D6SN: District Six A Playoff Primer

[Crimson's Ghost]

http://www.d6sportsnetwork.com/2013/11/ ... ff-primer/


Jim Hammett
D6SN Sports Editor
Follow me @JimHammett





The Favorite – Bellwood-Antis – The Blue Devils are the defending champions, and they have the tools to repeat. Bellwood enters the playoffs with two losses, but do not let the record fool you. Bellwood lost lost to arguably the top two AA teams, Tyrone and Richland. Bellwood employs a tremendous running game headed by Casey Gray and complimented by Tanner Snyder. Bellwood is always well coached, and they are the most established program in the field, they will never be an easy “out.” This team expects to be playing at Mansion Park in three weeks, and it is hard to imagine they will not be.



Top Challenger – Bishop Guilfoyle – There may not be a hotter team heading into the playoffs than Bishop Guilfoyle. The Marauders have the longest winning streak in the field, and they played the most difficult schedule among the top seeds. BG has a great team with multiple weapons on offense. Brandon Chadbourn is as good of a running quarterback you will find in district six. The junior really has this team clicking offensively, but perhaps the defense is the name of the game. They have a stingy unit led by Nick Little and Andrew Berger, who have combined for 21 sacks this season. BG is a tough team, and very well could be the best team in the bracket.



Sleeper – Bishop Carroll – The Huskies play a difficult schedule, and they will be ready for anything thrown at them against Bellwood in round one. Bishop Carroll has a nasty defense, and that is how they get things done. Tyler Janosik fronts a pretty good running attack, but Carroll is not a great scoring team overall. The defining question about their offense is relative to their strength of schedule. Can this offense be productive against other class A teams, or do they have a scoring problem? We will find out right away with a big game against Bellwood-Antis.



Most intriguing game – Bishop Carroll at Bellwood-Antis – Bellwood has had some classic bouts with Bishop McCort in recent years, but now they will get a new LHAC team to battle in the playoffs. Carroll is a physical team that can run the ball and knock you down on defense. Bellwood-Antis is a great team, but they are not invincible. Casey Gray did not play the majority of the week twn game at Richland with a reported ankle injury, so that could certainly level things even more.



Least intriguing game – Blairsville at Portage – The two teams met in Blairsville in week nine, and Portage won by 32 points. Two weeks later, the game will be in Portage, and the Mustangs typically do not lose a lot at home. Don’t do your betting against the top seed.



Back to our Heritage - The Heritage Conference enters the 2013 playoffs with three representatives in the bracket, and all three teams can potentially make some noise. Depite the road loss to Portage in week ten, Homer Center is a great football team. The Wildcats were dominant for nine weeks, and they have a powerful running game with Mike Newhouse and Ean Lee. Penns Manor gets a tough draw in round one, but they have a solid team, and will be playing in front of a great home field advantage in Clymer. Balirsville was the preseason favorite in the league, but did not meet the expectations. The Bobcats still have talent, and will try to pull the upset at Portage this weekend. The knock on Blairsville is simple, they are 6-0 against non playoff teams, and 0-4 against playoff teams.



Blessed with tough schedules – Excuse the poor pun, but Bishop Carroll and Bishop Guilfoyle will be battle tested heading into the playoffs. Both teams played a majority AA schedule, with a few AAA games sprinkled in there. The level of competition does indeed separate itself this time of the year, and the LHAC repuation usually holds true come playoff time.



The Running of the Horses – The Portage Mustangs have raced out to an 8-1 record, and it is behind a dynamic running game led by two very good backs. Caleb Kephart is a junior, and he has amassed 1,214 yards and 15 scores. His sophomore running mate, Luke Dividock, has put together a 757 yards season with 7 touchdowns. Overall, Portage rushes for 291 yards a game as a team, and the two young Mustangs are the key cogs to that.



Feet First – There are two quarterbacks that happen to lead their team in rushing, and that is certainly a key factor to both offenses. Brandon Chadbourn could very well be the most athletic player in the field, and he is the key to Bishop Guilfoyle’s success. The junior has rushed for 700 yards, but pair that with over 600 yards worth of return yardage, he is just a big play waiting to happen. Lucas Kowalski leads a Penns Manor offense that is designed to rely on the quarterback’s legs, and he has been running it as well as anyone could have hoped he would. With 19 touchdowns on the ground this season, Kowalski is definitely the Comets’ best threat on offense.



