Well, 2007 is finally here and with the rainy weather, I've taken the liberty of starting this year's blog. Of course, I'm just assuming we'll be the Blue Team, but if it changes, we'll change the blog name. Enjoy!
B Team Blue finished a successful 2006 season with a 26-0 road win against Kent. This game featured another 100+ yard, 3 touchdown effort by Kane Wolfe, great running and another touchdown by Michael Beane, an outstanding game from quarterback Andrew Shannon, swarming defensive play, and dominating offensive line play!
Kent won the toss and received the opening kickoff but after some stellar defense the B Team Blue offense took to the field after only four short plays by Kent. Three plays and a first down later, Kane Wolfe scored his first touchdown from about 40 yards out:
The Devils were unable to convert the extra point on this one. On the ensuing kickoff, Evan Stricker turned on the speed to almost recover the ball:
This ended the first quarter with Tallmadge leading by a 6-0 score.
At the start of the second quarter, Tyler Cupps recovers the Kent fumble to give B Team Blue another offensive series:
B Team Blue marches quickly moves down field as Andrew Shannon completes a great pass to Andrew Francesconi:
Michael Beane breaks off two nice runs, setting up a twenty yard end around run by Kane Wolfe for six more points:
This time, Andrew Shannon powers in the extra point, putting the Devils ahead by a score of 13-0:
As Kent receives the ball again, they encounter stiff opposition from the Tallmadge defenders. This includes a nice tackle for a loss by Andrew Francesconi:
as well as pressure up the middle by Evan Stricker:
Kent manages to get its first first down of the afternoon, but soon on fourth down and long the Tallmadge defense stuffs the drive and the offense once again finds itself with a new opportunity to score. Again, Andrew Shannon delivers a perfect pass to Andrew Francesconi for a big gain:
and Dallas Hukill steals what appears to be a Kent intereception of a Tallmadge pass:
This sets up Michael Beane's touchdown run. This time from around the Kent 45 yard line:
Andrew Shannon again converts the extra point:
and B Team Blue takes a commanding 20-0 lead as the clock runs out on a Kent drive to end the first half.
B Team Blue players use halftime wisely as they boogie down:
and the coaches take a more serious approach as they gather the troops before the start of the third quarter:
Only two minutes had ticked off the start of the second half as the Devils had to go into "mercy mode" thanks to Kane Wolfe's third touchdown of the day from around the 50 yard line:
The extra point conversion was unsuccessful, but by this time, B Team Blue was sitting comfortably with a 26-0 lead. Because of the mercy rule, Tallmadge had to play defense the rest of the way, as Kent was unable to close the 24 point spread.
The Kent offense was met with both great individual coverage, like this great play by Colton Tomaiko:
and a swarming defensive unit that refused to give up yardage:
The sun set as the game clock expired and the 2006 season came to an end. B Team Blue ends the season with a 6-2 record. Some impressive statistics: All of B Team Blue's wins were shutouts; B Team Blue scored 134 points this season and gave up only 36 points to opposing teams, both in losses to Field and Cuyahoga Falls.
Our thanks to the coaches: Tony Shannon, Greg Stricker, Ted Carey, Michael Beane, Mike Stricker and our awesome commissioner/coach Dujuan McClendon. They truly turned from dads who wanted to coach their kids to real teachers of the game of football. B Team Blue turned out to be a talented and hard-nosed, tough football team and special thanks goes out to all the players, who made the 2006 season a fun and memorable one.
I hear from Sam and others that there will probably be two A teams next year. I know that our coaches as well as the Gold Team coaches will probably want to keep their players together, so get ready for 2007, A Team Blue is on its way!!!
B Team Blue did not disappoint the home crowd as they end their home portion of the 2006 season with a 19-0 shutout of the visiting Rams. This game was punctuated by some great defensive play but also a dominating offense which controlled the ball most of the game.
Tallmadge was first with the ball and it took only five plays before Kane Wolfe scored his first touchdown of the day. This on a first and ten play on the Ravenna 38 yard line:
An unsuccesful extra point attempt gave the Devils a 6-0 lead.
On the next series, the Rams were able to penetrate into Tallmadge territory. However, on third down and five to go from the Devils' 41 yard line, Dallas Hukill stepped up and dropped the Ravenna ball carrier for a three yard loss:
On the very next play, the swarming Blue Devils' defense pushed the Rams back another five yards, and gave the ball back to the offensive unit:
Unfortunately, the Tallmadge offense went four and out on this series as the first quarter came to an end with the Devils leading by a 6-0 score.
