Buckeye Local 2012 Season in review

[Rookie]

The season is over.

What did we learn about this team and years to come? They are young, but so are a lot of teams that beat them by 3-4 tds. Not sure if they know they are playing tackle football. Prime example last night v. HC . . .all you need to do is watch the highlight – team is not physical and soft on both sides of the ball.

They were outscored 330-147 playing a schedule against a majority of the teams one or two divisions lower.

Four wins against teams with a combined record of 6-30.

Last win against a team with a winning record was about three years ago.

Crushed by a Div 4 team that finished the season at 1-9

Outscored the last three games 146-19

Defense F –
Offense F –
Coaching F –

Where do they go from here?

[JoeKane]

In all fairness to Buckeye, any time you spend an entire season relying on studs like Buckeye did last year, it'll be hard for that team to compete once those studs are gone. Buckeye has some leaders coming up, but they were too young to fill the shoes of the guys they lost this year. I'm not saying they'll come out and go 10-0 next season, I just think that a sub-par year was to be expected this year. I wouldn't be suprised to see them at 6-4 maybe even 7-3 next year.

[BudDe]

Got to get thier jr high football numbers up

[BL Panther Fan]

I think Buckeye did about as good as they could have done this year, based upon their competition(except for Utica).. Only real disappointment was the Utica lose (a 1-8 team)... I didn't expect more than 5 wins this year.
First the positive - The kids played with alot of heart. An undersized, inexperienced O-line got better as the year went on, but they continue to be not as strong Physically as the opponents. Watched them fire out, hit well, and get bent back many times. Need more overall strength to go along with their hearts... The Defense hit hard, but was once again, undersized.
The not-so positives - I thought there were alot of lost opportunities with the use of Stock (he should have touched the ball much more). This is not a knock on other Offensive players, just thought he had some real positive games, that were cut short by not giving him as many touches as he deserved. Lost opportunity to gain QB experience. QB play was not strong. Why not rotate some younger kids for experience. Play calling was horrible(I'll leave it at that! I can sight many examples). There is a definite problem with weight training at Buckeye. If we compare to the rest of the B8, we are headed in the wrong direction with dedication in the weight room.
Future - I am not as optimistic as JoeKane (above). I am not sure we will be over .500 for awhile. I believe there are some really good football players back next year (and several years)... However, Buckeye's biggest problem continues to be Depth & Strength... You cannot have a consistent winning team around 5-7 good players that are undersized, without depth behind those players. I look for good things from Pyciak, Dokes, Hopkins... I thought Figurski did a good job on the line, and will see more D also next year... Some good youngsters (Banal, etc) needed more playing time to develop.... But my concern continues to be lack of depth and Size. I don't expect better than 4-6 again next year.

Oh yeh.. Please find a way to run plays in, other than running a QB to the sidelines every play... 25-30 yds in & out each play... 50-60 offensive plays per game... that is between 3,000-3,500 yds per game (nearly 2 miles) that your QB runs during a game "for no reason".

[BudDe]

I think you nailed it BLpantherfan. Alot of games that I saw this yr the line was winded by the 3rd qt. Off season should be busy for BL boys.

[panther pride]

I watched every game this year. The best Buckeye was capable of was 5 - 5 with the current players used in the positions assigned to them. The coaching staff substituted very little early in the season, and then late in the games. Players can"t gain experience if they don"t get opportunities.

I heard people say that there was no one else to put in the game, but when you are behind by 30 what really matters? Put the reserve players in and let them gain some experience. Who knows, they may surprise you? They defeated John Marshall, Bellaire, and Union Local and lost to Ferry, St. C, Shadyside and I. C. (by a field goal, which the JV has made this year) throw in Freshmen/ JV wins over Edison and St. Johns I think they have a good nucleus. The only two games that were a route were St. C. and Ferry in which many of the players were injured or not playing.

Coaching is the key. They must spread things out and utilize their talent and minimize the size issue with younger players speed.
If Buckeye continues to play the "old school - three yards and a cloud of dust" with their size, there will not be many victories in the future. The coaches must adapt to their players, not the players adapting to the coaches.

[barefacts]

Seniors who stuck it out for four years deserve to play.

[Panther Crazy]

Seniors who stuck it out for four years deserve to play.

Not if the underclassmen is better and works harder

[BLpanther]

I used to think that way.. When I was a senior and had "stuck it out" for 4 years. We had better kids that were younger, maybe some of them should have been brought along differently, worked into the rotation, not just given a spot, but we had our chance and didn't succeed. Their chance was ahead of them, and after the coach did that our school had some of the better years in their history. They got the kids a chance to play and they succeed. They took their lumps as freshmen and sophomores, not as juniors and seniors.

Seniors who stuck it out for four years deserve to play.

[BLpanther]

Panther Fan, or as one of the posters on another thread said, my doppelganger, or am i yours??
Good comments. Utica was a big disappointment. Losing like we did (big scores) the last 4 games was disappointing too. Bellaire I thought was also winnable.
I don't disagree about Stock, but unfortunately we didn't get enough offensive touches period.. Rotation has been one of my pet peeves for a number of years, it's the only way to get younger kids experience, and if you can't "hide" a player one or two plays then your season is lost anyway. I think Marshall needed a couple of plays off just to get a breather once in a while.
The weight room or lack of is a problem that must be addressed. and I agree about the QB, he led the country in non carry yardage, rotate backs or linemen, or come up with a signal system, something..

