Pre-Season

    I apologize that it has taken me so long to get this done, but I wanted to get a good feel for this team before I tried to preview it.  Unfortunately, after two weeks of practice, I don't know that I am any closer to understanding it.  Don't take that as a bad thing.  If there was an overriding theme entering this season it would center around obstacles and opportunities.  While it is true that this team faces several obstacles as the season begins, that adversity has created new opportunities for individual players and the team as a whole.  The obstacles include the fact that the Big 12 has become one of the toughest 5A/6A conferences in the state.  A conference team has played for the 6A state championship five of the last six seasons, culminated by Normal Community's championship in 2006.  A conference team has reached the semifinals in ten of the last twelve seasons, and last season five of the ten conference teams qualified for the playoffs, with three advancing to the second round of their respective classes.  The biggest obstacle within the conference is Normal Community.  The Ironmen are on a roll having shared the conference title in 2005 and then winning it outright, with undefeated seasons the last two years.  Their conference winning streak now stands at 22 games dating back to the 2005 season, and they have beaten the Raiders four consecutive times.  Yet they are not the only potential roadblock on the conference schedule.  Last season the Maroons of Champaign Central and the Green Wave of Mattoon ended long losing streaks to the Raiders, and the current junior class at Danville High School as gone undefeated over the past two seasons as freshman and sophomores.  An additional obstacle was created by the Raiders themselves.  We will begin the season with four starters from the Providence game last season suspended, for disciplinary reasons, for the first three games of this season.  This has created an additional obstacle in that several young, inexperienced players will replacing them in the line-up.

    Yet with these obstacles come opportunities.  First off, there is a lot of talent on this team, from the returning lettermen in the junior and senior classes to a group of very athletic sophomores.  The suspensions have created an opportunity for a group of younger players that are eager to prove themselves, and that represent the future of the program.  Chances like these generally bring out the best in young players and will also create a competitive atmosphere for the remainder of the season, which should make everyone better.  This "youth movement" also provides the team with the opportunity to continually improve as the season goes along.  For many years, the success of a Purple Raider season has been judged by the start, specifically week two., when in reality, it is the finish that counts.  Is an undefeated season a success if it concludes with a week two exit from the playoffs?  How about a real example; does anyone remember the 1992 regular season loss to Decatur Eisenhower?  No, they remember beating #1 nationally ranked East St. Louis in the second round of the 5A playoffs.  This team will begin the season incomplete, there is no getting around that, but they don't have to end it that way.  The final opportunity some may find odd, but hear me out.  We no longer have any players that were students at BHS the last time a Purple Raider football team played for the state championship.  How can that be a good thing?  It builds hunger.  None of these players have experienced that level of success, yet they all want it.  Teams that experience a "dynasty" period like to believe that success breeds success, and lets face it, once you're on top, why would you ever want to step down?  But success can also breed complacency.  Not that players in successful programs lose their desire, they just aren't willing to sacrifice as much for it.  Accomplishing something for the first time is exhilarating.  This team has never gone undefeated.  This team has never won a conference championship.  This team has never played for the right to appear in the state championship. Yet their talent gives them the opportunity to do all of this.

    I have purposefully limited this preview because the 2008 season is a work in progress and will continue to be so well beyond the first few games.  Let's take it week by week and see how it unfolds.

Game #1 Danville

    Game one pits the Raiders against one of the up and coming teams in the Big 12, the Vikings of Danville High School.  From 2001-2005, the Vikings won a total of five football games.  Under Coach BJ Luke, they have won five games each season in 2006 and 2007, qualifying for the playoffs each year.  Yet that appears to be just the beginning.  Danville's freshman and sophomore teams have wreaked havoc in the Big 12 the past two seasons.  Those players are now juniors and hope to bring the same level of success to the varsity.  For complete detail click HERE.  The first game of the season is always exciting and that excitement can sometimes cause young players to short circuit and make mistakes.  Coach Luke, however, is breathing easier knowing that several of these "young" players bring considerable varsity experience into the season having played in several games last season as sophomores. 

    Prepping for your first opponent of the season is never any fun.  You know what they were running at the end of last season, but there's no guarantee that you'll see the same thing this season.  And when you are playing a team like Danville, that year after year seems to be loaded with speedy athletes at the skill positions, it makes it even more difficult.  This season appears to be no different.  As the article linked above suggests, the Vikings have so many athletes at the skill positions that they can't figure out which ones to play.  Gee, if we could all have it so rough.  One thing that the article does make certain is that the offensive line will be huge.  Do the math and you'll find that the Viking offensive line is going to average around 6'1" and 245 pounds.  Coach Luke also points out that most of these linemen will be one way players, allowing them to rest when the defense is on the field and remain fresh throughout the game.  As far as what the Vikings will run offensively, all I can do is speculate based on the previous two seasons.  The quarterback will probably line up in a shotgun formation with either one or two running backs to his side.  The rest of the formation will consist of the offensive line, a tight end, and two or three receivers lined up in either a trips or balance set.  If it is trips (consisting of the tight end and two slot receivers to one side), chances are the best receiver will line up as a split end to the other side in hopes of isolating the corner in a one on one situation.  Plays run will depend on the number of running back in the back field.  Do keep in mind, however, that the quarterback is a "running" back in this system.  Every run play is complement with a quarterback option of keeping the ball if the defense keys on the running back.  One back will allow them to spread the defense more with an added receiver, but "limit"  running plays to an inside zone with a quarterback counter, an outside zone, a quarterback zone and a double option.  Two backs allows them to give a triple look with one back diving the middle, and the quarterback attacking the end with the option of pitching to the second running back around end.  The second back also provides a lead blocker for an outside zone or pitch play to the corner.  Passing out of this set has consisted of quick hitches and slants, a quarterback rollout with receivers dragging across the middle, and playaction off the inside zone play with the tight end running a seam up the middle.  Additional routes have been crossing patterns and curl/vertical combinations to the two receiver side.  If the shotgun spread set isn't working, or in the case of last year's game, it is raining and field conditions are miserable, the Vikings will probably return to a traditional pro set and run iso, counter and pitch behind their all-conference tight end.

    Defensively, the Vikings have run a couple of different packages during Coach Luke's tenure, but last season they went with a 4-4 cover three set as a base.  The beauty to the 4-4 is that it is simple and flexible.  With an equal number of defender on each half of the field and a free safety in the middle, it can adjust to any spread set and simply reduce when facing power sets.  It allow players to play the game without having to think too much about strength calls, motion adjustments or shifting alignments.  The only players having to make adjustments are the down tackles and the outside backers who just simply adjust their alignments to the tight end or wide receivers to their half of the field.  If needed, they can quickly put eight players in the box and bring additional pressure by blitzing 1-4 of the linebackers.

