Tigers, Sundevils Highlight Beach Battles
Tigers-Sundevils Showdown Set. Maury Miracle Sets up Re-Match vs Phoebus.
Division 6:
In week four of this season, the Salem Sundevils hosted Ocean Lakes in a early season showdown in the Beach District. The game turned out to be the same as every other 'Game of the Year' involving Salem; the Sundevils rolled 35-7 and the Dolphins never recovered. What people do remember from that game was the cameo made by the Oscar Smith Tigers who showed up in uniform to check out their Virginia Beach counterparts. Salem would return the favor a few weeks later, and the teams that have been on a collision course all season are finally set to play. Both teams rolled in the first round; Oscar Smith 34-0 over Western Branch, and Salem 56-12 over Tallwood. Oscar Smith came out on top in the playoffs last season, but the Sundevils come into this game as the favorites to avenge their season-ending defeat.
Playing Salem means contending with Kevin Whaley. Whaley led the Sundevils to an easy win with 354 all-purpose yards against Tallwood, and the Tigers figure to have their hands full containing the best player in the region. Oscar Smith will be going to the air with three outstanding junior wideouts and freshman phenom Philip Simms under center. Simms did not do much in the first round game as the Tigers had 3 rushers combine for over 300 yards in a blowout, but he will need to make plays if Oscar Smith intends to keep pace with the mighty Sundevil offense.
Keys to the game:
How will Salem handle a tight game?-The Sundevils haven't been in a close game all season, and while Tallwood, Landstown, and Kellam had fine seasons, after Salem, the Beach district's top teams are not as strong as Oscar Smith, Western Branch, Deep Creek, and Hickory. It remains to be seen how the Sundevils will respond to adversity, or what the offense will look like if they get behind early.
Can Oscar Smith continue to light up the scoreboard against Salem?-With all the success of the offense, the Sundevil defense has been underrated. One of the best in the region, featuring three All-Gameday players, this group will be the toughest test for the high flying Tigers attack. Oscar Smith was the #3 scoring offense in the Eastern Region ( 35.3 points per game), and Salem's defense was #1 (5.6 points per game). Something has to give.
Can Philip Simms handle the pressure?
After rolling Deep Creek 35-0 in his first real test as a starter in week 8, the answer was yes. After a struggle against Kings Fork the following week it was maybe. Then the loss to Hickory and the Oscar Smith bandwagon was losing steam in a hurry. Simms looked great the following week in a must-win game against the upstart Braves but the jury was still out on how he would handle the pressure of the playoffs. Simms didn't need to do much in the first round after big running plays gave the Tigers a 21-0 lead. He finished the game 4 of 13 for 49 yards and a touchdown. He did lead the team to a touchdown at the end of the first half, but also threw a pretty ugly interception. If Oscar Smith moves on in the playoffs it will be because of his play. He must get the ball down field to his receivers so they can make plays.
Division 5:
For two team from different conferences, the Maury Commodores and the Phoebus Phantoms sure have seen a lot of each other. The Phantoms came out on top in last year's playoff classic, a 49-48 double-overtime affair that turned on a missed extra point by the Commodores. The two teams started off this season against each other, with Phoebus again coming out on top 25-13. Dennis Mathis led the rushing attack with over 200 yards, as the Phantoms pounded the ball 53 times for 272 yards. Maury just gained 10 yards on 15 carries as a team in that game, but the offense is clicking at the right time. They piled up 194 yards on the ground and 281 yards passing in their thrilling upset of Hampton, capped off by a 42 yard touchdown catch by Dyrri McCain with less than 3 seconds left in the game. McCain also hauled in a 93 yard touchdown when he beat Hampton phenom Tyrod Taylor who had man coverage on the Maury wide-out. The big-play star was one of the bright spots in the season opening loss to Phoebus as he caught a 67 yard touchdown in that one.
Keys to the game:
Can Maury slow down the Phoebus ground attack? If they can, they a will be in great shape. If not....
Can Maury keep getting huge plays from McCain? He has been doing it all year, but how many times can #5 bail out the Commodore offense?
