Sylvan Hills at PA

[PA Dad]

PA scores in 3 plays and leads 14-10.

[PA Dad]

I am impressed with Sylvan Hills, particularly with their defense. They are for real.

PA leads 14-10 at halftime.

[PA Dad]

SH scores on first possession of second half and leads 17-14.

[Grond]

Thanks.

[PA Dad]

PA blocks a punt and scores on first play.  PA leads 21-17.

[PA Dad]

PA leads 21–17 at the end of the third. Both defenses are playing great.

[PA Dad]

SH goes for it on 4th down on the 50.  PA sacks Washington.  PA scores and leads 28-17.

[PA Dad]

PA gets a pick six and leads 35–17.

[dip2172]

PA gets a pick six and leads 35–17.

A really incredible play by the PA player

[PA Dad]

SH receiver made an incredible catch with a PA defender all over him for a TD.  PA leads 35-23.

[walkingguy72396]

So, did PA fans actually start to get worried.  What was it like?

[PA Dad]

So, did PA fans actually start to get worried.  What was it like?

I was worried.  PA couldn't put SH away.  SH never quit.

SH is going to be a tough out for anyone, including the top teams, in the playoffs.

[Maynard G Krebs]

Thank goodness for defense.   SH is a very good team.  Hats off to them on their performance tonight. PA just didn't have its usual offensive play tonight.

[PA Dad]

Thank goodness for defense.   SH is a very good team.  Hats off to them on their performance tonight. PA just didn't have its usual offensive play tonight.

I think the SH defense had a lot to do with that.

[Maynard G Krebs]

I think the SH defense had a lot to do with that.

Oh yes.   Good and consistent rushing the QB.  They also have really good speed and contained Watkins better than anyone has this year. 

Once again a defensive pick was the game changer.  Game ball to Will Hart on the pick 6. 

[dip2172]

This was a fun game to watch.  Sylvan Hills really brought a lot of pressure and made the PA QB uncomfortable, especially in the first half.  The Bears had a lot of chances deep in PA territory, and the PA defense held more times than not, including right at the end of the game.
The Bears didn't get the win, but I think they laid out the basic blueprint for how to beat PA.  First, recover all of the onside kicks.  Second, send blitzers from different directions and make the quarterback feel some pressure.  He was not  super accurate when he felt pressure, but he made some nice plays when he had time.  Third, convert on most of the chances PA gives you in their territory.  The Bears could have won this game by double digits if they'd converted on all of the chances PA gave them in their territory, but the PA defense played incredibly well with their backs against the wall and is the reason why PA walked out with the win in my opinion. 

[PA Dad]

This was a fun game to watch.  Sylvan Hills really brought a lot of pressure and made the PA QB uncomfortable, especially in the first half.  The Bears had a lot of chances deep in PA territory, and the PA defense held more times than not, including right at the end of the game.
The Bears didn't get the win, but I think they laid out the basic blueprint for how to beat PA.  First, recover all of the onside kicks.  Second, send blitzers from different directions and make the quarterback feel some pressure.  He was not  super accurate when he felt pressure, but he made some nice plays when he had time.  Third, convert on most of the chances PA gives you in their territory.  The Bears could have won this game by double digits if they'd converted on all of the chances PA gave them in their territory, but the PA defense played incredibly well with their backs against the wall and is the reason why PA walked out with the win in my opinion.

I think that analysis is spot on.  I was impressed with the way the SH defense kept the PA o-line confused with the blitzes from different directions and from different positions.  Sometimes it was a linebacker and sometimes a DB.  The constant pressure on Hatcher resulted in interceptions, sacks, and incompletions.

I was also impressed with SH's speed on defense.  Watkins can usually turn the corner with his speed, but SH contained him tonight.

It was a fun game to watch.

[SHHSFAN]

Hate that we lost.  Hats off to PA.  Hope the young man injured is alright.   

[Yellowcake]

 Heard the game was intense. Hats off to SH. Who got hurt for PA?

[PA Dad]

I think it is safe to predict that SH will win out and be the second seed from Central. 

I think they have a good shot at the semis and an outside chance at the final.

[STBruin]

Safety...broken jaw....heard it was pretty bad.

[PA Dad]

After thinking about this game some more, I'm even more impressed with the SH defense.  The defense held PA's offense to 21 points.  PA'a defense scored on a pick 6 and the SH special teams gave up 7 on a blocked punt.  So the offense scored only 21.  I can't remember the last time PA's offense was held to 21 points.

And, the SH offense held Jaren Watkins to 59 yards.  It's been a while since any team has held Jaren under 100 yards.

We'll see if the effort by SH's defense was extraordinary because they were up for PA or whether they are really that good, but my take is that they are that good.

I would be very interested to see how they perform against a different offense like Wynne's.  Maybe we'll get a chance to find out.