Game #2 Normal Community

    Well Raider fans, things didn't quite turn out the way we wanted them to Friday night.  It was a frustrating loss, no doubt, but remember this season is a work in progress, and there were lots of positives to build off of in the Danville game.  We couldn't have played a better first half.  We demonstrated a balanced offense, mixing a power inside running game with the ability to get to the corner and were able to running an affective play action passing game.  The defense was aggressive and shut the Vikings down.  Late in the fourth quarter, needing to score, we drove the length of the field and did.  In overtime, the defense returned to its form of the first half.  What???  Hey Coach Baldwin, they did score.  I know, but did you realize of the seven plays the Vikings ran in overtime, only two resulted in positive yardage.  Unfortunately, in overtime with the short field, that's all it takes.  We also saw a team play it's tail off, refusing to quit.  So what was missing between the first half and the end of the game?  Confidence.  On Friday night, when the Raiders played with confidence, they were the better team.  Do give credit to Danville (and I'm sure there coach is saying the same thing I am, but in reverse).  In the third quarter, they (the Vikings) played like the team everyone is expecting them to be.  Confidence is not something we can drill in practice, it is something that must be gained through experience.  When the Raiders took the field on Friday night, we had one starter on each side of the ball returning to the position he played last season.  That was Marcus Johnson.  When we walked off, we had a bunch of disappointed, but now varsity players that at times had played up to their potential, who had learned something from the experience.  Friday night was a step forward.  Be patient.

    The 2008 Ironmen have a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator, and several new players on both sides of the ball.   Get past all those changes, however, and you'll notice that things haven't really changed at all.  The proven philosophy of combining a power, ball control offense with fast, aggressive defense has served the Ironmen well.  Why change when you have won three consecutive conference titles and finished as a semi-finalist, runner-up and state champion over the past three seasons? 

    Offensively, the Ironmen didn't have to show much in game one, scoring 35 points on less that a dozen plays in the first half against Urbana.  They will line up in pro, twins and double tight formations and feature a power running game focusing on the tailback out of all three sets.  Plays include iso, lead, counter, pitch, and even though they didn't show much of it week one, option.  One added feature this season is stretching the defense with a double tight/double slot set, then giving the ball to the tailback on either an inside or outside zone.  The back is Travis Mullen, who as a sophomore last season had won the starting spot before breaking his collar bone in the second round of the playoffs, and the play seemed to work week one with Mullen gaining 150 yards on ten carries, most off the zone play.  The perfect compliment to the power running game is play action passing.  The Ironmen variety comes off of the counter and lead plays and features fullback Andrew Hamer in the flat.  With sure handed receivers Chad Hinshaw and Tate Musselman at the wideouts the Ironmen will also utilize a quick passing game of slants, hitches, screens and fades.  Both receivers are big and can run after the catch.  Quarterback Zach Johnson served as the "passing" back-up last season, so even though they didn't need to use it last week, you should also expect to see a dropback passing game potentially out of twins split, double twins or trips sets.  In the end, the Ironmen will run a sound attack that adjusts to whatever the defense gives it.

    Defensively, there is really no sense in doing much of a preview.  As it has been for the past several years, the Ironmen continue to run the same 5-2 set as the Purple Raiders.  The only real difference from last season comes in personnel.  Gone are multi-year starters Joey Anderson, Austin Davis, Alex Buck, Kennedy Freeman and Austin Kull.  Yet the defense doesn't seem to have slowed down.  They may be a little smaller this season, but they still flow the ball quickly and tackle as a team.  One additional change is that Hamer has moved from his defensive end position last season to the nose guard this year.

Game #3 Urbana

    I commented in last week's preview that the Raiders needed to gain confidence through game experience.  Well last week, the young Raiders gained a truckload and unlike in game one, we were consistent.  In the end, it was a complete team effort with several players contributing in key situations.  The goal now is to keep the ball rolling.  At 1-1, the Raiders will need some help to have a shot at the conference championship.  MacArthur, Danville and Champaign Central are undefeated at 2-0.  All three need to play each other, and the Raiders still play MacArthur and Central.  From our perspective, Danville is in the driver's seat and ironically, we could get some help from the Ironmen.  They play the Vikings week nine.  But there is a lot of football still to be played, so I'll stop putting the cart before the horse.  Last week was a big step forward, but there's more to come.  Raider fans, this team is still far from its peak.  Be patient.

    Game three finally brings the Purple Raiders to Fred Carlton Field to face the Tigers of Urbana High School.  Urbana is 0-2 having lost to Normal 54-14 and Central 24-0.  They haven't scored much yet, but the Tiger do bring a different look to the Raider defense.  They line up in what we call A formation.  It consists of a tight end and flanker to one side and a slot receiver and split end to the other with a single back in the backfield.  Out of it, the primary play is a jet sweep.  They will motion the slot or the flanker to the quarterback who will then hand off to the motion man as he approaches full speed.  The difficulty for the defense is that the ball carrier gets to the end before they have a chance to get out of their stance.  They will counter the sweep with the running back diving to the opposite side of the sweep.  They will fake the sweep occasionally and give to the dive back, so the linebackers have to honor it, preventing them from flowing too quickly to help with the sweep.  The reverse is also a constant threat.  The sweep gets the ball to the other side of the formation so quickly that a second handoff to the slot or flanker can take advantage of linemen and safeties that are sprinting to cut down the original sweep.  Other run plays include a pitch or zone to the back after the motion, resulting in three blockers out in front of the ball carrier.  The motion man will also throttle down in the middle of the formation and provide the lead block for an iso play up the middle.  Passing consists of a play action off the jet sweep with the back slipping out to flat and the tight end dragging across the middle from the backside.  They will also run a quick, three-step passing series of hitches, slants and fades. 

    Defensively, they also present a new look in that they are the first 4-3 alignment that the Raiders have faced this season.  Just a few years ago, everyone seemed to be running the 4-3, but they Tigers may be the only one left in the Big 12.  They will back it up with a cover two alignment giving them a balance to both sides of the offensive formation.  Pressure will come from blitzing outside linebackers, and the occasional safety blitz.  While they seemed caught off guard in week one against Normal, the did hold what most consider to be one of the most explosive offenses in the conference to 24 points last week.  This team seemed to significantly improve over the first two weeks, expect the same thing to happen week three. 

Game #4 Champaign Central

    It's over and the Raiders have survived, right?  Entering the season the team faced the daunting task of playing two of the preseason favorites in the conference with as many as four starters from last season suspended for the first three games.  Well that number increased to six for last week's game, but the Raiders seem to have come out of it pretty good shape, a testament to the hard work and heart of this team.  Our 2-1 record does include a satisfying victory over Normal Community, but in reality this team hasn't accomplished anything yet.  We stand in second place in the Big 12 tied with Normal Community, but behind three undefeated teams that are tied for first, two of which we still have yet to play.  Nearing the midway point of the season, there has been a definite power shift in the conference and this week's opponent, Champaign Central is in the thick of it.  The Maroons come in 3-0 with victories over Eisenhower, Urbana and Normal West.  They have the best point differential in the conference at 108 points scored and only 16 given up, and last season beat the Raiders, on our homecoming, for the first time in over 20 years.  Coach Dave Jacobs has the Maroons believing, playing well, and aiming for the success enjoyed by the Raiders and Ironmen over the past five seasons.  Yes, all of our suspend players have returned, but there is a lot of work still to be done, and it will continue to take the work of the entire team to do it.