Slingers – At this level of football, you typically see a lot of running football, but still some quarterbacks can shine and make plays with their arms. Michael Bryja is a capable threat when Portage needs a big throw, and standing at 6-3, he has the arm strength to get the ball down field. Caleb Taylor from Juniata Valley is probably the best, and most experienced thrower in the playoffs. The senior has thrown for 1,595 in the regular season, by far the most of the 8 quarterbacks in the playoffs. Juniata Valley is a deep sleeper in this tournament, do not be shocked if they give Homer Center some serious problems.



Forecast -

(1) Portage over (8) Blairsville

(5) Bishop Guilfoyle over (4) Penns Manor

(3) Bellwood-Antis over (6) Bishop Carroll

(2) Homer Center over (7) Juniata Valley



(5) Bishop Guilfoyle over (1) Portage

(3) Bellwood-Antis over (2) Homer Center



(5) Bishop Guilfoyle over (3) Bellwood-Antis

[konjo78]

Agree 100% with your predictions crimson! Great write up

[Blueandwhitefan]

Agree 100% with your predictions crimson! Great write up

Just a question. I agree with the Guilfoyle over PM pic. But are they that good they can beat Portage?

Side note. PM may be out a lineman. Went to the doc tonight and will know tomorrow.

[konjo78]

This bishop Guilfoyle team is the best LHAC team in d6A since mccort went to the finals i believe. They are balance and were forgotten by most after 0-2 start. But guess what they won 8 straight games and wont be forgotten anymore.

[Blueandwhitefan]

This bishop Guilfoyle team is the best LHAC team in d6A since mccort went to the finals i believe. They are balance and were forgotten by most after 0-2 start. But guess what they won 8 straight games and wont be forgotten anymore.

Ok I really don't know much about them. But After they beat PM I will be sitting on the Portage Side.

[konjo78]

And I'll be cheering for the marauders. My cousin Eric is on the team #79 and this team of kids have been together since little gridders for this BG team.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Just a question. I agree with the Guilfoyle over PM pic. But are they that good they can beat Portage?

Absolutely, BG is legit, and remember...The LHAC prepares you the most for the playoffs of the 5 local conferences. It is the deepest and most competitive year in and year out.

[QuoteTheRaven]

I really want to see a BA-BG playoff game, especially in the championship. I think that would be an awesome matchup given all the rivalry history between the two, and with potentially a district championship on the line would make the spoils to the victor even sweeter. Both teams in my opinion are the best 2 teams in D6A, have been on a roll lately and have hung with top notch competition. I think Portage will make some noise in the playoffs this year and could make it to the finals. They are very well coached and in my opinion run the best offense in high school football, the Wing-T. My sleeper and another Wing-T team that can explode offensively in the blink of an eye is Juniata Valley. I know a lot of people are writing them off, but I have watched this team play twice this season and they have the potential to strike quick and strike often especially in the passing game. I do not think they have the team to win districts but I do think they will upset #2 Homer Center in round 1 and would give Portage, PM, BG, and BA all they could handle. The Hornets ran out of time against Bellwood-Antis in the regular season but was mounting a heck of a comeback in the 2nd half of that game. If they hadn't started off as slow they might have beaten the Blue Devils.

My Predictions:

#1 Portage over #8 Blairsville
#7 Juniata Valley over #2 Homer Center
#3 Bellwood-Antis over #6 Bishop Carroll
#5 Bishop Guilfoyle over #4 Penns Manor

#5 Bishop Guilfoyle over #1 Portage
#3 Bellwood-Antis over #7 Juniata Valley

#3 Bellwood-Antis over #5 Bishop Guilfoyle

[StraightOuttaPortage]

How do the seedings actually work? Portage plays the winner of BG/PM regardless of upsets in the other games? I would think we would play the lowest seed remaining but not sure.

[QuoteTheRaven]

That's what I thought. I thought the highest seed plays the lowest seed. I did my predictions according to how Crimson's Ghost/D6 Network has the seeding matchups set-up. But I do not know