White Hall hosting Van Buren

[Lionheart88]

It'll be the first time in a long time that a top-classification team has come to Bulldog Stadium.  Ever, as far as I know, but I'm sure there's a game back there somewhere I don't know about.  Oughta be an interesting game.  A good 5A team loaded with seniors against a team that is two classes higher, but a bottom feeder in their division.  I'll go ahead and say that I know nothing at all about VB beside what their FF page says.  Anybody know them better?  Anybody have enough of a handle on both teams to make a comparison?  Hooten's has us by 2, so I'll take my alma mater at home, but that's as much my pro-White Hall bias and total ignorance of VB talking as it is any kind of informed opinion.  It's just been so long since we played a team that size or from up that way that I really don't know what to predict here.  Anybody else got any thoughts, predictions, rude remarks, etc?

[WPWells]

I like White Hall by a touchdown in this one

[Tripod1]

Check my post in the 7A thread.  Should be a competitive game.  VB will play hard and will be well coached.  Not sure they have enough weapons to come down and get a win. 

[rona]

Heard VB has had 5 or 6 Move Ins - All legal - and all will start. VB gone from maybe 1 win to I believe a 6-4 Team this year, including a win at White Hall.

[Lionheart88]

I was trying to find a program and missed the first score; VB elected to receive and when I walked in at the 11:00 mark they were up 7-0 about to kick it back to WH.

[Lionheart88]

Kirk Baugh picked off at the 20, VB ball.

On 3rd & 9 VB throws a 56 yard TD pass, tries and fails the swinging gate on the XP.  13-0 VB at the 9:15 mark in the 1st.

[Lionheart88]

I don't know what the heck kind of weird formation WH just ran, the QB was out wide and a WR took the snap, but he (SR Devin Buckner) ran it in for the TD.  13-7 VB leads with 7:34 left in the 1st quarter.

WH senior K Joseph Failla with a touchdown-saving horsecollar tackle on the ensuing kickoff.  Nice to have a kicker who ran in the state 4x100m as a sophomore.

[Lionheart88]

VB gets close to the goal line but then stalls and misses a FG.  WH ball on their own 20.....and then rushes for 30 on the first play.  Near the midfield strip now.

[Lionheart88]

Bulldog drive eventually stalls but Failla puts one through the uprights from 34 yards.  13-10 VB leads with 2:13 remaining in the 1st.

[Lionheart88]

VB punches it in as the 1st expires, but fails the 2 PT play.  They lead 19-10 after a quarter.

[Lionheart88]

White Hall tried a fake punt that came up just shy, VB took the short field and ran it in, settled for 1 this time.  They lead 26-10 with 10:22 remaining in the 2nd.

[SECFOOTBALLFAN]

White Hall sucks. Where's Ghost??

[Lionheart88]

Bit of a comedy of errors the last few plays over here.  WH picks VB off in Pointer territory, turns it over on downs, then recovers a fumble (with late hit tacked on) even deeper in Pointer territory, but can only make 3 out of it.  VB leads 26-13 with 4:29 left in the half.


....oh, and now a block in the back on the ensuing kick backs VB up to their own 9.

[Lionheart88]

Pointers forced to punt but then the Bulldogs fumble it away.  Like I was saying, comedy of errors...

[Lionheart88]

White Hall sucks. Where's Ghost??

Not as bad as Chapel does, that's the most important thing.

[Lionheart88]

White Hall player down motionless on the turf for a while but he's up and headed to the sideline under his own power now.  On the same play, WH recovered another fumble, on their own 2 this time.  They've got 1:51 before the half to make something happen.

[Lionheart88]

After some early miscues, White Hall is really starting to find some holes in the VB defense.  Several double digit gains into the red zone on this drive.

[SECFOOTBALLFAN]

White Hall sucks. Where's Ghost??

Not as bad as Chapel does, that's the most important thing.

Fine fine. You're right lately


I really think you should find a new bar to compare to....

[Lionheart88]

"Better than Chapel" is the baseline for an acceptable season.  If they beat us it was a bad year, I don't care what else happened.  If we beat them, then we can start to consider it possibly a good year and talk about other goals like making the playoffs, advancing in the playoffs, etc.

[Lionheart88]

Again out of the "Wild Dog" (as they're calling it in the pressbox) Buckner runs the ball in, Failla's kick is good, Bulldogs trail 26-20 with 11:24 remaining in the ballgame.

[Lionheart88]

VB slips a receiver behind coverage and he goes 45 yards for the score.  Pointers lead 34-20 after finally making a 2 point conversion.  9:26 in the game.

[Lionheart88]

White Hall scored late to make it 34-27, but the onside kick rolled a little too far and VB ran the clock out.

[Lionheart88]

Well, I enjoyed the game overall.  You could really see the size and strength of VB, they jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but White Hall clawed their way back into it and, while they never quite tied it, they made a game of it.  Both teams had big momentum swings in their favor.  I felt like White Hall got out-played and out-physicaled, but Van Buren got out-coached.  White Hall really seemed to make better adjustments as the game went on, where VB was more reliant (from my biased POV anyway) on just muscling through.