Click HERE to see the Maroon roster.

    Offensively, think Danville.  Like the Vikings, the Maroons like to line up in a trips formation with one running back and the quarterback in the backfield.  The weak side of the formation may include a tight end or a wide out depending on the play they plan to run.  Main plays include a lead and inside zone to the weak side, and an outside zone to the trips.  All three plays require the running back to find the hole and pick his way through the defense, and boy do the Maroons have the perfect guy for the job.  Junior running back Denzel Stewart has rushed for over 700 yards in the first three games of the season and has been so dominant he may have already locked up the offensive player of the year award for the conference.  But Stewart is not the entire offense.  The passing game consists of flood routes and crossing patterns to the trips, and an isolation sprint out series back to the wide out on the weak side.  The Maroons will also break out of the trips and line up in a tradition pro set and run fullback dive, lead and outside zone.  They will also run play action patterns off the lead and a counter play.  In the end it is an offense that will spread the defense and utilize a very fast, elusive running back, but is versatile enough to take advantage of what the defense gives it.

    Defensively, the Maroons are most explosive than they are on offense.  They run the en vogue, aggressive 3-5 that seems to be sweeping through high school football.  To the untrained eye the 3-5 will look like the 5-2 with a safety walked up, but it is far more aggressive.  The 3 are the defensive linemen that will line up on the two offensive tackles and the center and slant to one side or the other.  The 5 are the three linebackers that will stack on top of the defensive tackles and the two "defensive ends."  The three linebackers will more than not blitz the opposite gap that the defensive lineman in front of them slanted to.  With eight defenders attacking gaps, this defense comes at the offense instead of reacting to what the offense is doing.  Because of the pressure, the secondary has to play man coverage most of the time, but don't be surprised to see the end (backers) walk out and man up against the wide outs with the corners playing zone coverage over the top.  The strength of this defense is its versatility, any of the five linebackers can be dropped off in pass coverage allowing them to adjust to any formation the offense can throw at it.  It is a defense that frustrated the Raiders last season in our 28-20 loss to the Maroons last season.

Game #5 Mattoon

    Things are getting really interesting in the Big 12 conference.  There are no mediocre teams.  Everyone is either good or bad.  After four weeks, not a single team is 2-2.  MacArthur and Danville lead the conference at 4-0, the Raiders, NCHS and Champaign Central are in second at 3-1, but the other five teams in the conference are either winless or have won only once.  MacArthur, Danville, Central and NCHS still have to play each other.  We play four of the five teams in the lower half and MacArthur.  If we can take care of business, the rest of the conference will end up beating up on each other in an effort to keep up.  The next three weeks will be especially interesting for the General of MacArthur.  They face Central, Danville and Community over the next three weeks.  If they manage to run the table, it will set up a very interesting week nine match-up with us in Decatur.  In the mean time, we entertain the Green Wave of Mattoon at Fred Carlton Field Friday night.  Mattoon beat us last season for the first time in thirty years.  They played an outstanding game and rode that momentum to a second place finish in the Big 12 for the first time since the conference merger in 2002.  That memory will surely be fresh in the minds of Purple Raider players Friday night.  Last week was an important win.  It was nice to have the entire team back together, but it was, at times, sloppy.  It will take a while to get everything and everyone in sync.  The upside is that our best game is still ahead of us.  Be patient.

    There has been a major change in the land of the Green Wave.  No, I'm not talking about the fact that they no longer offer bar-b-que pork chops at the best concession stand in the Big 12, though that fact will not go unnoticed on the Gourmet Scout page.  Click HERE for details.  For the first time in eleven years, Mattoon has a new head coach.  Nat Zunkel, an IWU grad., has taken the reigns of the Green Wave after serving as an assistant coach at Elmhurst York for several years.  With the new coach comes a new, and radically different offensive philosophy.  It is not new to conference opponents, Danville, Central and MacArthur have been running it for the last couple years, but it is considerably different than the power offense of former coach Gerald Temples.  The base set is identical to that of Champaign Central, a shotgun, single back, trips formation.  Out of it they will run a variety of pass plays to the trips, isolation routes to a split end receiver and a dive with the single running back.  Unlike both Central and Danville, they also run a sprint option.  Where as last week  we were able to key on the back as the only runner coming out of the backfield, the quarterback and pitch option will force the defense to honor all it's keys instead of attacking with reckless abandon.  Outside of the trips, the Green Wave will also use double twins and twins split sets.  Out of the double twins, they like to run a middle screen with three options for the quarterback.  The split ends from each side of the formation will sprint to the center of the formation on the snap.  The running back, after faking pass protection will set up in the middle of the formation behind the line of scrimmage.  The quarterback can throw to the running back or either split end, who will then duck behind the offensive line will that has already released downfield.  In addition, they will run mirror routes to both sets of twins, allowing the quarterback to pick his side before the snap.  The twins split formation allows them to keep two running backs in the backfield, one to each side of the quarterback.  Out of this set they will run iso, a dive, and a lead option with one running back leading the way for the quarterback/tailback option behind him.

    Defensively, things haven't changed as much, but there are some subtle differences.  The Green Wave still line up in a 4-3 cover 2 alignment.  This will be the first time the Raiders have faced this defense this year.  Unlike previous years, they will bring constant pressure by walking up the strong side linebacker to the outside shoulder of the tight end.  The result is four defenders with in four yards of the ball to the strong side of the offensive formation with guard, tackle and tight end all covered.  So run to the weak side right.  Well they also shift the two remaining linebackers back to the weak side and can walk a safety up for further deterrence.  Overall it is a sound alignment that covers all gaps.

Game #6 Champaign Centennial

    We showed some promise last week with a first quarter outburst of 35 points and an almost flawless display of offense, defense and special teams play.  Lets take a minute to analyze the season at the half way point.  At 4-1 we are still tied for second place in the Big 12 conference.  We have avenged all three of our regular season losses and have beaten Normal Community for the first time in three years.  Based on records, you could argue that we have played the toughest teams in the conference save for one, Decatur MacArthur.  We finally have the entire team back together, and as the first quarter against Mattoon showed, playing better.  It is enticing to think that from this position we could sit back, let the other conference leaders knock each other off, and see who is still standing in week nine when we play MacArthur and Community plays Danville.  If we try to do that, week nine won't matter for us.  The week one loss to Danville looms large.  The conference champ (or co-champs) will not have two losses, and in the next two weeks we face teams that are much better than their current records and fighting for their playoff lives.  This journey begins with a return trip to Tommy Stewart Field to face the 2-3 Chargers of Champaign Centennial.

