Game Preview - vs. Blanche Ely

As the calendar ticks from August to September, Football season is hitting full stride. As we move to week 2 of the regular season, teams are still trying to find out who they are, and what this season may have in store for them.

The Miramar Patriots will continue their season by hosting the Blanche Ely Tigers. The Patriots, 0-1, will try to rebound after a loss at Bradenton Manatee 41-6 on Sunday. Ely enters the game 1-0 after having defeated Stranahan 37-14 in their season opener.

That being said, let’s find out more about the teams, and look at the keys to victory in this game:

Blanche Ely Tigers (1-0, 0-0 District 14-7A)

A team with a strong sense of history and tradition on the gridiron, Blanche Ely comes to Branca Stadium looking to extend one streak, and end another. The Tigers, who enter undefeated at 1-0, are looking to re-create the magic of their 2010 season, which saw them start the year 6-0 on their way to a playoff berth. They also look to end their winless streak against Miramar, a drought that dates back to 2005.

Ely, who has their 3^rd coach in 5 seasons, will look to ride a stout defense, and ball-control offense, to victory. And, any discussion of their defense (or their team, for that matter) has to start with Cornerback Rashard Robinson.

A tall corner at 6’2”, Robinson looks to follow in the footsteps of former Tiger Patrick Johnson (now Peterson) by playing multiple roles at a high level. Robinson’s emulation of Peterson won’t stop when his days at Ely are over: He, like Peterson and Peterson’s brother Avery Johnson before him, will continue his playing days as another kind of Tiger: one who plays for LSU.

Outside of Robinson, the Tigers don’t have many big name players. But, don’t let that fool you into thinking this team isn’t talented. Ely has a long tradition of excellence on the field, and in developing top level college recruits. We might not know names now, but the talent is there up in Pompano Beach.

This is also a team that won’t quit just because they fall behind. Last week in the opener against Stranahan, Ely found themselves behind 14-0 and without any answers at halftime. 37 unanswered points later, and that slow start was a distant memory.

The offense for Ely has always been run-based, and that trend continues in 2012. The Tigers ran for over 150 yards in the second half against Stranahan, and will look to pound the ball against the Patriots. Most of their passing comes on short, controlled routes, with the occasional shot down the field. I think it’s going to be important for Ely to find some success passing, or risk having the Darkside defense load the box and blitz on every play.

On defense, Ely runs multiple sets to try and confuse teams. They usually stay with “base” or normal coverages out of their multiple fronts, but will mix in the occasional blitz. Playing 7A football is a big boy level, so this team has experience playing top competition. They always play with swagger, and have built a reputation as one of the hardest hitting teams in South Florida. I’m anxious to see what this version of the Tigers looks like in person.

Overall, this is a solid team, and they will present a tough challenge for a Miramar team looking to get on track, and earn their first win of the season.   

Miramar Patriots (0-1, 0-0 District 12-8A, District Champion)

The Miramar Patriots enter the first home game of the season coming off of a 41-6 loss to Bradenton Manatee, the defending 7A State Champions. I’m not going to rehash the details of the game, but if you’re interested in them, you can read 2,500 words I wrote about the game here: http://miramarsports.blogspot.com/2012/09/2012-game-1-recap-at-bradenton-manatee.html

On offense, the Patriots will  turn to the Lightning-Squared duo of Alex Lee and Cameron Rigby at running 

back. The pair repeatedly gashed the Manatee defense in the season opener, combining for over 200yards rushing. Although this has not been the typical style of offense Miramar has run over the past 7 years, I think the talent at running back is such that this type of production can be repeated on a weekly basis.

QB Nick Jeanty started hot against Manatee, completing his first 5 passes, and 7 of his first 8. During that stretch he showed good arm strength, nice touch, and solid decision making. After that, however, he was not as effective as he, or the coaches, would have hoped, ending the day with 3 interceptions. Backup Gernald Hawkins saw action as well, showing a live arm, and very good athleticism in the read-option running game.

On defense, the front 7 played well early, but mental breakdowns and physical mistakes overcame the unit as they were on the field for the vast majority of the second half. To emerge victorious against Ely, the front 7 will have to play with the same intensity and execution as they did in the first half of the Manatee game, and sustain that level of production for an entire game.

Leading the defense was Senior LB Jermaine Grace. His all-around effort (11 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 pass broken up) showcased all of his playmaking skills, and was a sure preview of what we can expect from him throughout this season.

In the secondary, the G-unit safties (Andre Godfrey and DKambui Greaves) will need to provide steady 

cover while the cornerbacks get used to starting at the varsity level. Darren Wilcox, Jeffery Hill, and Tyrek Cole all have plenty of physical ability, but lack the game experience of players like Tracy Howard and Terence Hill who preceded them.

The talent on this team remains at a high level. For Miramar to maintain the success that we have had since 2007, the focus and execution needs to match the physical talent of this team.

Why Ely might win: the offense is able to run the ball and complete short timing passes to control the clock, and keep the Patriot offense on the sidelines. There have also been blown coverages in each of the first 2 games (including the McArthur kick-off classic), but only 1 (of the 4) has resulted in a touchdown. If Ely can fool the Miramar Secondary, which has happened multiple times, and convert those plays into touchdowns, the Tigers would be in a good position to emerge victorious.

The defense is able to continually pressure the Miramar QB (whoever is playing), and disrupt the running 

game. Also, whoever wins the turnover battle will probably win the game, so Ely will have to take some chances in the secondary to go for a game changing play.

Why Miramar might win: The Running game is the focus of the offense, even at the expense of working on or using the passing game. While Miramar’s starters are lightning-squared, there are 6 legit running backs who can play in this offense and be productive. Being a top team means embracing what you do well, and punishing your opponent by doing that repeatedly. In the case of the Patriots, that comes down to 3 words: RUN. THE. BALL.

The Darkside defense does what it has done to Ely over the better part of the last decade: hold them to little or nothing on offense. With players like Jermaine Grace, Ryan Samuels, Sanka Harris, and Telvin Arnold, the talent is there to lockdown any opponent. If the Darkside wants to maintain its name, this would be a good game for them to show that they can take on anybody, and shut them down.

What to Watch for:

Ely

Can the Tigers hit a homerun pass against the Darkside?

Can Ely run enough to field a balanced offensive attack?

Will Rashard Robinson prove his LSU pedigree?

How will the new coaching staff prepare their team to end the losing streak against Miramar?

Miramar

Can Nick Jeanty have a solid performance end to end?

Will the lightning-squared backfield get loose?

Can the Darkside stop the Ely offense?

Who in the secondary steps up this week?

How will the team respond after losing the season opener?

Come out to watch this fantastic game. It’s sure to answer a LOT of questions, for both teams.

Until Next time,

Cameron J. Underwood
Miramar Sports