IF I GO THERE WILL BE TROUBLE
That's why they get paid the big bucks.
OK, so a high school football coach actually makes about 50 cents an hour when you factor in all of the time put in for little money, but you understand the cliche. Both Astoria and Y-C coaches had to make a headspinning array of decisions in Friday night's game. Some worked, some did not.
It started with the coin toss. Astoria won, but instead of the usual deferral, they opted to kick with the wind at their backs to start the game, which paid quick dividends after a deep kick, a three and out possession for Y-C and a punt into the wind. Good field position, a quick score and positive momentum at the start of the game.
Y-C had the choice at halftime and elected to have the wind at their backs in the fourth quarter, when they were able to score a pair of TD's. However, an earlier decision left them one two many touchdowns in the hole as their comeback fell short in a 24-19 loss.
I never played or coached the game, so all the knowledge I've picked up has been from watching and listening closely. You put me on the field to run a practice or devise a game-plan and I'll be as lost as Paris Hilton's virginity.
Yet, I found myself questioning decisions on the air more in Friday night's game than just about any other I can remember. It's not so much that Coach Rub and Coach Boschma didn't know what they were doing, they were just forced into positions repeatedly that left them open for second-guessing.
I'm sure there were plenty of Monday morning quarterbacks in Yamhill County this morning wondering what Boschma was thinking when he opted to go for it on 4th and a long 1 from his own 29 yard line early in the second half, with his team down 17-6. We were dumbfounded Friday night when it happened and as of this writing Monday afternoon, I still wouldn't have done it. But, there were certainly factors that played a part. Their punter averaged only 25 yards on three kicks in the game and was facing a stiff wind. Later in the game, Astoria punted into the wind and only netted 9 yards. The Fishermen have dangerous return men and Y-C tried to kick away from them all night. To do that would have lessened the chance of a long punt even more. Factor in the potential for a block as Astoria has gotten a couple this year and come close to several others. Boschma has shown that he is not afraid to take risks. A fake punt from their own end of the field prolonged their first scoring drive. They also ran a fake punt successfully from deep in their own end in last year's game. And Boschma obviously has confidence in his experienced linemen to be able to move the chains on short yardage situations. A 225-pound battering ram fullback named Kyle Bansen had moved Astoria's entire front five-plus yards down the field after contact on a couple of earlier dives. But, they didn't get the ball to Bansen, nor did they get the ball to their 1000-yard running back Willie Webb. Their QB took the snap, tap danced behind the line and was tackled for no gain. Astoria scored shortly thereafter and that touchdown proved to be the difference in the game.
Astoria didn't exactly play conservatively in this game either. Leading 10-6 with 20 seconds left in the first half, the Fishermen got the ball on a turnover on downs at their own 37 yard line. Going into the wind, the safe option would have been to run the ball into the line or take a knee and get the heck out of Dodge. Instead, Jordan Poyer nearly threw an interception, Hans Lund got tackled five yards behind the line on a shuffle pass and Poyer got his world rocked by Y-C lineman Collin Pickerill on an outside run.
Later, Rub took a play out of the Boschma book. Again facing the wind, Astoria went for it on 4th and 2 from their own 39 yard line, clinging to a 5-point lead with more than six minutes left in the game. This gamble happened to work, as Poyer got to the left sideline on a naked bootleg and picked up 16 yards, allowing Astoria to run more valuable time off the clock. The Fishermen were able to move the ball across the 50, thanks to good field position after a short Y-C kickoff toward the sideline after they had scored a TD to close within 24-19. Why not drive the ball downfield and use the wind to your advantage? After a touchdown earlier in the quarter, they kicked deep and tackled the Astoria returner at the 21?
Then there was Astoria's final drive of the game, in which they were successfully able to run out the clock. In ordinary circumstances, you would try to kill the clock and secure the win. But, with a potential for a 3-way tie for second at the end of the season, point spreads come into play in the tiebreaker. A more agressive approach to try and pad the lead would not have been a bad idea, however, Astoria felt confident that they could make up enough ground in the OZZI system the following week against Tillamook, so that they didn't need to risk a turnover by going for a TD at the end of the Y-C game. With Banks' 38-35 win over Scappoose, that became essentially a moot point, as a 3-way tie is now very unlikely, unless the Braves choke on their own tongues and lose to Seaside.