For Centennial roster, click HERE

    Coach Mike McDonnell and his staff have the second  longest tenure (to the Purple Raider staff) in the Big 12, and just like with us, very little has changed over the years.  Offensively, that means a power running game complimented by effective play action and drop back passing.  As always the running game features a big power running back.  Last year's version, 6' 230 pound Mykel Leshoure,  is currently featured in backfield for the Fightin' Illini, this year's is even bigger, 6'3" 230 pound Rayvonte Rice.  To get the ball to Rice, the Chargers will line up in pro, twins split and a one back set with twins to one side and a tight end and slot receiver to the other.  Base plays out of the two back sets are lead, iso, outside zone, counter and pitch.  Out of the one back they will run a draw and trap.  The offensive line is big and moves well, making the counter a big play threat.  Stack up against the run, however, and they will play action pass.  The biggest threat comes off the counter play, with at least three variations of routes that usually consist of the tight end dragging across the middle and the fullback (Rice) in the flat.  Rice is the second leading receiver on the team and load to bring down in the open field.  In addition to play action passing, the Chargers have a well developed drop back passing game that can be run from any of the three formations and consists of numerous routes that can be run in any combination between two and three receivers.  An additional weapon on any dropback pass is Rice slipping out of the backfield as a safety valve, running a curl route underneath the linebackers.  The Chargers lost to Community 48-20 back in week four, but the real story of the game was that after giving up big plays to go down 28-0 in the first quarter, they came storming back through the efforts of the passing game.  Quarterback Meiko Locksley threw for 186 yards, completing 15-32 passes.

    Defensively, nothing has changed, unfortunately, because this defense has given us fits over the years.  The Chargers line up in a 5-2 similar to the Purple Raiders, but they play a man coverage in the secondary, allowing them to bring added pressure up front.  As always the three interior defensive lineman are big and slant quickly to their assigned gaps.  The defensive ends (which may include Rice) are quick and physical at shutting down runs to the outside, and the secondary plays a tight physical man coverage.  It is a defense that can embarrass an offense that can't handle pressure.

Game #7 Normal West

    With three weeks remaining in the regular season, things are starting to take shape in the conference, but there are still several critical games yet to be played.  Decatur MacArthur knocked off Danville last week 35-7 to take sole possession of first place.  Danville fell back into a three-way tie for second place with the Raiders and Normal Community.  MacArthur travels to Community to play the Ironmen this week, and in two weeks will close out the season by hosting the Raiders in Decatur.  Community can have the biggest impact on the conference title with games remaining against the Generals, Central and Danville.  So Raider fans, we find ourselves in the precarious position of having to be Ironmen fans for two of the next three weeks.  If they can knock off MacArthur and Danville, and we manage to win out, it will leave the Raiders and Ironmen atop the standings at season's end.  We win the tie breaker due to the head to head victory over Community in week two.  Now, if Central could knock off Community next week, well... let's not get ahead of ourselves.  We still have a lot of work to do.  Things have improved over the past three weeks, but illness and injury have still kept us from firing on all cylinders for an entire game.  Proof of this can be found in the offensive struggles in last week's game at Centennial.  37-7 is a resounding victory, but most of our scores were set up by Charger miscues.  At times the defensive pressure stalemated us.  So, as I have implied several times, the best is still yet to come.  Be patient.

    Week seven brings very dangerous opponent to Fred Carlton Field.  At 2-4, the Wildcats of Normal West are already in a playoff mindset.  They must win every week to move on past week nine.  If they lose any of the next three games, they will not have the five wins required to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.  The Wildcats have struggled this season, but in three of their losses, they have entered the fourth quarter within a touchdown of their opponent (Central, MacArthur, Danville) only to see things get out of hand leading to a somewhat lopsided loss.  They have only been outscored by opponents by 17 points all season.  Also factor in that this is an intercity match-up that will be played in front of a large crowd and you have all the ingredients for an upset special.  If we hope to win conference, there is no room left for error.  We must treat the Wildcats like the dangerous team that they are.

    Offensively, there is only one name you need to know, Darius Bell.  While parts of the offense has struggled at times, Bell has been a constant.  Somehow, somewhere, from any set, the Wildcats will find a way to get him the ball, and for good reason, he loves to run people over.  He is arguably the most physical back in the conference.  Keep in mind, teams know he is going to get the ball the majority of the time, yet he has still managed to rush for over 600 yards in six games averaging nearly five yards a carry.  He will line up at tailback in the Wildcat's pro and twins formations, and will be the single back in double twins and trips formations.  At times, he will share duties in a split back formation to keep teams from keying on him exclusively.  Running plays include iso, lead, pitch, speed option, and Bell's best, inside zone.  The zone play lets Bell pick his whole somewhere between the tackles and is easier on the linemen in that they don't have to move the defender out of a specific hole, they just have to move him somewhere so Bell can read it.  Out of the split backs they have a triple threat on any given play.  Both backs will dive straight ahead looking for the ball.  The quarterback can pre-snap read the defensive to decide which of the two to give the ball to.  He also has the option of pulling the ball and keeping it himself around end.  This option has led to several big plays in the first six games.  Passing consists of bootleg play action off of the zone play and as series of three step and drop back routes with the receivers.  But the Wildcats want to run the ball first and foremost and that means a heavy dose of Bell.

    Defensively, the base is still a 4-3 cover 2 as it has been since Coach Darren Hess arrived, but they do seem to be adjusting alignments move than they have in the past.  One such adjustment is to drop the middle linebacker down as an extra lineman, covering up both guards and the center.  At times they will blitz a fourth body, a linebacker, into this same area.  The result is that they outnumber offensive line, and inevitably somebody gets through.  The linebackers find the ball and run very well.  The overload in the middle causes the offensive tackles to step down inside and prevents anyone from getting a pad on the outside linebackers, let them run free to the ball.  One additional detail to the scoring oddities I pointed out earlier, is that this defense has held three of the highest scoring offenses in the conference to a single score entering the fourth quarter.  It has then been the big play that has opened those games up.  If they can put it together for a full four quarters, this is a very dangerous defense.

Game #8 Decatur Eisenhower

    Play the game with heart and emotion.  Last week in his post game interview with WJBC, coach Schmelzer pointed out that the key to this team's future was their ability to play the game with heart and emotion.  To paraphrase, he said that when this team plays with heart and emotion, it elevates itself to a higher level, when it doesn't, things can get ugly.  So as we enter the final two weeks of the regular season with anticipation towards the playoffs, I guess the question must be asked; Which team is going to show up?  I'm not trying to take anything away from this teams accomplishments.  We started the season with adversity, pulled together and played a great game against Community, avenged all of our losses from last season, and at times (the first half against Mattoon for example), we have overwhelmed our opponents.  But is that it?  Are those the most compelling chapters in this book?  If the last chapter in the book is another second round loss in the playoffs, will it still be an attractive read?  I've said all along that this team has enough talent to determine it's own fate.  Combine that with key contributions from some of our inexperienced players entering the season, and it could be a fun November in Raiderville.  But we must practice and play with the desire to achieve greater things.  We must consistently practice and play with heart and emotion.  The time for patience is coming to an end.  The playoffs begin in two weeks.