[Overdahill]

After thinking about this game some more, I'm even more impressed with the SH defense.  The defense held PA's offense to 21 points.  PA'a defense scored on a pick 6 and the SH special teams gave up 7 on a blocked punt.  So the offense scored only 21.  I can't remember the last time PA's offense was held to 21 points.

And, the SH offense help Jaren Watkins to 59 yards.  It's been a while since any team has held Jaren under 100 yards.

We'll see if the effort by SH's defense was extraordinary because they were up for PA or whether they are really that good, but my take is that they are that good.

I would be very interested to see how they perform against a different offense like Wynne's.  Maybe we'll get a chance to find out.

PA only scored a total 23 in Salt Lake City earlier this year. i don't recall if any were from the D or special teams

[Complete Biased PoV]

After thinking about this game some more, I'm even more impressed with the SH defense.  The defense held PA's offense to 21 points.  PA'a defense scored on a pick 6 and the SH special teams gave up 7 on a blocked punt.  So the offense scored only 21.  I can't remember the last time PA's offense was held to 21 points.

And, the SH offense help Jaren Watkins to 59 yards.  It's been a while since any team has held Jaren under 100 yards.

We'll see if the effort by SH's defense was extraordinary because they were up for PA or whether they are really that good, but my take is that they are that good.

I would be very interested to see how they perform against a different offense like Wynne's.  Maybe we'll get a chance to find out.

Not correct, offense got the ball on the 3 and Jaren Watkins scored on a rush in 1 play.

[Red Devil Alum]

This is not a "classic" PA team. They are vulnerable. The 2011 team was the best team in the state no matter the classification. Last year, no 5A team could have beaten them. But this year, they can be beat.

[PA Dad]

Not correct, offense got the ball on the 3 and Jaren Watkins scored on a rush in 1 play.

You are correct.  PA's offense did score 28, but the touchdown after the botched punt was a gift.

I'm not slamming PA.  They did what good teams do - they did what they had to do to win.

[STBruin]

Any high school team can be beat...we are talking about 16,17, 18 year old kids...and hard to measure a teams vulnerability on 1 game...a win is a win...this one was just not as pretty as most PA wins...hope SH can keep their composure/focus and finish the rest of the season

[tmycjy]

So what happen not the high power offense that p.a. known for so is Sylvan Hills just that good or did they find a chink in p.a. high scoreing offense

[Maynard G Krebs]

So what happen not the high power offense that p.a. known for so is Sylvan Hills just that good or did they find a chink in p.a. high scoreing offense

Could say it was a little of both

[makessense]

You could really tell that SH had a plan and executed it very well.  First thing I noticed was they just didn't fall on the onside kicks, they attacked them when the kick allowed it.  So many teams are content with just getting the ball, teams that have been effective against it (West H., Wynne, Silo) look to take advantage.  2nd thing I saw was the SH DBs being very physical with the PA receivers.  They would not let them have a free release and run their routes as if they were playing 7 on 7.  PA's offense is almost unstoppable when it is clicking but cause a player or two to be "off" just a bit and coupled with occasion pressure on the QB and things start of look a little off.

The PA defense was just great from start to finish, that might be the real story of the game.

[PA Dad]

You could really tell that SH had a plan and executed it very well.  First thing I noticed was they just didn't fall on the onside kicks, they attacked them when the kick allowed it.  So many teams are content with just getting the ball, teams that have been effective against it (West H., Wynne, Silo) look to take advantage.  2nd thing I saw was the SH DBs being very physical with the PA receivers.  They would not let them have a free release and run their routes as if they were playing 7 on 7.  PA's offense is almost unstoppable when it is clicking but cause a player or two to be "off" just a bit and coupled with occasion pressure on the QB and things start of look a little off.

The PA defense was just great from start to finish, that might be the real story of the game.

Good analysis.

The defenses were the stars of the game.  Both defenses played hard and well.

The PA defense won this game.  That's not just my opinion - I heard Coach Kelley say the same in a post game interview.

I've said this before.  The PA offense gets the lion's share of the attention, but the defense deserves more attention than it gets.  Coach Wood and his staff do a great job.  The defense is always ready and performs well, particularly in light of the pressure put on them with the onside kicks and occasional failures to convert on 4th down deep in PA territory.  So, kudos to the defense.

[Rocket23]

All 11 positions on SH defense are fast.

The were able to cover receivers in middle of field with LBers.

They kept pressure on Hatcher all night, blitzing and rushing from multiple spots on the field.

Those were the three keys to keeping it close.

PAs defense has been undervalued all year long.  Don't forget PA was missing Luke Jones, he is a very solid player.

[STBruin]

Great high school football game!!!!! PA WRs were running open all night, but pressure on QB was problematic. Also think with it being televised, really disrupted PA's uptempo offense.