D IV Playoffs 2010

Well, it came down to 6 teams fighting for spots in the playoffs. In the end the seeding ended with Lebanon (9-0) locking down the #1 seed. Trinity at (8-1) as the #2, Laconia at (7-2) at #3 and Monadnock (5-4) as the #4 seed respectively.

This seeding means that Lebanon will host Monadnock and Trinity will host Laconia this upcoming weekend. We'll preview the games in separate posts.

First, the Laconia / Trinity matchup
    Two great teams with outstanding coaches face off on Saturday as the Sachems travel to Manchester to face the Pioneers. The 2 and 3 seeds battle for a spot in the 2010 championship game. In the regular season, Laconia allowed the Pioneers 284 yards of offense compared to 46 yards of their own. And yet even with those lopsided numbers, the Sachems held the lead midway through the 4th quarter due to outstanding special team play. Ronnie Steele (we love this guy) ran back a kickoff for a TD, Holmes ran back a Punt, Mahoney blocks a punt, Steele then scores...it took a Goldstein to Lauderdale pass with just over 6 minutes to go, to seal the victory for the visiting Pioneers that night. What a game...
   
    Laconia:
   
    You hear it a lot from football fans,  "Get the Offense on the field to give the D some rest!". In D IV that just doesn't matter as most of these kids go both ways and teams have minimal substitutions. What does matter is momentum, adrenaline, that feeling you get when you're so amped up you can't even speak or you might throw up. Well you get the point. The Trinity offense has a tendency to simply beat that feeling right out of you. They take your momentum, your adrenaline and like a chemist out of a cartoon show, they convert it into energy to feed their double wing machine.
   
    In this game, the key for the Sachems will be figuring out how to stop the Pioneer double wing and get their offense on the field to rack up a little yardage of their own. It won't even necessarily matter if they score right away, but the kids NEED to know they can move the ball effectively against the Pioneers defense. This will keep them up, amped, and able to dig deep and play defense much more effectively when the time comes. In order for them to be effective, the backs need to hit holes quickly. This Pioneer D is no joke. When a hole opens, it is typically only momentary. So, when it appears, Mahoney, Steele and Holmes need to get through to the second level.
   
    Also be patient. The Pioneer D is big, fast and intimidating. They won't give up a big play all that often...so don't look for one. Take the 3 yard gain, line up and do it again. Maintain control of the ball, stay focused and put sustained drives together. Scoring will come.
   
    Laconia has the weapons to come out on top in this game. Mahoney has really matured into a go to type RB for the Sachems. He is quick tenacious and has the speed to break the big play. Steele is back and healthy as is Jake Holmes. Briggman runs his offense well and has shown the ability to throw the ball well in the past few games. The O-line is back and healthy and with Mahoney and Hollis opening holes for you, the Sachems have the tools to come out on top on Saturday. 
   
    Defensively, team, team team. One guy will not and cannot stand-out defensively against the machine that is the Pioneer Offense. It will take a team effort, all 11 guys on each and every play, going hard until the whistle. Those of you who have seen a double wing offense run properly will know that it is simply a mess. That's not an insult, it's simply what it is, smoke and mirrors, controlled chaos by design, and the Pioneers run it like no one else in D IV. 
    They will mis-direct, ball fake with their RBs going in three different directions, while Goldstien rolls out and throws the ball, but wait, he doesn't have the ball...Hughes has it and he's 25 yards up field with a safety riding his back being dragged along for the ride. If it's not that, then it's one side of the line looking at 5 guys wall blocking while the back jogs behind waiting for an opening.
   
    IMO, first, you need everyone to be fearless and unselfish. Find the football and when you do, sacrifice yourself to stop the mack truck that's coming your way. Meet the blockers with force and conviction while your teammates pursue from the back side. It's imperative to chase the play from the back side...and they need to do it at full speed whistle to whistle. Don't assume the RB is down, everybody tackles and chases until they hear the whistle. The Pioneer backs (in particular Hughes) are not going down easy. Finally be patient. They will get their yards, but if you play tough and close down in the red zone, you will be okay.
   
    Trinity:
   
    The key for Trinity will be to forget last week and do what you've done all year. There are so many story lines here that could effect the mentality of a successful team,  (winning streak broken, no longer undefeated, etc...). Get your heads right, be mentally tough and stay on course.
   
    Offensively, keep on trucking. Gratiano, Rainey, Lauderdale and company will simply smack you in the mouth and move your butt downfield. This line will hit you, move you where they want, and move on to the next guy. They're big quick and as fundamentally sound as they come. The Pioneers won't throw many looks at you. They run an A formation Double Wing set, with some slight variations every now and again, and while I'm not a fan of the double wing, these guys run it to perfection. If you've ever watched the Pioneers play, you will  have found yourself (more than once) following the play and then giggling to yourself when you realize the back you're following doesn't have the ball and half the defensive is tackling/chasing him with reckless abandon. 
   
    Goldstien knows the offense and runs is incredibly effective in what he does. He hides the ball well, follows through on ball fakes and has decent speed when called upon to keep it. Hoaglund and Chambers provide speed out of the wing positions while Hughes will pull most snaps as the FB. Hughes is the power guy, and he has decent speed, but his low center of gravits and the power in which he runs make him very difficult to take down. The Pioneers must hold on to the football, especially in the Red zone.
   
    Defensively- they've been extremely good on Defense all year. They must account for the loss of Ryan Carrier on Defense in this game. Carrier was a leader and a beast at inside backer and his presence inside will be missed by the Pioneers. M. Leonard will most likely fill in and will need to step up to the challenge. That said the battle on the line should be epic, with Hollis and Mahoney banging with the likes of Gratiano and Lauderdale it should be fun to see how this unfolds the second time around. Thoughts...