    That's the big picture.  The immediate focus needs to be on a Decatur Eisenhower team and their A-11 offense that travels to Fred Carlton Field on Friday night.  The A-11 is the newest fad in high school football.  I read about it for the first time last spring, and the Panthers are the first team in the Big 12 to run it.  In simplistic terms, it is a modified punt formation with as many as eight players that could be pass eligible through a system of shifts and alignment changes.  It looks like a double twins formation with the quarterback in a shot gun, seven yards deep.  The seven yards is key in that, by rule, the defense cannon line up a noseguard directly over the center and initiate contact with him on the snap.  The lone running back will line up just to the left or right of the center and four to five yards deep.  From this position, a direct snap to the running back is always a possibility.  The "tackles" will have receiver eligible jersey numbers and line up on the line of scrimmage, six to eight feet outside of the guards.  Either of these "tackles" can become an eligible receiver by shifting the sets of twins recievers.  If the twin receivers to one side of the formation are both off the line and the other set is on the line, the tackle to the "off" side is eligible.  The wide splits between the guards and tackles also provide natural running lanes for the back and quarterback.  When it is all said and done, this offense forces officials to review the rules on shifting, motion and eligible receivers, and it forces defensive coordinators to make decisions.  For example, decide to play man coverage on receivers, and the shifting and motion could lead to confusion leaving someone wide open with a safety locks on to a player that is not even eligible to go out for a pass.  Put down linemen in the wide gap between the guards and tackles, and you could get out flanked off the end.  Don't put anyone in the gap, and a direct snap to the running back could rip you up the middle for twenty yards. 

    Defensively, its not much easier, because the Panthers don't seem to have a base defense.  They can line up in a 5-2, 5-3, 6-2, or 4-4.  Obviously, there is a starting point, but in week six against Normal Community, all four alignments were used.  In all likelihood, it will be the 5-3 front with outside linebackers to shut down our double option, and man coverage on the receivers.  This will allow them to rush as many as six players when they blitz the middle linebacker.  But then again, I could be wrong and we could see any of the other three base sets, and if they felt like it, they could change from play to play.  Communication and audibles at the line become key for the offense.

Game #9 Decatur MacArthur

    If you had asked any Big 12 "expert," at beginning of the season, which two teams would be playing for the conference championship in week nine, they would have either replied, "NCHS and who ever they are playing that week," or "none, the Ironmen would have wrapped it up weeks ago."  Well, here we are in week nine, and the Purple Raider are playing the Generals of Decatur MacArthur for the Big 12 conference championship.  But technically that is only 50% true.  If we beat the Generals, we will finish 8-1 on the season and will be named conference champions by virtue of our win over Community, who can also finish with an 8-1 record if they beat Central.  If the Generals win, they will need Community to lose to Central to claim the championship.  Community beat the Generals 48-21 two weeks ago, and therefore hold the tiebreaker in the event that both those teams finish 8-1.  Of the three teams still in the mix, we are the only ones that control our own destiny.  If we win, we win conference for the first time since sharing the title with Community in 2005 and can claim the outright title for the first time since 2003.  Also at stake is a higher seed in the southern bracket of the IHSA 6A playoffs, which could lead to a home game against Community or Danville in the second or third round if any of us are fortunate enough to get that far. 

    The Generals are the feel good story of the season in the Big 12.  They have the same coach, same players and same system as a year ago.  So how did they go from 2-7 last year to 7-1 so far this season?  By having the same coach, same players and same system as last year.  In his second season as head coach, former MacArthur player Derek Spates has the Generals on a roll.  For those of you that are Big 12 junkies, this should come as no surprise.  There has always been good individual players at MacArthur, but they have gone through several coaching changes and consequently, several changes in offensive and defensive philosophies over the years.  What was lacking was a team concept with all eleven players on the same page at the same time.  Under Coach Spates, that is no longer a problem.  The Generals are also blessed with a very talent group of varsity players that have enjoyed great success at the freshman and sophomore levels over the past three seasons.

    Like nearly everyone else in the Big 12 these days (thanks Illini), the Generals run the spread offense.  They just do it better than everyone else.  Primary sets include trips/split, double twins and twins split.  The quarterback is always in the shotgun with either one or two running backs to his side.  The offensive line is HUGE, with four players weighing 285 pounds or better.  Line them up side to side and a defensive player has to run a long way to get around them to the quarterback.  Like Danville, the quarterback is as big a threat to run the ball as his is to throw it.  Consequently, even though they are in the spread, they will run the ball as much or more as they throw it.  Basic plays out a one back set include dive, quarterback counter and double option.  Out of the two back they will run iso, counter, outside zone and a lead option.  They will also motion a slot into the backfield and run a jet sweep with a counter dive option to the running back.  Quarterback running plays include iso and sweep out of the one back set.  The passing game includes a variety of flood routes to the trips, an isolation post or vertical to the split end, and a series of play action routes off the dive and quarterback iso plays that put a strain on the linebackers to read fake and drop back quickly to their zone coverage.  In addition, the Generals like to run quick screens to the slot receivers out of double twins or trips, and once the secondary starts biting up on them, they will run a screen and go route by pump faking to the slot and hitting a split going vertical over the top.  The scary thing is that all six skill players could score on any given play and the formation spreads them out from sideline to sideline.

    Defensively, the Generals have actually returned to their roots.  If I had to guess, I'd say Coach Spates was a defensive specialist in his years at MacArthur.  They run the Split 4.  With four defensive linemen, four linebackers and three defensive backs, this alignment is about as versatile as you can get.  By simply moving outside linebackers in and out, back and forth, you can cover any set the offense throws at you.  This defense requires good athletes in the secondary to man up when needed, and big physical players at the tackle and middle linebacker positions.  The Generals have all the prerequisites and quick aggressive players at the outside linebacker positions as well.  It is a very intimidating defense.

6A Playoffs - Round #1 Mount Vernon

    I'm not declaring myself a psychic, but if you go back to the first entry on this Outlook page you'll note that I listed the fact that this team had never won anything (i.e. intercity, or conference championship) as one of it's main strengths.  My argument was that their lack of success would build a hunger and drive them to reach their full potential.  Well, these Purple Raiders have now achieved something.  They are the 2008 champions of the Big 12 conference.  With our 23-13 victory over the Generals of Decatur MacArthur we finished the regular season 8-1, tied with Normal Community on paper, but by virtue of our defeat of the Ironmen week two, we were given the conference bid to the 6A playoffs by the IHSA.  And with that bid we were seeded second in the 6A southern quadrant with a match-up against Mount Vernon in the first round.  But Raiders, is that enough?  Has this success satisfied your desire to prove yourself?  I remind you that the champion of this conference has played for a state title in five of the last six seasons and reached the semifinals ten of the last twelve seasons.  Many opportunities still await, and you alone control your destiny.

    For several seasons, the weekly previews on this website have come from only one source, me.  Well, this week I'd like to start things off a little differently by letting you hear from the other side first.  I have this linked to the home page as well, but if you click HERE, you can stream video of the Dan Mings Show from the Mt. Vernon Register-News.  Dan Mings is the head coach of the Mt. Vernon Rams, and in the October 28th edition of the show he previews the match-up with the Purple Raiders.  The clip will be to the middle right of the page.