On their next possession, Ravenna was able to mount an impressive drive downfield. During this drive, a number of B Team Blue defensive players made some outstanding plays. The first was a great tackle at the Tallmadge 41 by Kane Wolfe:
and another tackle by Colten Tomaiko at the Tallmadge 39 yard line:
On third down and eight from the Tallmadge 37, the Ravenna running back slipped away for a run downfield. Eighteen yards later, he was met by Kane, who made a touchdown saving tackle at the 19 yard line:
This seemed to rattle the Rams' offense and they again began to sputter as they were first hit at the 17 by Harrison Crawford and Matt Gray on a second and eight play:
and then with 2:31 left to go in the first half on a fourth down and eight at the 17, Bobby Clark came up with a key tackle to end the Ravenna threat:
On the very next play, Kane Wolfe ran to the Tallmadge 33 yard line for a quick first down. This set up B Team Blue's second touchdown of the day. Again, the call was to Kane Wolfe off tackle, and he came up big with a 67 yard scoring run as he reached his 100-yard rushing mark of the day:
Nick Carey made sure conversion was good and B Team Blue now led by a score of 13-0.
Kane sent the ensuing kickoff over the heads of the Ravenna players and pinned the Rams back at their own 29 yard line. The Rams were able to complete a pass during the next series, but were also met with some big hits from B Team Blue defenders:
and on third down and ten yards to go from the Ravenna 31, the Rams met up with a swarming defense, closing the first half with a Tallmadge lead of 13-0.
To start the second half, Ravenna again began moving the ball into Tallmadge territory. However, on third and three from the Tallmadge 33 yard line, the defense forces the Rams to fumble and Andrew Francesconi beat his man to the ball, turning the ball over to B Team Blue!
The next offensive series saw the first penalty of the game at the 1:53 mark of the third quarter. This was an offsides call against the Devils as they went four and out on this series.
As the fourth quarter got underway, Colton Stricker had what most of the crowd felt was an interception of a Ravenna pass at the Ravenna 43 yard line:
Unfortunately, the refs saw it differently but the Rams were still unable to move the ball and B Team Blue's offense saw themselves with another chance to score beginning at the Ravenna 36 yard line. Three plays later, a facemask penalty against the Rams gave the Devils a first down and goal at the 9 yard line. The Rams' defense stiffened, but even with an offsides penalty against Tallmadge, Kane Wolfe capped off his three touchdown, 100+ game with a fourth and goal dash from the 9 yard line:
Once again, the extra point failed, but B Team Blue had all but sealed the victory at the 1:56 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Rams had not given up and decided to give it another shot. Unfortunately, B Team Blue's defense sniffed out the trick play and Jeffrey Natcher hit the halfback as he was about to throw, causing a fumble and recovering the ball!
A great defensive game by B Team Blue as they held the Rams scoreless and raised the team record to 5-2. The Devils' offensive line completely dominated the battle in the trenches, led by a growling, barking, intimidating Joey Marfy. Somewhere in Ravenna, Rams are having nightmares of #58 coming towards them! Sleep tight little Rams, sleep tight...
Next week, the 2006 season comes to a close as B Team Blue travels to Kent to take on the Rough Riders. Please arrive at the field by 4:50pm. Game time is 5:45pm.
The long road trip to Manchester was made worthwhile as B Team Blue bested the Panthers by a final score of 13-0.
This contest was definitely a huge defensive effort for Tallmadge, as the mighty Devils' D bent but did not break. The Panthers won the coin toss and elected to receive to begin the contest. After a failed drive the Tallmadge offense took over but also failed to generate even as much as a first down the entire first quarter and even the entire first half. Big plays from B Team Blue defenders in the first half, most notably, Tyler Cupps with a big sack in the second quarter for a six yard loss on third down:
and a big play on fourth down from both Dallas Hukill and Colton Stricker, who had a breakout game on this day:
After taking possession, B Team Blue quickly fumbled the ball away and Manchester mounted another drive beginning at the Tallmadge 46. More big plays from the Devils' defense during this drive including a nice hit by big Nick Carey:
and a great tackle by Jeffrey Natcher:
On this drive, the Panthers' RB slipped away from the line and rumbled downfield for 18 yards from the Tallmadge 33 yard line. However, Kane Wolfe made a big touchdown-saving tackle driving the runner out of bounds:
The Panthers were able to get as close as the 10 yard line but here the Devils' defense stiffened up as time ticked down. First a third down tackle by Jeff Natcher for a loss and on a fourth and 13 with 11 seconds left, Bobby Clark made a huge play for the Devils! Bobby had a MONSTER game for the defense, closing out the first half with 0-0 showing on the board!!
After a highly motivational halftime speech involving lunches getting eaten, girls on their team, etc., the B Team Blue offense finally woke up and mounted their first scoring drive of the game beginning at the Panthers 44. On a fourth and 11 from the 45 yard line, Kane Wolfe swings to the right and scrambles 15 yards for the Devils' first first down of the day!
On the following series, Kane sees daylight open up in the offensive line and scores B Team Blue's first touchdown of the day from 21 yards out. Tallmadge fails to convert but now leads 6-0.
Not much from the Panthers on their next possession as they go 4 and out, highlighted by an Andrew Francesconi stop on a faked punt attempt:
Now the Devils' offense takes over again and begins a long scoring and possession drive to end the third quarter with a 6-0 lead and into the fourth quarter as Colton Stricker returns from what he called "hibernation". On second and seven from the 35 yard line, Colton breaks loose to the left for a 15-yard run:
Unfortunately, he had a little help on this run and a holding call brings it back. Soon B Team Blue finds themselves on fourth and ten at the Panthers' 33 yard line and execute what could possibly be the key play of the game. Once again, the line opens up and Kane Wolfe hits the hole for a gain of 15 yards and a first down!