[commoncenz]

I think you nailed it BLpantherfan. Alot of games that I saw this yr the line was winded by the 3rd qt. Off season should be busy for BL boys.

Encourage those linemen who aren't playing basketball to go out for wrestling. The pluses; improved balance, quicker feet, better agility. Oh, and greater toughness.
That said, this year's football team should have had Agnew getting more time at RB. And, I think it was BLpantherfan in another thread who noted that the defense (4-4) we run is .. soft. Truthfully, the 4-4 is a "read and react" type of defense. Great defense if you have the "horses" up front. Terrible defense if your "horses" are "ponies" and get blasted off the line or simply pushed back post-snap while they are trying to "read". A smaller defensive line should have been allowed to use their quickness and penetrate more often. This didn't happen. I remember watching them yell at Dokes because he penetrated first and chased the QB .. now, I understand sound assignment football ... every man has to do his job ... but, if your personnel don't fit the way you're trying to get the job done ... time to change the way you're trying to get the job done.

Also, if you have smaller offensive linemen, and you are trying to run, the straight up "hat on a hat" blocking scheme's don't work. With smaller offensive linemen, Buckeye should be running a variation of a "zone" blocking scheme. Makes it easier on the linemen to block and keeps them fresher throughout the game.

[BL Panther Fan]

Seniors who stuck it out for four years deserve to play.

Really? Please explain... This isn't little league, and everyone gets a trophy... Performers deserve to play, regardless of class....
Example; 2 years ago.. Were there senior QBs at Bellaire, Shadyside, Steub Central, Harrison, etc... Look at Badia, Kinemond, Collabella, Mitchell.. What about Kinnick at St C, Marcus at Edison... all examples of underclassmen that were put into position to Start, Learn, and Perform...I'm just using QB as an example, but it goes for all positions..

This is not specific to Buckeye... any successful program plays their best, and gives opportunity for players to develop...

I am not sure if your statement was for real or sarcasm...?

[Wooster87]

Also, if you have smaller offensive linemen, and you are trying to run, the straight up "hat on a hat" blocking scheme's don't work. With smaller offensive linemen, Buckeye should be running a variation of a "zone" blocking scheme. Makes it easier on the linemen to block and keeps them fresher throughout the game.

Zone blocking schemes ARE "hat on a hat" blocking schemes.

[commoncenz]

Technically all blocking schemes are "hat on hat" ... poor choice of words. Zone blocking schemes are not straight up hat on hat as far as block the man in front of you. In a zone blocking scheme, quickness and athletic ability are more important than just being big for offensive linemen. Technique is more important than mass because in this type of scheme, you will see more double teaming of defensive linemen at the point of attack. In a zone scheme movement on the defensive line is more important than opening a specific hole in the defense.
So, as I stated, with Buckeye having smaller linemen, they should go to a zone blocking scheme rather than just a straight up hat on hat, open a whole by blocking the guy in front of you scheme.

[BudDe]

I was unsure exactly what zone blocking was so I looked it up, here it is.
Football's Zone Blocking Rules
0Comments Print Jul 20, 2011 | By William Lynch .
Offensive play in football involved one-on-one confrontations, with burly offensive linemen overpowering their defensive counterparts to open running lanes. Yet teams without big, powerful offensive lines devised the zone blocking scheme to benefit smaller, more athletic linemen who can use speed and leverage to their advantage. When zone blocking, offensive linemen blocks gaps, or areas of the field between blockers, and not necessarily one specific defender. While individual schemes may vary, zone blocking relies on a few general rules.

Covered
In a zone blocking scheme, the offensive lineman's responsibilities change depending on whether he's covered or whether a defender is lined up directly in front of him. A covered lineman still must block his assigned defender, just like in a traditional blocking scheme. However, because it's a zone, the offensive lineman blocks the gap on the play side. In other words, if the play calls for the run to go right, the lineman will step into the gap and block the right side of the defender, creating a seal.


Uncovered
If the offensive lineman is uncovered, meaning that no defender is in front of him, his job in a zone scheme is to slide into the play-side gap, secure the area, offer double-team assistance to his play-side teammate and then quickly move into the second level to engage any free linebackers or defensive backs. Uncovered offensive linemen, and the decisions they make, are critical to zone blocking success.

Outside
Zone blocking may be either inside or outside. In outside zone blocking, the offensive linemen try to gain leverage on the outside of the defender, forging a seal for the runner along the sideline. If defenders recognize the outside movement and overplay in that direction, the offensive linemen use the defender's momentum against him, driving him all the way to the sideline and opening a cutback lane for the runner.

Inside
Inside zone blocking also attempts to use the defender's momentum to create a cutback lane, except the designed hole falls between the tackle and guard and not outside the tackle. The same basic rules govern inside zone blocking, with the linemen double-teaming according to whether or not they're covered. The main difference in inside zone blocking is that the running back reads the outside hip of the play-side guard, ideally cutting the ball between the guard and tackle.

Warning
Zone blocking features a lot of double-team blocks, with an uncovered lineman stepping in to help his play-side teammate. When moving across to block the already engaged defender, the double-teaming lineman must block the defender above the waist. Cutting an engaged defender below the waist or knee can be extremely dangerous for the defender, creating an increased risk of injury. Because of the seriousness of the infraction, officials will call a chop block and penalize the offensive team 15 yards

http://www.livestrong.com/article/497199-footballs-zone-blocking-rules/#ixzz2AzFtczEr