    Although they may not be very familiar to Raider fans, the Mt. Vernon Rams have been on our "radar" before in the playoffs, coming within a game of playing us in both the 2002 and 2003 seasons.  They also have some recent experience with the Big 12 conference, defeating both Champaign Central and Normal West before bowing out to Normal Community in the 2005 playoffs.  A few older Raider fans may also remember that the Rams and Raiders have played each once before, a 54-12 Raider victory in the 1992 5A playoffs. 

    The Rams finished the 2008 season with a 5-4 record and in second place in the South Seven conference, but as Coach Mings points out in that interview, they are a much better team than their record indicates.  They lost their first game of the season after failing to convert two field goals in regulation, either one of which would have won the game, and having to go for the two point conversion in overtime (but failing to convert it) fearing they would miss the kick.  They lose in week seven to a state-ranked Cahokia team in the final 27 seconds.  Win either or both of those games, and things may have also turned out differently in their other two losses, 33-21 to O'Fallon week two and 14-3 to Geneseo just last weekend.  Five of the Rams nine opponents in the 2008 season qualified for the 5A playoffs, technically making their schedule tougher than that of the Raiders.  Slice and dice that information anyway you want.  The Rams are a good team with a chip on their shoulder, angry that things haven't really gone their way this season.  Overlook them, and as Coach Mings says, "we may come up and bite 'em."

    Offensively, it takes only two words to describe the Rams, power football.  They feature a full house backfield of three running backs that have between 550 and 700 yards on the season.  The base alignment is a double tight end, "inverted" wishbone set.  Two fullbacks will line up three yards deep over the guard and the tailback will line up five yard deep behind the quarterback.  Out of this, base plays include a power zone, power lead, power iso, pitch, dive and trap to either fullback, counter, and for lack of a better term, a student body play.  I add the word power to several of those plays because they feature two lead backs instead of one.  To spread the defense, they will occasionally split one or both of the ends out, but still run the same plays out of the backfield.  In addition, they will also run an unbalanced set with four linemen/tight ends to one side of the center in hopes of outflanking the defense to one side or the other.  Its a fairly simple philosophy, they are going to put more bodies at the point of attack than the defense and when the dust settles, they'll have gained 3-5 yards.  The scary thing is the number of times one of those basic plays have gone for fifty yards or more.  So its all run no pass, right?  Well, not quite.  Although the Rams only have around 500 yards passing on the season, they have unveiled the passing game in several timely situations, namely a 70 touchdown pass to tight end/split end Eric Fowler against Cahokia.  Back in 2007, Cahokia won a state track championship on the strength of their sprinters, yet Fowler outruns all of them after catching a 20 yard play action route in the flat.  Most of the passing is done out of a double twins set, but the Rams have also lined up in trips and will pass out of the power set as well.  Routes include hitch and vertical combinations, a flood route, slot screen out of trips, middle screen to any of the three running backs , an outside screen to the tailback, and zone boot out of the power set with the ever-dangerous Fowler running a drag through the defense from the back side.  Just to keep the defense honest, they will also motion a slot back into the backfield and run jet sweep, counter and iso.

    Defensively, the Rams run the most trendy defense in high school football, the controlled chaos known as the 3-5.  Three defensive linemen will cover the center and both tackles.  Aside from that, I can't tell you where the other eight defenders will be on any given play.  The rest of this is going to read like math nightmare experienced only by offensive linemen.  It they decide to play man coverage against a three receiver set they can blitz all five linebackers, giving them a total of eight defenders attacking the line of scrimmage.  Play a more conservative zone coverage and the secondary could be blanketed with eight defenders.  Need to keep contain?  Blitz the two outside linebackers, but keep the middle three back to flow to the ball.  Having problems in the middle?  Blitz two of the three middle backers off the slants of your defensive linemen to shut it down.  Last spring I sat through a conference session where a coach that runs the 3-5 claimed to have over 500 slant and blitz combinations in the system.  The only limit to this system seems to be the creative, or lack their of, of the defensive coordinator.  Now, I don't know that Mt. Vernon has taken it that far, I don't know that anyone should, but the Rams are very aggressive with it and they have held five of their opponents to two touchdowns or less.

6A Playoffs Round #2 - Normal Community

    Over the past several seasons, the IHSA has tweaked the football playoff system several times.  They have increased the number of classes from six to eight and by doing so, lowered the qualifying standard from six wins to five.  They created the concept of "football enrollment," changed it several times,  then dumped it when they added the private school multiplier.  They seeded and bracketed the playoff fields from one to 32, then went to geographic quadrants, then to geographic halves, and back to quadrants "if needed" to eliminate long travel distances.  There have been so many changes, that it's hard to figure out what the problem is that they are trying to fix.  In the end, they are just trying to "spread the wealth," but in the process they have ticked off, and confused several schools, coaches and fans.  Note to IHSA, in a tournament, unless you give out participation trophies, only one team is going end the season completely happy.  Well in football, there are eight tournaments, so I guess there will be eight happy teams, but you get the idea.  You are never going to please everyone, so pick a system and stick with it.  Let it grow on people and they will eventually come around.

    Of all the changes, the one that I really like is the quadrant system because it leads to games like the one that will be played at Fred Carlton Field this weekend.  In every other IHSA sanctioned sport, teams or individuals have to advance out of geographic regionals or sectionals to get to a state meet or tournament.  Why should football be any different?  Prove that you are the best in your PART of the state before you get a chance to prove that you are the best in the STATE.  "But so and so is good every year, and we always have to play them in the quadrant system, so we'll never get to go to state."  Then you don't deserve to go to state.  Get better, beat them, and then you'll get your chance.  Over the past decade, the rivalry between the Raiders and the Ironmen is a classic example of the positives of this type of system.  From 2000-2004, the Raiders beat the Ironmen six consecutive times, including one playoff victory in 2003.  From 2005-2007, the Ironmen beat the Raider four consecutive times, including one playoff victory in 2005.  In that same span of time, the two teams combined for two semifinal appearances and five state finals appearances, culminating with Community winning the championship in 2006.  The quadrant system was put in place in 2001, so in all but one of those seasons, the Raiders and Ironmen had a fairly good chance of squaring off in the playoffs.  It only happened twice, but the prospect was always there.  They couldn't advance without beating us, we couldn't advance without beating them.  The result: frustration, satisfaction, despair, cockiness, jealousy, arrogance.  They despised our success and we despised theirs, but we have driven each other to become two of the top teams in class 6A, just not in the same year.  It's the stuff that classic rivalries are built on.

    Well, the 2008 chapter of this drama is just a few days from kickoff, and could there be a better place for it than in Raiderville on Fred Carlton Field?  Ironmen fans will complain, and many have on Pantagraph blogs, that the game should be moved to a more fan friendly environment that could accommodate more people.   Don't worry, we've got you covered.  We have moved in several sections of four foot high portable bleachers, half a dozen port-a-johns, and the Raiderville concession stand has started serving pork chop sandwiches that will blow you away.  (See the Gourmet Scout page HERE.)  Besides, once 5,000 or so fans cram in and circle the field, there isn't a better place in the state of Illinois to play a game.  I'll take it over the sterile, cavernous environment of Memorial Stadium, where you feel like you are visiting your rich uncle's mansion, any day. 

