WAYNE

[Bomber2000]

Watching Wayne/Murray game was the first time I got to see Wayne in person this year. I came away from the game impressed with the balance Wayne had on the offensive side of the ball. Qb throws a nice ball with the ability to run when necessary. There tailback, while not as big as Nerness from Murray or Plowman from AC, hit the hole harder then any other back I have seen all year with the ability to run away from people once in the open field. You better show up ready to tackle or he will put up 250-300 yds on you. They have decent size across the line. Defense was a little suspect at times, but Nerness and Rider from Murray will make most teams look suspect on defense from time to time. If Wayne plays like they did against Murray against HLV on Monday I believe the Falcons come away victorious. I personally would like to see a AC/Wayne matchup in Rd 3. I think it has the makings of tough high scoring very entertaining game for the fans. I realize HLV and Twin Cedars still have something to say about that. As for Murray, they have a decent team but it was a team I fully expected to get better as the year progressed and the younger kids (who had to step in to fill the spots left by a talented senior class from the year before) gained experienced. I don't know if they improved a lot from the beginning of the year to the end, at least as much as I thought they might. Its tough for a team to improve when 80 % of your games are blowout wins, but its like that for many 8-man teams. Good luck to all the remaining 16 teams. Stay healthy.

 

[tm3308]

They definitely have offensive balance, more than most of the teams I've seen this year. Lain has been hurt by some drops in each of the last two games, but he's got a couple dependable receivers, most notably Trent Carpenter. He's got terrific hands and very good speed, but his moves/acceleration in the open field are what really make him deadly; out of everyone I've seen this year, he best compares (ironically) to Adair-Casey's Emmitt Wheatley. Wheatley is faster (he had Rider are probably the two fastest players I've seen this fall), but I think Carpenter might have a slight edge when it comes to shiftiness and he plays a little more physical than Wheatley has in the three times I've seen him this year. Kiefer definitely isn't big, but he definitely isn't afraid of contact and will deliver a good pop; runs with a lot more power than you'd expect. And his speed is definitely an asset.

Defense is the main issue. I think the offense can score with just about anyone when they're clicking like they have been for the last month. But they've got to get critical stops in games against teams like HLV, Murray and A-C. They went soft and didn't get those stops in the second half of the Week 9 game against HLV, then they buckled down in the second half on Wednesday. Up front is where they're weakest on defense, at least when guys aren't focused on executing. The linebackers, with Kiefer, C.D. Kunzie and Blayde Baker, are pretty salty, although Baker can be beaten in pass coverage against athletic receivers (Strudthoff torched him two week ago on what would have been an easy touchdown, but Kriegel badly overthrew him). The secondary is pretty tough, especially Carpenter and Lain (who is tied for second in the state with 7 picks, including a clutch diving interception to seal the game on Wednesday).


We'll see if they can take their effort against Murray and carry it over to Monday. If they do, we'll be in for an outstanding game.

This post was edited on 11/3 1:54 AM by tm3308

 

[hawkeye_fan2006]

I haven't seen Wayne play this year, but I am making the short trip to Victor from Iowa City on Monday night. I'm hoping for a great game to watch!

 

[Bomber2000]

I have a question for people that knows the states rules on such things. If Wayne and AC were to matchup in rd 3, where would the game be played? Wayne played first 2 rds away while AC is playing first 2 rds at home. Would Wayne (3 seed) get to host AC (1 seed) or does the higher seed maintain home field advantage? Where would a AC/HLV (both 1 seeds) matchup be played?

 

[tm3308]

Adair-Casey would host either way. The higher seed hosts throughout the first three rounds. If both district champions reach the quarterfinals, the "tiebreakers" proceed as follows: district record, head-to-head, first alphabetical. That's all straight from this year's postseason manual.