On the very next play, Colton Stricker swings left and strides into the end zone for B Team Blue's second touchdown!
Nick Carey powers up the middle to convert the TD, and the Devils take a 13-0 lead with 5:12 left on the clock.
The Panthers did not quit at this point and decided to go no huddle to begin a drive of their own. However, the Tallmadge defense once again rises to the occasion and on a fourth and five from the Manchester 48 yard line make a huge stop just short of the first down marker:
The Panthers were able to have one more shot during the closing minutes, but Colton Stricker caps off a great day with this final fumble recovery, pausing to "savor the moment".
Great team play all around on this one. Big plays by the defense highlighted by key tackles by Nick Carey and Bobby Clark. The offense was slow to get going, but once they did Colton Stricker was a big playmaker for B Team Blue!
Next week, our final home game at Overdale Field against the Ravenna Rams. One note, please be at the field for warmups at 5:45pm, not 6:00pm.
Catchy nicknames were about all the Springfield Spartans could come up with as happy days returned to Overdale Field with a huge 25-0 shutout by B Team Blue!
The Blue Devils lost the coin flip (which was about the only thing that went badly for them!) but the defense quickly handed possession back to the offensive unit as they began their first drive. It only took 3 plays before Kane Wolfe broke out for a 52 yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, B Team Blue was unable to convert and the score was 6-0.
A tough game as the host B Team Blue falls to the Black Tigers by a final score of 24-19. This one was a thriller that came down to the final seconds--actually, the final 1.7 seconds--but more about that later.
B Team Blue was caught off guard as the Black Tigers' quarterback threw a perfect strike to his tight end who had sneaked behind the secondary for a 55-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage. Both defenses held tough as the first quarter drew to a close with the Black Tigers ahead by a score of 6-0. As the second quarter got under way, Falls capped off a scoring drive on a run to the right from 25-yards out. The Devils' defense held the Black Tigers back on the conversion and kept the score close at 12-0. On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Michael Beane ran the ball 50 yards to the Tigers' 5-yard line.
Three plays later, Michael scored on a three yard sweep to the left to give the Devils' their first score, which they also converted.
The first half came to a close with the Black Tigers ahead 12-7.
To start the second half, Andrew Shannon commanded his troops downfield. This drive was capped off by a gutsy 31-yard touchdown run by Kane Wolfe.
Credit goes to the offensive line who held tough on their blocks throughout this drive and although B Team Blue was unable to convert the extra point, the lead shifted as the Devils lead by a score of 13-12.
Bad news for the Devils, however, as a crafty Black Tiger took the ensuing kickoff 53 yards to the Tallmadge 12-yard line. Two plays later, the Tigers were in the end zone again on a six-yard run to the left and another lead change of 18-13. As the fourth quarter got underway, B Team Blue engineered another drive downfield and Kane Wolfe struck again on a 33-yard reverse touchdown run.
Now the lead changes again as the good guys take a 19-18 lead. The Devils' offense gets a gift as B Team Blue recovers the kickoff, and a chance to close things out as the clock becomes a factor.
The Black Tigers' defense stiffens on the drive and Falls is able to mount another offensive drive. Another big run by a Black Tiger takes the ball to the Devils' 17-yard line. The Tallmadge defensive unit drives the Falls Black Tigers back, and on a big fourth down play, the Devils make a huge play to get the ball back in the hands of the offense as the clock nears the two minute mark.
B Team Blue is unable to get anything going and after four downs, the Black Tigers get one more chance. With 37 seconds showing on the clock, the Cuyahoga Falls QB connects on a 38- yard pass to paydirt and the Black Tigers take a 24-19 lead as time is running out.
With under 10 seconds to go, Kane runs right for 15 yards from the 50 and alertly goes out of bounds at the 35. Now B Team Blue has 1.7 seconds on the clock to pull off a final, miracle play. Similar call: the pitch out to Kane with Chris LaMancusa as the lead blocker. The horn blows as Kane passes the 30, he dodges past two Falls defenders at the 25, makes a spin move at the 20, but is unable to elude the Black Tigers' safeties at the 15! Final score Falls 24, Tallmadge 19.
A great job by all players, but notable mentions are Andrew Shannon, Andrew Francesconi (who almost intercepted a pass out of mid-air for TD), Michael Beane and finally Kane Wolfe, who rushed for over 100 yards in the losing effort. After the game, TYF Director Sam Williams told me this may have been one of the most exciting games he's ever seen at Overdale Field. I'm sure many will agree.
Next week, another thriller at home as B Team Blue hosts Springfield!
Catchy nicknames were about all the Springfield Spartans could come up with as happy days returned to Overdale Field with a huge 25-0 shutout by B Team Blue!
A tough game as the host B Team Blue falls to the Black Tigers by a final score of 24-19. This one was a thriller that came down to the final seconds--actually, the final 1.7 seconds--but more about that later.