    This will be the fifth time the two teams have matched-up in the IHSA playoffs.  The Raiders hold a 3-1 overall advantage with victories in '82, '87 and '03, but the Ironmen have the most recent victory, beating the Raiders 19-7 in 2005.  In many ways, this 2008 season parallels that of 2005, only in reverse.  Back then, the Ironmen beat the Raiders for the first time in several tries by a fieldgoal in overtime in the intercity game.  They entered the playoff game as underdogs, but with home field advantage, soundly beat the Raiders, and went on to an incredible string of success, including a 25 game conference winning streak.  This season, the Raiders snapped that winning streak with a narrow 8-6 victory at intercity, giving us home field advantage in this game.  But just like the Ironmen in 2005, we enter it as the underdog.  Why?  They are the team with the most recent success.  They are the team that has owned the Big 12 for the past three seasons, at all levels I might add.  THEY are the team with a state title.  They are the team that walks onto the field with a psychological seven point advantage in every game they play.  In short, they are what the Raiders USED to be, and the community expects them to win this game.  In reality, it due to the fact that many view the intercity game as a hiccup for the Ironmen, a rough game in a period of adjustment to a new head coach and a slightly different system.  As proof, many will point to the offensive explosion and defensive stinginess the Ironmen have displayed since week two.  In that span of eight games, the Ironmen have shutout four opponents, given up on two points to a fifth, and average 37 points per game themselves.  In particular, people will look at the regular season games against Danville and MacArthur to argue that the Ironmen improved more than the Raiders as the season progressed.  They beat Danville 37-14, we lost to them in week one.  They beat the Generals 48-21, while we had to come from behind to beat them 23-13 in week nine. 

    Back in week two, I argued there was little reason for the Ironmen to make many changes in their system as they entered the 2008 season because it had led to great success.  That sentiment has held throughout this season as well.  In many ways, the Ironmen are the same team they were back then, only better.  So rather than rehash what I said in week two, I will simply point out how they have gotten better.  Travis Mullen is as dangerous a runner as he was at the beginning of the season.  I don't know that he has gotten any better only because he was pretty darn good back then.  He is, hands down, the rushing and scoring leader of the Big 12, and if they kept stats on "big plays," he would be leading in that category as well with numerous runs of 50+ yards on the season.  They are running the same plays out of the same formations with him, but the addition of 6'4" 260 pound Zach Liming has made a definite improvement to the offensive line.  In the passing game, quarterback Zach Johnson's two favorite targets are still Tate Musselman and Chad Hinshaw, but the timing amongst the trio has improved and the playaction game is a much bigger threat.  Mullen draws a crowd, and by faking a handoff to him off of iso, lead or draw, they can get both linebackers and safeties to step up, leaving Musselman or Hinshaw wide open over the top.  Yet in several games, the Ironmen haven't need the big play because they start several possessions with a short field created by a turnover or Hinshaw punt return.  Chad has always been dangerous, think back to intercity 2007, but it seems like at least once every game, he intercepts a pass from his free safety position or returns a punt for 30+ yards.  He'd do the same on kickoffs, but opposing teams don't kickoff very often because they don't score.  The biggest change in the Ironmen defense has just been consistency in personnel.  As I said at the beginning of the year, they had several holes to fill from last season.  With four shutouts in the last eight games, they seem to have filled those holes just fine.  

6A Playoffs Quarterfinals - Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin

    I typically begin these previews by reflecting on the outcome of the previous week's game and then putting it in context with regards to the season as a whole.  Well, I don't really need to do that this week do I?  Saturday's 27-10 victory over the Ironmen was the biggest win for this program since the 2004 season.  I'll let that statement stand alone.  Any analysis on my part would be anti-climactic

    So with the wind in our sails, its now time to ride this wave and see where it takes us.  (Too many clichés?)  I began the season struggling to define this team and arguing that it would be a work in progress throughout.  That's exactly what it has been, but Saturday's performance was, hands down, the best of the season.  Everyone is now healthy, eligible, settled into their positions, and team chemistry is coming around.  In short, we are now taking big steps toward that potential that I have been begging your patience for all season.  So what is the potential of this team?  At this point, I guess we'll know once someone beats us, but we are peaking now, and it couldn't come at a better time.

    Raider fans, as we enter the quarterfinal game against Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin, I've got some good news, bad news, and good news for you.  58% of respondents to a poll on the SHG football website pick the Raiders to win the game, but the scientific Massey Rating service (????) picks the Cyclones to win 34-21.  One consolation is that the stadium should be packed since an Edgytim poll picked the Raider/Cyclone match-up as the best 6A game this weekend (I'm not kidding, check out the links.  Some people really have enough free time on their hands to do this stuff).  Its been a while since we've gotten this far.  I had forgotten how ridiculous some of the hype can get.  So what does it all mean?  Nothing.  In the end, most pundits will  favor the Cyclones over the Raiders.  They are two time 5A state champions (2005 and 2006) that made the jump to 6A last season.  Many feel it will only be a matter of time before they adjust and make annual runs at the state title again.  They are the downstate powerhouse that has also finished as state runner-up four additional times and absolutely owned the Central State Eight conference over the past decade.  And they are a catholic school.  Combine the terms catholic and powerhouse, and most odds makers will automatically label the Raiders as underdogs, and rightly so considering our recent history against such teams.  Its par for the course.  Nobody has really given this Raider team much of a chance all season.  We start the season behind the eight ball and everyone chalks up game two as a guaranteed loss.  We manage to win it and get back to full strength week four, but then go through a sluggish period and stall offensively against Normal West.  When  we "struggle" against MacArthur week nine, everyone, including the AP pollsters, assume that Community has now caught up to us, and considers it only a matter of time before exit the playoffs unceremoniously.  So we handily beat Community and the attitude still seems to be, "well you look good on paper, but...."  Forget the pundits, they  won't actually be playing the game on Saturday, so their opinions don't matter.

