Friday, August 31, 2007

Game One: Parkland Senior Predators and Ross Shep Thunderbirds

Holy Cats! What a way to start the 2007 season!

First of all, congratulations to the Senior Predators. It seems that the hard work during a short pre-season and training camp had our guys well prepared for this opening game. To come out of the gates like that, against a team that gave us all kinds of problems last year, must have been very satisfying for the Predators coaches and players. I know the Parkland fans enjoyed every minute of our first game in the 2007 season!

It's not like the Thunderbirds didn't put up a struggle though. When the Old Blogger finally rolled in and took his seat in the stands, after fighting through the %#&@! rush hour traffic on the Yellowhead, it was the end of the first quarter and Shep had just scored to tie the game 7 - 7. In the second quarter the Predators were facing a fairly stiff breeze and it looked like it was going to have an effect on our passing game. A couple of Gleissner passes seemed to hang up in the air a bit. And all through that first half, yards on the ground against Shep's D were not easy to come by.

But the Predators defense played such a strong game. We didn't get a lot of QB sacks, but I'm pretty sure the Ross Shep quarterback never felt real comfortable in the pocket, or when he was rolling out to throw a pass. He's a great athlete, but on a lot of plays it looked like he was scrambling for his life. The Shep offense was able to complete some passes, but they gained very little on the ground, they had a few passes picked off by Predators' defenders, and they weren't able to find the end zone again in the first half. And even though the Predators offense struggled at times, they just have so many weapons. Dylan Niwa had a breakout game - caught a pass for what I am told was his first touchdown ever in high school football, and then scored another one after that. It's great to see Dylan playing healthy this year. And Garrett wasn't limited to one receiver in this game - at the risk of sounding repetitive, the Predators have a lot of weapons. A LOT of weapons. An AWFUL LOT of weapons. In the first half though, it wasn't just a talented offense and a stingy defense that gave Parkland the edge. I actually think the Predators can sometimes wear down opposing teams just by playing disciplined football. In that first half, Shep was constantly in bad field position because they kept taking penalties. The Predators managed to avoid costly penalties, and they capitalized on Shep mistakes.
Half time score: 21-7 Predators.

In the second half the Predators pretty much picked up where they had left off. Ryley Richardson capped a drive with a ridiculous touchdown catch, early in the third quarter. I mean - he stretched out and hauled in a ball that maybe he had no business catching.
28 - 7 Predators.
Shortly after Ryley's touchdown the Predators defense snuffed a fairly promising Shep drive, when the Thunderbirds tried a third-and-ten gamble at the Predators 20 yard line. The play went nowhere, and the Predators first offensive play after that was Jacobson, up the middle, on a trap. Jacobson, from our own twenty (which would make it 90 yards) for the touchdown, shaking off at least two Ross Shep tacklers along the way! Real nice job of blocking by our O Line.
35 - 7 Predators.

Mixed in amongst those plays were a bunch more for the highlight reel. Josh Solowan doing a pretty good pit-bull impression, with a shirt-tail tackle to prevent Shep's quarterback from gaining major yards on the ground. Neil Parker with a really nice interception, only to have the ball punched out by a Shep player. Parkland recovered that fumble though, so after all that, Shep still turned over the ball to our guys. Garrett very alertly recovered one of his own third down punts, after Shep thought they had the Predators stopped. That drive didn't result in any Predators points, but it helped to keep Shep pinned deep in their own end at a time when they desperately needed to score. The Thunderbirds did manage to add a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but that was it. Callan Feser made a great interception on a Shep pass with seconds left in the game, and it was over.

Final Score in Game One: Parkland 35 - Ross Shep 14.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Game On!

OK, it's not really "Game On" yet, but it's "Camp On". Predators camp starts today. Away camp for Senior Predators is next weekend. Minor football is already in full swing. CFL season has been wicked good - especially for us Rider fans. NFL regular season is about to start.

The Old Blogger LOVES this time of year!

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