Then, of course there was the final play of the contest, in which quarterback Poyer took the snap and tried to run out the final nine seconds by going toward his own end zone. Rub was prepared to carry out the play to its fruition and take a safety. That would have meant a 70+ yard sprint upfield with nine seconds to run off the clock. Taking a safety is something that coaches have done for years in similar situations, although rarely from that distance. The last time I remember that happening was in the Washington 2A State Championship a handful of years ago, when I believe it was Lynden Christian, whose quarterback sprinted about 40-50 yards to the end zone, then celebrated by spiking the ball. Problem was, the play wasn't over. An Elma defender picked it up and the Eagles won the game. I'll bet that QB can't wait for his first reunion!
Poyer had one major advantage, though. The scoreboard was behind Astoria's end zone. He was able to start running right toward the scoreboard and see exactly when the time ran out before he slid to the turf.
When it works, you are a genius, when it doesn't, you are a fool. That's the life of a head coach.
When you are in a position of leadership, you will be second-guessed. It comes with the territory. It's one hell of a lot easier to coach from the stands or the broadcast booth than the sidelines.
As for Boschma, if his Tigers are able to defeat the Indians this week there will be no worries, as Y-C will be league champs. Even if Scappoose had beaten Banks, the Tigers would still have more on the line the final week than they did against Astoria. Of course, having a little playoff insurance is nice, but maybe that knowledge could have played a part in his aggressive play-calling. Rub's Fishermen still need a boost into the playoffs, needing a victory over Tillamook and a Scappoose win over Y-C.
OK, so a high school football coach actually makes about 50 cents an hour when you factor in all of the time put in for little money, but you understand the cliche. Both Astoria and Y-C coaches had to make a headspinning array of decisions in Friday night's game. Some worked, some did not.
It started with the coin toss. Astoria won, but instead of the usual deferral, they opted to kick with the wind at their backs to start the game, which paid quick dividends after a deep kick, a three and out possession for Y-C and a punt into the wind. Good field position, a quick score and positive momentum at the start of the game.
Y-C had the choice at halftime and elected to have the wind at their backs in the fourth quarter, when they were able to score a pair of TD's. However, an earlier decision left them one two many touchdowns in the hole as their comeback fell short in a 24-19 loss.
I never played or coached the game, so all the knowledge I've picked up has been from watching and listening closely. You put me on the field to run a practice or devise a game-plan and I'll be as lost as Paris Hilton's virginity.
Yet, I found myself questioning decisions on the air more in Friday night's game than just about any other I can remember. It's not so much that Coach Rub and Coach Boschma didn't know what they were doing, they were just forced into positions repeatedly that left them open for second-guessing.
I'm sure there were plenty of Monday morning quarterbacks in Yamhill County this morning wondering what Boschma was thinking when he opted to go for it on 4th and a long 1 from his own 29 yard line early in the second half, with his team down 17-6. We were dumbfounded Friday night when it happened and as of this writing Monday afternoon, I still wouldn't have done it. But, there were certainly factors that played a part. Their punter averaged only 25 yards on three kicks in the game and was facing a stiff wind. Later in the game, Astoria punted into the wind and only netted 9 yards. The Fishermen have dangerous return men and Y-C tried to kick away from them all night. To do that would have lessened the chance of a long punt even more. Factor in the potential for a block as Astoria has gotten a couple this year and come close to several others. Boschma has shown that he is not afraid to take risks. A fake punt from their own end of the field prolonged their first scoring drive. They also ran a fake punt successfully from deep in their own end in last year's game. And Boschma obviously has confidence in his experienced linemen to be able to move the chains on short yardage situations. A 225-pound battering ram fullback named Kyle Bansen had moved Astoria's entire front five-plus yards down the field after contact on a couple of earlier dives. But, they didn't get the ball to Bansen, nor did they get the ball to their 1000-yard running back Willie Webb. Their QB took the snap, tap danced behind the line and was tackled for no gain. Astoria scored shortly thereafter and that touchdown proved to be the difference in the game.