    This is not the first meeting between the two teams.  It actually the third (thanks author of the SHG website).  The Cyclones and Raiders first met in the 1977 4A playoffs with the Cyclones winning 34-14.  Then back in 1994, the Raiders and Cyclones played at Fred Carlton Field in a 4A quarterfinal match-up that resulted in a 21-7 SHG victory.  That game was the first match up between Ken Leonard, head coach of the Cyclones and Coach Schmelzer.  Fourteen years later, both coaches are still leading their respective schools.  Together these two have won 385 games in 40 years of combined head coaching experience.  Since the regular season only consists of nine games a year, these guys are either really old, or really good.  With a combined eight state title game appearances, one would lean towards the latter.  Although Coach Leonard has been around for a while, his offensive philosophy is far from old fashioned.  Raider fans, think Decatur MacArthur on Red Bull and you may begin to get a sense of what the Raiders are up against this week.  Like the Generals, the Danville Vikings, the Central Maroons, and now the Green Wave of Mattoon, the Cyclones base  is a shotgun, single back, trips/split set.  But unlike all those other teams, SHG has been doing this for several years and has perfected it.  In addition they will also line up in double twins, twins split with two backs, and a quads set (that's right, four receivers to one side).  No matter which set they line up in, the objective is always the same; to spread the defense and get the ball into the hands of their best athletes in the open field where the can take advantage of individual mismatches.  To accomplish this, they use a series of high percentage, quick passes that are low risk in terms of being intercepted and so fast that you can't sack the quarterback.  Think of them as long handoffs.  The most common of these is a lateral screen or swing pass to their leading receiver, John Lance.  Lance most commonly lines up as the widest receiver in the trips or quads set.  The two or three other receivers then become blockers against the outnumbered secondary.  Who needs offensive linemen?  If the secondary starts jumping the screen route, the other receivers will simply release up field on a seam route.  Roll too many defensive backs to the strong side and Lance will line up as the split end to the weak side, typically facing man coverage, and beat it with a quick slant or fade over the top.  Pull more defenders out of the box to stop the pass, and they will run a dive or counter out of the back field with leading rusher and scorer, Gary Wilson.  Wilson and quarterback Tim Dondanville run a system very similar to that of MacArthur and Danville in that the quarterback will read an unblocked defensive end to determine who gets the ball.  If the end commits to Wilson, Dondanville pulls it and runs around end.  If the end, penetrates upfield, Wilson gets it and runs underneath him.  An added threat is that Dondanville will also come out of the handoff with an option to throw the ball out to Lance who is back pedaling into a screen position.  Out of a two back set, they will run a triple option with Dondanville riding Wilson on a handoff, then having the option of running it or pitching out to the other back as he goes around end.  In the quads set and a trips/twins set with Wilson lined up at a slot receiver position, Dondanville will run the ball himself if the number of defenders in the box allow it.  There is no perfect way to defend this offense.  Make an adjustment and the offense has a counter to it.  It creates several one-on-one match-ups all over the field.  The best you can hope for is that the defense flows to the ball quickly and makes one-on-one tackles in the open field.

    Defensively, it doesn't get any easier.  The Cyclones seem to be bi-polar, by that I mean they seem to run two totally different defensive sets, and will switch back and forth on any given play.  In most games they start in  a 4-4 cover 3 set, but then whenever they feel like it, they will switch to the blitz happy 3-5 set that is running like wildfire through high school football in Illinois.  The two base alignments, on paper, don't seem to compliment each other, but the Cyclones seem to pull it off flawlessly.  In both alignments, the outside linebackers are the key.  They have to be able to man up in pass coverage, cover the flats in a zone coverage, blitz to bring pressure from the edge, and keep outside contain on any plays attempting to get to the corner.  Its not a coincidence that the Cyclone leading tackler happens to be outside linebacker, Dominic Walton who most commonly lines up to the strong side in either defense.  Several receivers from the offense side double as defensive backs guaranteeing an ample supply of good hands in the secondary.  Combine that with the fact that the Cyclones have routinely opened up big leads on teams, who then pass a lot in there attempt to come back, and you have the perfect scenario for lots of interceptions.  Lance is one of the leaders in the state in this category from his free safety spot, and has a 103 yard interception return for touchdown against Chatham Glenwood to his credit.

Post Season

    I don't typically do this, but I have had a few requests.  If you have been following this all season (and if you are reading this, you must have been), you know that my typical pattern is reflect back on the game just played, then look ahead to the next.  Well, lets just apply that to this season and next. 

    All-in-all, the 2008 football season was a  success story for the Purple Raiders.  As I chronicled in the first few entries to this outlook page, we entered the season three years removed from our last intercity and conference championships, three years removed from the last time we advanced past the second round of the playoffs, and having spent the last three years in the shadow of the Normal Community Ironmen.  Add to that the self imposed "eight ball" we put ourselves behind with four returning starters suspended for the first third of the season, and expectations were not high.  Sure we had talent, this senior class had started their high school careers going 9-0 as freshman while only giving up 24 points total in those 9 games.  But their roster was now half of what it had been that freshman year, and as juniors, they had experienced the program's first four loss season in over a decade.  I remember the first team meeting in August.  The coaching staff ticked off the goals that we have every season, win intercity, win conference, and go deep enough in the playoffs that we get to play the best 6A teams in the state to see how we measure up for a state championship.  At that time, to a certain extent, it felt like lip service to let the players know we hadn't given up on them, but yet we were hesitant to get our hopes up to high.  Well, they achieved every one of those goals and became a TEAM in the process.  The suspensions slowed our development, and in all likelihood, resulted in the Danville loss week one, but they also forced several of the underclassmen into action, giving them experience that would prove vital later in the season.  It also created a buzz about this team that our better days were always ahead of us.  There's no doubt that the turning point of the season came week two with our 8-6 victory over the Ironmen.  It's strange to think that a turning point can happen in week two, but the history supports it.  I'll even pin it on one play.  After his week one performance, most people thought that it would only be a matter of time before Travis Mullen rip off a big play in the intercity contest.  It happened late in the first quarter.  The Ironmen ran a quick pitch play to the right behind a trips formation.  Mullen got the corner and then cut back to the middle of the field for what looked like a sure 70+ yard touchdown run.  Well, he got caught after 45 yards by a sophomore cornerback, Torre Harrell, and a 240 pound defensive linemen, Dane Thornton.  The series ended soon after with an Ironmen punt.  The value of the play was that it changed the attitude of the game from "we're not sure about this," to "that's your best and we stopped it, we can do this."  It can be a blessing or a curse depending on which side of the outcome you are on, but, as always, week two sets the tone for the season.  That victory was the first of ten in a row.  They weren't all pretty, but wins none the less,  marking the first ten game winning streak for the Raiders since 2002.  And the tone was considerably different when the Ironmen and Raiders locked up again in the second round playoff game.  So were the Raiders satisfied with their wins over the Ironmen, causing a let-down in the quarterfinal game against SHG?  I don't think so.  The competition is supposed to get tougher as you advance in the playoffs, and SHG is a very good team.  Odds are they win the 6A championship this weekend.  I just wish that we had brought the same attitude into the quarterfinal game that we did the rematch against Community.  I can't help but think the 32-12 score would have been much closer.  Ending the season with a loss always leaves you dissatisfied, but this team performed up to it's ability.  As coaches, that's all we can ask for.

    So what happens next?  If fifteen years at BHS have taught me anything, it's that the time between Thanksgiving and the second week of August is a long time and lots of things can happen.  So I will never make predictions or projections at this point, but I will leave you with a few things to think about.  We will return seven starters on defense and one other player that started five games on the season.  Included in that group are five of the ten leading tacklers and two of the top three interception leaders from this year's team.  We return four starters on offense and a quarterback, fullback and tailback that were pressed into action several times on the season.  Included in that group are the third leading rusher, the second, third and fourth leading receivers, and the fourth leading scorer.  We return three first team all-conference selections.  Our sophomore team went undefeated, and played without a lineman and receiver/defensive back that were starting on varsity.  And if SHG does go on to win the 6A championship, I think a lot of returning players will look back on the quarterfinal game as an opportunity lost.  There is no better motivation over the off-season.

See you next season.