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North Huskies vs Mater Dei Wildcats- at Bundrant Stadium Sept 16, 2016

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Offense

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Game Recap

WILDCATS DOMINATE IN 38-20 HUSKY LOSS

The Mater Dei Wildcats owned both sides of the line of scrimmage en route to a 38-20 win over North.  The visitors successfully converted 9 of 13 third or fourth down opportunities as they scored points on six of their first seven possessions.  Simultaneously, they held the Huskies to just 3 successful conversions on 14 opportunities.

The Wildcats sustained drives with the strength of their offensive line and shut down North’s offense with their defensive front seven.  As a result, the Huskies never seriously contended in the game after the first quarter of play.

OPENING FIREWORKS

After Mater Dei drove 77 yards in nine plays—eight on the ground—for their opening score, North was hoping for good field position on the ensuing kickoff.  If there were to be fireworks, the Husky faithful knew to  whom to look for the spark to ignite them:  senior Shawn Coane.  Once again, the agile senior fulfilled expectations.

Catching the kickoff outside the right hash mark at the 16 yard line, Coane quickly made his way back to the center of the field .  A wedge formed ahead of him and a collection of blockers walled off the left side of the defense as he caught up to them.   The wall gave him a chance to check up and search for the correct path through the center of the coverage and he found it.

Coane jetted forward, veered right, and then, near midfield, cut to his left.  Senior Adra Armstead laid out the last defender with a block and Coane was off to the races.  A Wildcat managed to snag an ankle at the 15 yard line, but he regained his balance and made his way into the end zone and tied the game at 7 all.

ANEMIC OFFENSE

Mater Dei followed up with a long kickoff return of their own and then pounded their way into field goal range and took a 10-7 lead.  North’s offense returned to the field and for the remainder of the first half suffered from anemia.   The first bona fide possession resulted in a fumble at midfield that Mater Dei turned into a touchdown.  The next two possessions resulted in ‘three-and-out’ scenarios after which the Wildcats scored touchdowns.

THE DREADED WHEEL ROUTE

There is a form of pass route that depends upon a bit of deception and a misread on the part of the defense to succeed.  It’s called the “Wheel Route”.  A receiver lined up near the center of the field delays and runs parallel to the line of scrimmage before turning up field.  As he delays, outside-receivers run patterns that either take them toward the center of the field or deep down the sidelines.  If a defender ‘bites’ on these decoy receivers or loses track of the ‘wheel’ runner, it results in a wide open receiver all alone in a vulnerable spot for the defense.

Harrison beat North on such a play last week.

Mater Dei scored on back-to-back possessions utilizing the wheel route on consecutive touchdown passes in the second quarter.  As a result, the Huskies fell behind 24-7 and faced enormous odds against coming back from such a deficit.

North’s difficulties on offense were never more apparent than when Mater Dei recorded sacks for eleven yards worth of losses on the Huskies last possession of the first half.   Despite getting the ball back with just 1:21 to play, the Wildcats managed a score when the Husky secondary lost awareness of a receiver in the end zone on the half’s final play.  North went into halftime trailing 31-7.

SECOND HALF

Coane brought some life to the offense in the third quarter.  Faced with fourth down and one at midfield and trailing by 24 points, it was an easy decision to ‘go-for-it’.  The decision initially looked to be a bad one when the Wildcat defensive line surged off the ball and gave Coane nowhere to run.  The senior refused to be denied and slid down the line until he found a crease that allowed him to gain the first down with just an inch to spare.

Two plays later, he took the snap and faked a handoff to wingback Daniel Sellers.  The right side of North’s offensive line—the “Evan” Side—consisting of seniors Evan Stroud, Evan Fehd, and Evan Gallaty opened up a huge hole into the Mater Dei secondary.  Coane clutched the ball tight to his waist and turned on the after-burners.

Such room in which to run had been scarce all evening long and the senior captain knew how to make the most of this opportunity.  Dashing through the hole, he was into the secondary before Mater Dei could react and racing toward the end zone.  One last defender managed to get a hand on his waist at the 20 yard line, but Coane shook him off and finished the run without breaking stride.  Nom Gvozdic booted the extra point and North trailed 31-14 with nearly an entire half to play.

THE DEFENSE STEPS UP ITS GAME

Following the first half lapses, the defense brought something extra to the table to start the second half.  On Mater Dei’s first possession junior Andrew Hendrickson stopped a Wildcat runner with a ferocious hit.  Senior Cortland Darrett knocked down a pass on second down.  Coane was inserted into the defensive secondary to ‘shore up’ the pass defense and the move paid dividends immediately.  On third down, he ‘sniffed out’ a screen play and tackled the receiver for a four yard loss.  When Mater Dei’s ensuing punt gave North the ball at midfield, it appeared that the game might be in doubt again.

HIGH TIDE YIELDS NOTHING

Coane picked up nine yards on first down and Sellers ran for six more on second down.  Suddenly, with the ball at the 35, a first down, and still seven minutes to play in the third quarter, the tide seemed to be turning in the Huskies’ favor.  An improbable comeback just might be within North’s grasp.

The Wildcat defense stiffened, four plays failed to gain a single yard, and suddenly it was low tide for the Green and White.

Mater Dei picked up their final score on the next possession to go up 38-14.  North added a late score when Coane worked his magic and returned a punt 37 yards to the Wildcat 30.  Working with a short field, Daniel Sellers went the final three yards for a touchdown.

STREET SETS ALL-TIME TACKLES RECORD

Lost in North’s ninth consecutive loss to the Wildcats was senior captain Cage Street’s breaking of the All-Time Solo Unassisted Tackles record.  Ryan Wargel set the record with 185 just two seasons ago and Street played alongside him as a sophomore.  With Cage now over 190 with a minimum of five games to play, he could set a record that will stand the test of time.  The single season record of 94 may even be within his reach.

LESSONS LEARNED

The Huskies get one more game against competition that, on paper, is comparatively weaker than the final three games on their regular schedule.  North's three most recent opponents have AVERAGED 230 yards through the air.  An emphasis on coordinating defensive schemes and coverages would appear to be paramount if North is to remain competitive with its conference rivals.

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