Week 4: Reviewing the Elite-8

Reviewing Week 4's Game of the Week

I don't think I was alone in thinking that this looked to be a closer game on paper. Churchill had been dominant on both sides of the ball coming into the game. Perhaps what elevated them to the top 8 was how they played against rival Whitman in week 2. They went from barely being on the rankings and jumping to the 4th spot quick. Seneca Valley on the other hand handled their business while the rest of the best seem to shoot themselves on the foot.

Churchill throws the first haymaker with Lansana Keita finding a wide open Aik Davis for 44 yards putting the Dogs across Seneca Valley territory. The relentless Eagles defense would end up with an interception on such a promising drive. This was a precursor of the story of the game.

After a scoreless first quarter (the clock was managed horribly by the way), Seneca Valley would score a hat trick worth of unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter. Three minutes into the second, Tanner Vallely connects with James Jones-Williams for a 16-yard scamper. Three minutes later, Jones-Williams breaks out a 50 yard run. Optimistic and down by just two possessions, the Bulldogs cough up the ball on offense which Eagles defensive end Nicoy Davis scoops up and rumbles it 58 yards to the endzone to give the home team a commanding 18-0 lead.

The Bulldogs finally get on the board with Curtis Kamara getting in from 16 yards out with two minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs' sideline is pumped with the deficit cut down to two manageable possessions but that excitement proved short-lived. Tanner Vallely throws a 32-yard pass to paydirt to Kevin Joppy. The Churchill sideline fell silent.

Churchill needed to fix the most basic of fundamentals that weren't being executed. Penalties, costly turnovers, wide open receivers being under thrown, and questionable calls plagued the Dogs throughout the night. Curtis Kamara was held to 49 yard rushing. He has averaged about 100 yards a game prior to Seneca week.

The Eagles played textbook football- holding their ground, limiting the penalties, and winning the turnover battle.

James Jones-Williams, a junior, is playing like a true veteran and has served to be the most potent weapon for the green and gold. On defense, Blake Dove, the hyped 13-year old freshman linebacker, is as good as advertised. He does not look nor play like your typical freshman of a public school. We can easily Mayweather the guy and demand him to take random Olympic-style drug testing because he's not making mistakes we're expecting him to make.

Churchill wide receiver Quan Gill should get the ball some more. He is too huge of a target to be missed.

Churchill is big on both sides of the trenches but they were out-hustled upfront. Keita was hurried, Kamara couldn't break free, and they even had trouble punching it in from inside the Seneca 3-yard line.

-by Michael Cornejo. Matthew Miller contributed with this report.

Photos:

by Jeffrey Vogt: TeamSportsPhotos.com

by Ashley Harper: via MoCoFootball facebook