Astoria didn't exactly play conservatively in this game either. Leading 10-6 with 20 seconds left in the first half, the Fishermen got the ball on a turnover on downs at their own 37 yard line. Going into the wind, the safe option would have been to run the ball into the line or take a knee and get the heck out of Dodge. Instead, Jordan Poyer nearly threw an interception, Hans Lund got tackled five yards behind the line on a shuffle pass and Poyer got his world rocked by Y-C lineman Collin Pickerill on an outside run.
Later, Rub took a play out of the Boschma book. Again facing the wind, Astoria went for it on 4th and 2 from their own 39 yard line, clinging to a 5-point lead with more than six minutes left in the game. This gamble happened to work, as Poyer got to the left sideline on a naked bootleg and picked up 16 yards, allowing Astoria to run more valuable time off the clock. The Fishermen were able to move the ball across the 50, thanks to good field position after a short Y-C kickoff toward the sideline after they had scored a TD to close within 24-19. Why not drive the ball downfield and use the wind to your advantage? After a touchdown earlier in the quarter, they kicked deep and tackled the Astoria returner at the 21?
Then there was Astoria's final drive of the game, in which they were successfully able to run out the clock. In ordinary circumstances, you would try to kill the clock and secure the win. But, with a potential for a 3-way tie for second at the end of the season, point spreads come into play in the tiebreaker. A more agressive approach to try and pad the lead would not have been a bad idea, however, Astoria felt confident that they could make up enough ground in the OZZI system the following week against Tillamook, so that they didn't need to risk a turnover by going for a TD at the end of the Y-C game. With Banks' 38-35 win over Scappoose, that became essentially a moot point, as a 3-way tie is now very unlikely, unless the Braves choke on their own tongues and lose to Seaside.
Then, of course there was the final play of the contest, in which quarterback Poyer took the snap and tried to run out the final nine seconds by going toward his own end zone. Rub was prepared to carry out the play to its fruition and take a safety. That would have meant a 70+ yard sprint upfield with nine seconds to run off the clock. Taking a safety is something that coaches have done for years in similar situations, although rarely from that distance. The last time I remember that happening was in the Washington 2A State Championship a handful of years ago, when I believe it was Lynden Christian, whose quarterback sprinted about 40-50 yards to the end zone, then celebrated by spiking the ball. Problem was, the play wasn't over. An Elma defender picked it up and the Eagles won the game. I'll bet that QB can't wait for his first reunion!
Poyer had one major advantage, though. The scoreboard was behind Astoria's end zone. He was able to start running right toward the scoreboard and see exactly when the time ran out before he slid to the turf.
When it works, you are a genius, when it doesn't, you are a fool. That's the life of a head coach.
When you are in a position of leadership, you will be second-guessed. It comes with the territory. It's one hell of a lot easier to coach from the stands or the broadcast booth than the sidelines.
As for Boschma, if his Tigers are able to defeat the Indians this week there will be no worries, as Y-C will be league champs. Even if Scappoose had beaten Banks, the Tigers would still have more on the line the final week than they did against Astoria. Of course, having a little playoff insurance is nice, but maybe that knowledge could have played a part in his aggressive play-calling. Rub's Fishermen still need a boost into the playoffs, needing a victory over Tillamook and a Scappoose win over Y-C.
posted by Matt Richert at 4:20 PM
2 Comments:
I don't think Y-C intended to go for it on 4th and 1 early in the 2nd half. I believe Y-C was trying to draw the aggressive Astoria defense offside but the center inexplicably hiked the ball. I was on the Astoria sideline and it looked like Y-C's line did not move on the snap, and no play had been called.
That sounds plausible. The QB looked like he had no idea where he was going after he got the ball in his hands. We suspected on air that they were going to a hard count then were shocked when the ball was actually snapped.
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