

The sophomore team at York has some pretty good players, including a few who played up as freshmen. They've done really well vs WSS soph teams. That doesn't always translate...but it also doesn't hurt. Could be a nice mix for York next year with O-line coming back bigger and stronger, leading receiver and rusher coming back, and the skill positions from the soph team.

Not a knock on the coaching staff, but was a little disappointed that York didn't use the talent on the team in a more efficient way. I understand the arguments for a 2 platoon system, but York is the only team in the WSS that still does that. And it showed in my opinion. The starting quarterback (for most of the year) could have been useful on Def. (since they went with the QB2) as well as some of the O-Line could have rotated to D-Line...especially since those were positions that were decimated due to injuries.

 

[capnbillhitters]

My take on the York OPRF game...Very impressed with OPRF defense. Best defensive line I've seen all year, including NT with Olges. LB's flew around and made plays as well. York came into game with a few more key players injured from the Willowbrook game. #7 RB out, another DT out, outside linbacker out in first series of this game, and SS out in first half.

York just couldn't stop the running game... late in first less than 4 min in half score was 14-7 York driving, threw pick at the 15, big return to York's 40, couple plays and a pass interference call later and 21-7 OPRF at the half. Tough swing, and York hasn't established the "come back" mentality yet.

OPRF ran the ball efficiently up the gut, until York finally put a couple of their big boys (including #66 OG) in the middle and slowed them down late in the 3rd quarter but then OPRF just started running around the corner, and were just as effective.

OPRF was even better than I thought they would be, well coached, and flying around.

How many points are they giving GW this weekend? I’m thinking OPRF -13 sounds about right.

 

[kitty_bintingot]

How many points are they giving GW this weekend? I’m thinking OPRF -13 sounds about right.

Uh oh...looks like I need to get the week 8 thread in order.

 

[Duck of Death]

How many points are they giving GW this weekend? I’m thinking OPRF -13 sounds about right.

How many points are they giving GW this weekend? I’m thinking OPRF -13 sounds about right.

Lmao, I’m not gonna go that far, when it comes to WSS losses...GBW is safe until next year.