Taking a look at the Group I championship game from the unique perspective of a coach who played both finalists this season
EDITOR’S NOTE: Schalick football coach Mike Wilson is uniquely qualified to break down Friday’s Group I championship game between Cedar Grove and Glassboro. His Cougars played Cedar Grove in their first game of the year (Battle at the Beach) and Glassboro – twice actually – in their final game (South Jersey Group I final). They are the only team in the state to play both finalists in any of the five public school title games.
By Mike Wilson
Special to Riverview Sports News
OVERVIEW
Cedar Grove (13-0) has scored 557 points this year (42.8 ppg). Quarterback Stephen Paradiso has thrown for 3,501 passing yards and 42 touchdowns against only seven interceptions. The Panthers have rushed for 1,216 yards as a team and scored 26 touchdowns on the ground. This is a high-powered, no huddle, Air Raid Offense that has been tough to stop this year.
The Cedar Grove defense has been good this year as well only giving up 13 points per game over 13 games.
Glassboro (12-0) has Division I talent all over the field led by the Sabb brothers, Xavier and Amari, and the addition of senior transfer running back Kenny Smith has been tremendous for the Bulldogs.
Amari Sabb has caught 56 passes for 1,049 yards and 12 touchdowns and Xavier Sabb has caught 43 for 774 yards and 11 touchdowns. Smith has rushed for 1,407 yards and 19 touchdowns in nine games (he had to sit the first three as a senior transfer). Their two quarterbacks, Kris Foster and Jack O’Connell both have thrown for more than 1,000 yards and have 30 combined touchdown passes.
Glassboro relies on a defense that only gives up five points per game.
AT FIRST GLANCE
Cedar Grove and Glassboro are two of the best football teams I have seen in a long time. It’s going to be a great match up.
Having played both of them, Cedar Grove doesn’t look impressive on film but they are impressive in person. The Panthers are a different level in person, well coached, know their system very well and execute on a high level.
Glassboro is just physically tough and have playmakers everywhere. It’s not easy to beat the Bulldogs because of their sheer physical nature of play. It reminds me of playing Bridgeton while I was in high school.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Can Cedar Grove protect their quarterback against the Front 5 of Glassboro?
Cedar Grove throws the ball an awful lot. I think we can all agree Glassboro has a very good front five; they’ve only given up like five points per game this year. They’re good, they’re star-studded, they’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical. But Cedar Grove is very good at pass protection. We threw a lot at them and they picked everything up.
That’s going to be the matchup going into the game. I can see Glassboro dominating, but I can also see Cedar Grove picking it up because I’ve seen it on both side.
Can Glassboro slow down an offense that they haven’t seen before?
Nobody runs what they’re going to see. Nobody they play this year runs anything close to that.
It’s a spread offense, but it’s Air Raid. They’re the fastest no-huddle team I’ve seen ever live for high school football. And the pass concepts they ran, nobody in Glassboro’s schedule runs any of that stuff.
It’s very unique. You can’t practice it. It’s hard to replace stuff that you don’t do. It all depends on how fast Glassboro can ease into the game. Kind of like the Eagles (Sunday) night where the defense took about two or three series to get used to what the Rams were doing and then they were fine the rest of the game. Can you ease into the game when it’s still close?
Can Cedar Grove protect against the big play capability of the Sabbs and Smith?
I think so. Of all the teams we played this year, Cedar Grove is very fundamentally sound. I would think they’ll make Glassboro work for it. I don’t think you’re going to see Cedar Grove line up wrong, be out of place.
Glassboro might just have better athletes than them, but Cedar Grove is not going to line up wrong, they’ll be in the right spots. It’s can their athletes match up direct with (Glassboro’s) athletes.
Who will win the special teams battle?
Cedar Grove has a very good placekicker (Sebastian Kovacs). That kid’s going to put the ball in the end zone every time. He can kick a field goal because he has a leg and a half. (Kovacs is 7-of-9 on field goals, long of 42; 70 of 72 on PATs). The quarterback does the punting and the flip side of it is Glassboro hasn’t punted the football in over a month. So, if I’m Cedar Grove I want those guys to punt. And if you look back to how Glassboro got beat last year, I think Mountain Lakes blocked a kick or two.
I think the third phase of the game, if it’s close, can decide the game.
Left cover photo: Schalick kicker Hunter Dragotta (12) tries to corral Cedar Grove receiver Jackson Morrice during their season opener. Right cover photo: Glassboro’s Jordan Gravener (75) wraps up Schalick’s Reggie Allen during the South Jersey Group I championship game. (Photos by Heather Papiano)
Riverview Sports News 